leadership reflections

Lawrence Rabiner

Leadership—Some Random Thoughts

have been fortunate to have Hence I joined MIT’s electrical engi- with virtually every aspect of the field had a seven-year association neering program in my sophomore from filter design, to spectrum analy- with the Massachusetts year and applied for the cooperative sis, to system implementation. Institute of Technology program to gain some practical expe- The next phase of my career (MIT) (as both an under- rience. I applied to several companies involved using DSP to develop Igraduate and graduate student), a and was accepted in the advanced speech processing systems 40-year association with AT&T (first Cooperative Program where I spent at Bell Labs and subsequently at four assignments learning about AT&T Labs Research), and am only designing computer interface circuits he author of this article has now embarking on what I hope will for Telstar, doing simulation studies Thad long leadership roles in be a long and successful career in on Nike-X reentry vehicles to see if creating signal processing academia at and we could distinguish warheads from research as we know it today, as at the University of California at dummies that were sent up as diver- well as our Society, from their Santa Barbara. During this tenure, I sionary tactics, and working on early stages. Larry Rabiner writes have learned a few things about how experimental verification of a theory that engineering leadership has to succeed in engineering and how of binaural hearing that explained two necessary conditions—namely to be an effective manager and lead- why two ears were much better than a sense of how to achieve excel- er, and it is my goal to share some of one in being able to perceive speech lence in individual contributions what I have learned with you. in the presence of interfering speech and how to create strong teams A brief description of some of the and noise. Ultimately this last assign- that can work together and get key parts of my career will lend con- ment became my master’s thesis things done. He describes his text to my subsequent discussion on under Dr. Nat Durlach at MIT and thoughts about leadership based personal work programs and leader- the supervision of Dr. James on what he has learned in a 40- ship. I went to MIT in the fall of Flanagan at Bell Labs. year technical career at AT&T and 1960 without the slightest indication I continued graduate school at most recently in academia. His of what field I would choose for my MIT, working with Prof. Ken article is presented in three sec- career. I was most interested in Stevens on problems relating to tions, the first outlining individual mathematics (like virtually every machine synthesis of speech. My Bell achievements in his own career, freshman accepted into MIT) and Labs advisor, Jim Flanagan, remained the second discussing some was hoping for a career in this field. a coadvisor on my doctoral research important things he has learned That was before I met people who and provided me with summer jobs about individual excellence and really knew mathematics and could at Bell Labs. I finished my Ph.D. dis- achievement, and the third dis- grasp concepts that were well beyond sertation in May of 1967 and imme- cussing some key factors for suc- my capabilities. It was then I learned diately began work at Bell Labs on a cess as a manager. In his view, the difference between loving mathe- permanent basis—again working for the most important attributes for matics as a tool that enabled you to Jim Flanagan on problems in speech successful leadership are individ- solve problems and loving mathe- analysis, synthesis, and coding. ual excellence and strong man- matics as a way of life. The former My earliest work at Bell Labs was agerial talents. became engineers, and the latter in the area of digital signal processing —Arye Nehorai were the true mathematicians of the (DSP), a field that was evolving and Leadership Refelctions Editor world. I, of course, was the former. growing rapidly. I became involved

