Tech Icon Spotlight: Faraz Shafiq

SVP Product Mgmt, Chief Data & AI Officer, formerly Amazon Web Services and Verizon

For more than twenty years, Faraz Shafiq has led data and AI initiatives for enterprises like Verizon, Cambia Health Solutions, and Amazon Web Services. Today, Shafiq is at the forefront of AI as the co-founder of a new startup focused on enabling enterprises to virtually scale their use of data to power the next generation of AI models.  

“Once I was exposed to AI for the first time, I knew I never wanted to look back. It is such a powerful tool that is going to change the world,” he said. 

Shafiq spoke with Riviera Partners to share his perspective on technical leadership, the role of first principles and collaboration in problem-solving, and the importance of building your wartime leadership skills during peacetime. 

01

Think outcomes,
not milestones

02

Begin at the
beginning

03

Leadership is a
team sport

04

Build wartime
leadership skills
during peacetime

01

Think outcomes,
not milestones

Throughout his career, Shafiq has found that technical leaders tend to forget they are there to solve business problems with technology, not solve technical problems. In order to get people thinking about outcomes, he has one question he makes sure to ask business partners when starting a project. 

“It’s very simple: ‘If technology wasn’t a barrier, how would you reimagine the business?’ No one ever says that they want to be multi-cloud, use AI, or add some new database technology. Instead, they’ll talk about how they want to do approvals in two minutes instead of 15 days, or manage risk for anyone applying for credit, or minimize fraud at the point of purchase.”

“If you’re not having that conversation with your technical leader, technology will become a barrier. Too many engagements are focused on costs or schedules or systems, versus how to deliver an amazing experience. For me, the measure of success needs to be tied to outcomes, not technical milestones. A technical milestone is a good measure of progress, but it can’t be confused for business impact.”

“A technical milestone is a good measure of progress, but it can’t be confused for business impact.”

02

Begin at the
beginning

Shafiq believes the most important role a leader can play is helping their team approach complex problems from first principles. By boiling a challenge down to its most fundamental parts, teams can then apply more creativity and innovation to the solution. 

“The key as a leader is to always challenge the status quo and be a student. You can only get to first principles if you’re curious,” he said. 

When it comes to AI, Shafiq sees a lot of organizations who are eager to leverage AI, but struggle to understand what it will specifically mean for their business. In order to execute effectively, these organizations need to be crystal clear about what they are trying to achieve.

“I see too many companies jumping right into AI without taking the time to ask the right questions,” Shafiq said. “Instead of saying what is or isn’t possible, effective leaders will be the ones that clearly define their challenge and then keep asking the open-ended questions required to unveil what it will take to make a solution possible.”

“The key as a leader is to always challenge the status quo and be a student. You can only get to first principles if you’re curious.”

03

Leadership is a
team sport

Leadership is rarely one person telling another what to do. Instead, Shafiq describes leadership as a collaborative effort between a leader, their team, and other leaders throughout the organization. 

“Leadership is about 1+1 equalling 11, not two. When you can align people to a vision, then magic happens across the board,” Shafiq said.

To build a collaborative leadership mentality, Shafiq advises to always think like an owner. “Don’t let organizational boundaries stop you. If you were the owner of the company, you would work with anyone in the organization to solve your issue. If you have a great idea and the organizational structure is limiting you, go find the person that will support you and figure it out,” he said. “This has been literally one of the biggest drivers for my career. Whenever I see a gap, I try to solve it without it being a territorial thing.”

“Leadership is about 1+1 equalling 11, not two.”

04

Build wartime
leadership skills
during peacetime

The trouble with leadership is that you don’t always know what type of leader you have–or are–until tested under fire. Shafiq cautions organizations to evaluate their leaders as much by their process as by their results. “Anyone can be a great leader when everything is fine. You only find the true leaders when things go bad,” he said. 

To strengthen his leadership skills, early on in his career Shafiq identified things that weren’t naturally in his wheelhouse so he could turn them into strengths for when times turned tough.  

“There are things that naturally extroverted people are great at, but if you’re introverted you’re going to struggle like I did. But it is something you can improve. Extroverts gain energy from social situations, but I know that in certain situations it drains my energy. For me, the big thing is to save my energy for where and when it matters, like a customer meeting. But after that, I’ll be happy to just grab my lunch and eat in the corner to gain my energy back.”

“Anyone can be a great leader when everything is fine. You only find the true leaders when things go bad.”

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