Making Those Connections

You mentioned some of these great groups you’ve worked with. What was it like to work with those agencies, and how did that impact how you lead now at Siemens?

Well, think about what the federal government is charged with. Our federal government serves our national defense. It’s providing things that we as citizens can all benefit from and enjoy, which none of us would be able to put together, afford to build on our own.
And in fact, I had the privilege of, I’ll say my mission, overlapping with Keith a little bit when he was at the Department of State, because one of the things that Siemens focuses on is large-scale energy. And the Department of State, as you may know, is deeply involved in assuring all kinds of power, soft power, to help nations all around the world maintain peace and stability and good relationships with the US.
For me, working with customers who had these gigantic charters and missions was always humbling. And then to find that there are people who’ve chosen service in government for their entire career and realizing they’re not in it to make a fortune, run their own space program, they’re in it because they recognize the mission and they recognize the contribution they can be making as individuals as part of something far greater than themselves.