16 IEEE SIGNAL PROCESSING MAGAZINE JANUARY 2004 1053-5888/04/$20.00©2004IEEE including those based on temporal with various experiments. In 1985 I thought more than to effect lifestyle representations, spectral representa- became a department head in charge changes, but I truly believe that they tions, and model representations, of the small, but growing, speech are fairly canonic across almost any such as linear-predictive coding recognition group. I expanded the field of endeavor. methods. A wide body of theory as group from an initial size of about 1) Be enthusiastic and passionate to design and analysis of these sys- 12 highly talented individuals to about your work. Life is just too tems evolved. close to 35 permanent and visiting short to be working on dull or The last phase of my original staff. This group made a number of uninspiring projects. Your creativity research at Bell Labs was in the area significant contributions to speech is directly proportional to the time of systems. By recognition technology over the five that you think about your work, the late 1970s, methods for process- years that I led the team. In 1990 I and this just happens naturally when ing speech signals had become both was appointed director of the you love what you do and can’t wait extremely sophisticated and easy to Information Principles Research Lab to get to work each day. The adven- implement in either hardware or with responsibility for supervising all ture of discovery and invention array processing software. Thus it research in the area of acoustics and awaits those who are passionate became practical to look at ways of speech processing including a small about their jobs, and almost all new representing speech so that it could but highly focused group in image ideas come from people who own be reliably and efficiently recognized and video processing. The lab grew every aspect of their working lives. by machine. This work, which initial- from about 75 people initially to 2) Sweat the details of what you do. ly utilized simple pattern recognition about 110 people at the time of the Almost everyone gets good ideas technology, evolved to statistical split between AT&T and Lucent about the work they are doing, and methods based on hidden Markov Technologies. At the split, I chose many of these good ideas make sig- modeling. Ultimately the perfor- to join the newly created Research nificant differences to the success of mance of these speech recognition Lab at AT&T as vice president of a project. Without carrying each methods became good enough that the Speech and Image Processing good idea to a stage where it can be they began to be used in services, Services Lab (a group of about 50 evaluated in some prototype or test- often with millions of daily users. In people) since I foresaw the value of bed system, however, you never particular, AT&T utilized simple rapidly moving speech technology to know whether the idea is a great one speech recognition in a service called services that would benefit the com- only in theory (but doesn’t work voice recognition call processing pany. In 1998 I was made vice presi- well in practice) or is one of those (VRCP), which automated so-called dent of Research, with responsibility ideas that change the way a technol- operator-assisted calls and enabled for about 550 people working in vir- ogy plays out in the marketplace and machines to reliably handle collect tually every area of telecom from in the world of technology. calls, person-to-person calls, third- access, to the network, to opera- 3) Neatness counts in everything party billing calls, reversed billing tions, to services. I remained in this you do. No matter how caught up calls, and operator-assisted calls. This position until my retirement in you get in the day-to-day details, it is application was introduced into March 2002. essential that you develop habits AT&T services in March 1992 and During my career I have learned a related to good organization and very rapidly grew to handle 1.2 bil- great deal about how to do research, management of your resources, your lion calls each year with word accura- how to be effective in various posi- work projects, and your life. At some cies of close to 100% (actually about tions, how to lead and manage high- point you will have to access past 99.8%) and with less than 1% rejec- ly talented groups of individuals, and results, prior data records, and stored tion of input speech. The VRCP sys- how to succeed in whatever you records of experimental results. tem ultimately saved AT&T close to endeavor to do. I’d like to outline Without an organized process to rely US$360 million a year in displaced just a few of these key observations. on, you will spend most of your time operator and supervisor costs. looking for information that should As a result of the successes in my How to Succeed in be at your fingertips. Although the technical career, I assumed a num- Your Work Program messy desk is often the cinematic ber of management positions in The following are some key characterization of the “mad but AT&T. In 1972 I became a group thoughts about how to succeed in brilliant engineer,” it is generally the supervisor, responsible for the work whatever occupation you choose. real-life characterization of the “slop- of five technical support staff, pro- Like almost all generalizations, these py and disorganized” individual who grammers and people who assisted observations are meant to stimulate doesn’t have his priorities straight

