S4E4: Ritu Bhargava, xPresident & CPO, SAP CX/CRM - Build "OrgIQ", Manage Up and Across
Ritu Bhargava is xPresident and Chief Product Officer of SAP Customer Experience (CX/CRM) & Consumer Industries. Prior to that she was SVP of Software Engineering at Salesforce for Sales Cloud (CRM) and held various engineering leadership roles at Oracle. Ritu is a sought-after advisor, investor and has also served as a Board Member at Qualtrics.
In this conversation, Ritu is disarmingly honest and candid as she narrates stories about her experiences rising up in the organization, balancing getting visibility and being a team player, and learning from people six levels down in the org chart.
Key takeaways:
1. COMMUNICATING WITH STAKEHOLDERS
- A boss is also a human with a job, not just a title.
- Surface real issues and what they need to move forward.
- Ask “What would help you?”
2. SAYING NO TO MANAGEMENT
- Earn the right to say No
- Avoid the temptation to please
- Cover No’s in Yes’s
3. BEING A TEAM PLAYER
- Play the long game instead of little wins
- Be selfless, its not about you
- Can you give up the limelight when you could have claimed victory?
4. RISING UP IN THE ORGANIZATION
- Raise your hand and put yourself out there
- If you want to grow, make yourself redundant
- Earn the trust of peers who may report to you
- Hire people smarter than yourself without feeling threatened
- Build “OrgIQ”
5. DEALING WITH STRESS
- Apply five Why’s
- Have a growth mindset
References:
- Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High by Kerry Patterson, Josephy Grenny
- Radical Candor by Kim Scott
Connect with Ritu Bhargava:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritubhargava/
Connect with Rahul Abhyankar:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulabhyankar/