By Vinay Karunakaran, Vice President & General Manager, Precision Beam Steering
In technology-driven industries, expertise matters. My career began as an electrical engineer, designing circuits, solving complex technical challenges and developing solutions for customers. Early on, success often meant being the person others turned to for answers.
When I moved into leadership roles, I brought that same mindset with me. Whenever a challenge emerged, my instinct was to step in and solve it myself. I felt responsible for having the answers and guiding every decision.
Over time, I realized that approach wasn’t helping my team reach its full potential.
The turning point came during a conversation with a mentor. As I described the pressure of feeling responsible for every solution, he asked me a simple question:
“Is your team unable to solve these challenges, or do they simply need support, coaching and direction?”
That question changed my perspective on leadership.
Instead of focusing on having all the answers, I began focusing on helping others discover them. Rather than immediately offering solutions, I started asking questions:
- What are our options?
- What haven’t we considered?
- How else might we approach this challenge?
At first, the shift felt uncomfortable. My team was accustomed to looking to me for answers, and I was accustomed to providing them. But as I stepped back, something important happened: Others stepped forward.
New ideas emerged. Different perspectives surfaced. Team members became more confident sharing opinions, contributing solutions and taking ownership of outcomes.
That lesson continues to shape how we work across Precision Beam Steering today. Whether we’re addressing complex technical challenges or responding to evolving customer needs, success rarely comes from one person. It comes from bringing together diverse expertise across engineering, operations, manufacturing and commercial teams.
When people feel empowered to contribute their ideas and experiences, teams often develop stronger solutions than any individual could create alone.
One of the things I appreciate most about our culture is the mindset our teams bring to challenges. I rarely hear someone say, “We can’t do that.” Instead, the conversation is usually, “Let’s figure out how.”
That perspective creates an environment where innovation can thrive. Challenges become opportunities to learn, improve and discover new possibilities.
Today, I view leadership very differently than I did earlier in my career. My role is not to provide every answer. It’s to create clarity around priorities, remove obstacles and ensure our teams have the support and resources they need to succeed.
As technology advances and customer challenges become increasingly complex, organizations need leaders who can unlock the collective capabilities of their teams. The most effective leaders aren’t necessarily the ones with all the answers. They’re the ones who create an environment where great ideas can come from anywhere.
The journey from subject matter expert to people leader is ultimately a shift from individual achievement to collective success. Technical expertise remains important, but leadership is about helping others realize their potential, trust their abilities and contribute their unique perspectives.
When talented people come together around a shared goal, innovation becomes possible.
And when teams embrace a mindset of “Let’s figure out how,” there’s very little they cannot accomplish.