JANUARY 2004 IEEE SIGNAL PROCESSING MAGAZINE 17 leadership reflections continued and tends to pay most attention to forces you to be precise, exact, and beyond their wildest dreams have things at the top of the pile. correct. It forces you to learn things generally set their sights high and Although people often function about your work that you didn’t are willing to take risk and even fail. without having any sense of neat- completely understand. Finally the The down side of failing is the feel- ness or organization, eventually this process of organizing and writing ing that you didn’t accomplish bad habit has a way of catching up up work leads to many new ideas much. The upside of failing is that and causing major problems, gener- about things that were either you learn from your mistakes and ally at times of extreme stress. So it bypassed or never thought about then can grow to even greater is best to avoid the problem initially because of lack of time during the heights in future ventures. Perhaps by realizing the importance of neat- course of the project. the greatest risk taker and biggest ness and organization. 6) Teach what you have learned. If failure in the history of invention 4) Present your work and your ideas writing and presenting talks about (prior to a pretty good success that early and often. Communication your work are good, carrying this ultimately ensued) was Thomas Alva skills are probably the most impor- forward to the next level is even bet- Edison, who ran thousands of failed tant thing an engineer can develop ter. That means thinking globally experiments trying to find a suitable once he or she has learned the fun- about a body of work and convert- filament for the electric light bulb, damentals of the field of endeavor. ing those ideas to a tutorial lecture before finally discovering the car- Both oral and written communica- or tutorial paper, a short course or bonized thread (which later was tion skills are essential for success, book chapter, and ultimately to a replaced by the tungsten filament) since if you can’t share your ideas long course or a book. Once most that enabled the light bulb to shine and your thoughts with your col- individuals have worked in an area brightly for the last 100 or so years. leagues, your managers, and outside for a number of years, they have 8) Pay attention to the gurus but audiences, you will never get the learned far more about the area than not the forecasters. The gurus are feedback and criticism that enable they think, and converting that people who have continually learned you to progress more rapidly and get knowledge to a broad publication or from a combination of success and your work accepted. A corollary of presentation vehicle is probably one failures and on balance have had a this principle is the old adage “You of the most satisfying and rewarding lot more successes than failures. The never get a second chance to make a things you can do in your career. forecasters are generally individuals good first impression.” This means What seems almost daunting and who try to stand on the shoulders of that it is incumbent on you, the undoable, such as writing a full- those who have succeeded and look communicator, to be prepared for length textbook for publication, is forward at technology without ever every presentation that you make. merely a step-at-a-time exercise in having dirtied their hands in finding That means knowing your material self-discipline and time manage- the paths through the technology as well as possible so that you could ment. The payoff from this level of maze. As such, the gurus teach us present it in your sleep, if necessary. publication or presentation far about the past and give us guidance It means thinking about what parts exceeds the effort required to take for the most likely paths to pursue of your presentation might confuse your work to this level, and I highly in the future. The forecasters merely your audience (which might be your recommend it for everyone with try to extrapolate from what they boss or higher management) and something important to say or share. perceive are the technological suc- being prepared for questions and 7) Strive for the highest goals you cesses, without the benefit of explanations that help explain your can set your sights on. The most knowledge gleaned from the failures work better. It means making sure amazing thing about most excep- and the abortive attempts at that when you show off your work, tional work done in almost every progress. Perhaps the only valuable you show it at its best, not just the field is that the individuals achieving forecaster tool is the famous first time it works. the success were usually not the Moore’s law of semiconductors 5) Write up your work on every ones most people would have point- which states that VLSI technology project you do. Various managers ed to early on. Thus the people will double in density and halve in have told me throughout my career voted “most likely to succeed” are price every 18 months. Even that that no job is really complete until rarely the ones that have dared to law is more of a guiding principle you describe the work in print. I dream beyond their capabilities and than a scientific law as there is no have personally found this to be the succeeded in changing the world by basis in theory for this law, but the case for virtually every project in my following their dreams to the logical practice certainly follows the law, career. Writing about your work conclusions. People who succeed and thus the forecasters know that

18 IEEE SIGNAL PROCESSING MAGAZINE JANUARY 2004 they can rely on this for guidance as should be raising the intellectual (who talked about their work and to future capabilities of technology. level of the organization with each its significance to AT&T), and an 9) Show respect for everyone with new hire. Bright, highly motivated article about them and their work in whom you come into contact. We all new hires energize an organization the internal publication Research lead busy lives with far too much to by challenging traditional thinking News. Over the course of about four do in a mere 24-hour day. Since the about problems and by bringing in years I awarded about 60 such shirts laws of nature prevent us from get- new ideas that can often be rapidly to about 50 individuals (some won ting additional time each day, we integrated into the working environ- the award more than once), and I tend to prioritize work according to ment. New hires that are well found that even such a small token value received and potential impact. respected have the ability to effect of appreciation was highly respected That often means we disregard change almost immediately, and that both internally and externally, as requests for help, don’t answer e- is basically good in almost all cases. outside people learned about the mail messages, avoid returning calls, 2) Be a good listener. As a manag- award by seeing awardees wearing and generally choose who we will er, you will spend a great deal of the shirts at various technical con- talk to and whom we will avoid. your time listening to your group, ferences. Another, and more highly Unfortunately this prevents many of presentations, your managers, and rewarding, form of recognition is us from getting to know students higher management, all with views nominating colleagues and group and colleagues who ask for help but on how you can best do your job or members for external recognition find no responses to their messages support them on doing theirs. It is awards such as Fellowship in rele- or phone calls. We should all con- essential that you listen to everyone vant technical societies, technical sider this a form of pro bono work who comes to talk to you. First of field awards of various organiza- and payback for the opportunities all, you will often get good ideas for tions, and even membership in we have to contribute to society, by your own work or for others in your national academies such as the making a commitment to interact group. You might learn a great deal National Academy of Engineering. and help out anyone in need, espe- about technical and business aspects Such recognition requires more cially students and lower level col- of the work going on in your group, work than awarding a shirt, but this leagues. The extra effort will be well outside the company, or in other activity is most appropriate for man- rewarded over time. parts of the company. At the very agers in the technical community least you will expand your horizons who can judge achievements in How to Succeed of knowledge, and finally you will unbiased ways and make the deci- as a Manager gain the respect of your group, your sions as to when individuals are There are perhaps thousands of colleagues, and your bosses. deemed ready for recognition in this books that purport to explain how 3) Recognize excellence early and most prestigious manner. to be a good manager. Some books often. People are motivated by hav- 4) Don’t ever compete with your have virtually unlimited suggestions ing someone pay attention to them team. As a manager it is your job to as to how to succeed in making the and their work. Whenever someone motivate, inspire, and lead your people you manage both respect and in your group does a good job the team. As such you have to avoid enjoy working for you. Although payoff from something as simple as competing with the team for many of these suggestions are appro- an “atta-boy” note is remarkable. resources that should naturally go priate and reasonable for technical Small tokens of recognition go a to the team, including attendance at managers, there are a few sugges- long way to having happy and con- technical meetings, putting your tions I can make based on my 30 tented employees. As head of own name in publication of results years of managerial experience. Research at AT&T Labs I instituted of the work, taking credit for doing 1) Always hire people who are a Research Excellence award that the work, and making presentations smarter than you. One of the major was given to people who had both of the work to various levels of responsibilities of most managers is done a superb job with technology management. Of course, as group hiring new people, both to replace and succeeded in getting it into manager, it is often appropriate and losses and for growth of an organi- deployment within AT&T. For this fitting that you present the work of zation. Once you begin interview- effort they were rewarded with a your team, but then it is essential ing and hiring people, it should shirt with the term “Research that the team members be fully rec- become immediately clear that Excellence” embroidered into the ognized so they understand that among the many goals of hiring shirt pocket, a presentation in front you are presenting the results of new people, first and foremost of the vice president of research their work. It is essential that in all

JANUARY 2004 IEEE SIGNAL PROCESSING MAGAZINE 19 leadership reflections continued

activities you put your team above maximize opportunities in the work and was promoted to vice president yourself and make sure that the program. Great managers have pas- of Research in 1998. Dr. Rabiner reward structure for the team recog- sion for the job and then they do retired from AT&T in March 2002 nizes both individual achievement whatever it takes to succeed. There and is now a professor of electrical and team achievement, as appropri- just is no substitute for passion about and computer engineering at ate. It is essential for the manager to your work. Rutgers University and the associate create a strong team spirit, and There are undoubtedly about a director of the Center for Advanced things that tear apart the team must dozen more good ideas for manage- Information Processing (CAIP) at be avoided at all costs. ment and leadership, not to mention Rutgers. He also has a joint appoint- 5) Maintain the highest standards vision, excellence, rewards, and all ment as a professor of electrical and of integrity. As a manager it is essen- the other standards of management, computer engineering at the tial for people at all levels to know but I will close with one last University of California at Santa they can trust you in word and thought. Success in engineering Barbara. He is coauthor of the deed. If you make a promise to an builds on a firm foundation in math- books Theory and Application of individual, your word should be ematics, computer science, signal Digital Signal Processing (Prentice- your bond, and people should be processing and physics, and an innate Hall, 1975), Digital Processing of able to leave knowing that you will desire to NSL (never stop learning) Speech Signals (Prentice-Hall, 1978), do what you say. It is essential that and growing. The most successful Multirate Digital Signal Processing you be open and honest in all your engineers and managers are those (Prentice-Hall, 1983), and Funda- dealings with people, including the who acquire new knowledge, skills, mentals of Speech Recognition option to say no to requests with an and expertise each year and who (Prentice-Hall, 1993). He is a explanation of the reasons why you push themselves to do things they member of , Sigma Xi, made this negative decision. know they can’t possibly do. Great Tau Beta Pi, the National Academy Although it often seems impossible managers have an attitude of trying of Engineering, and the National to avoid, it is essential that you virtually anything once and seeing if Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of avoid politics in your decision mak- it works, changes the world, creates a IEEE, the Acoustical Society of ing and leadership, since politics new paradigm for doing things, or America, Bell Laboratories, and confuse most people and make you just is valuable in its own right. AT&T. He is a former president of look like you lack the integrity that the IEEE Acoustics, Speech, and people crave in their leaders. The Lawrence Rabiner Signal Processing Society, a former bottom line is that if your integrity received the S.B. vice president of the Acoustical is in doubt, you will have failed as a and S.M. degrees in Society of America, a former editor manager—independent of what you 1964 and the of IEEE Transactions on Acoutics, accomplish in your career or in Ph.D. degree in Speech, and Signal Processing, and a other parts of the job. electrical engineer- former editorial board member of 6) Love your work. No one has to ing in 1967, all the Proceedings of the IEEE. be a manager; it is a conscious choice from the Massa- of most individuals. Leadership is chusetts Institute of Technology, something that you work at and get Cambridge. From 1962 through better at with experience. Most man- 1964, he was in the cooperative pro- Erratum agerial aspects of the job can be gram in at learned. However, passion for the job AT&T Bell Laboratories, Whippany There was an error in the is innate—you either feel it or you and Murray Hill, New Jersey. He September 2003 issue of IEEE don’t. Without passion for the work, joined AT&T Bell Labs in 1967 as a Signal Processing Magazine. On it is just a job, not a great opportuni- Member of the Technical Staff. He page 39, the correct title of the ty to change the world. Once you was promoted to supervisor in 1972, article by A. Dogandzic and A. have passion for your work, the tasks department head in 1985, director Nehorai is “Generalized Multi- of being a great coach, mentor, and in 1990, and functional vice presi- variate Analysis of Variance.” cheerleader come naturally with the dent in 1995. He joined the newly The title was correct on the territory, as you cheer success, created AT&T Labs in 1996 as table of contents. encourage your people to strive for director of the Speech and Image excellence, and provide resources to Processing Services Research Lab

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