Second, communication is the most important tool in our toolbox. It is critical to have the ability to communicate up, down and across the organization. And, you can never communicate too much. Two of the most important elements in communication are the ability to listen to the real messages, which often it is not what is said but what isn't said, and to check for understanding.
Third, no matter the geography, effective leaders do not assume their employees know when they have done well. People need constant encouragement, rewards and praise. The way you do it may be different depending on the culture, but it is a critical element of success.
What is the best way to measure the returns on IT investments?
We see IT as the enabler of Cisco's business strategy. Our vision is to enable everything we do with IT, which means to be successful as a company, we must align IT with the business imperatives at multiple levels. By enabling business operational functionality, business capabilities and growth strategies, IT at Cisco sets the standard for increasing productivity not only by reducing operating expenses, but also through enabling revenue growth and improving our internal client experience.
In a nutshell, we need to enable critical business capabilities for Cisco to move into new geographies, markets and technologies with speed, agility and increased productivity. Cisco IT measures success by tying strategies with growth, business capabilities with experience, and operational functionality with productivity. In essence, enabling every move we make with IT.
What did they not teach you in school that you wish they had?
Resource strategy. That makes sure you have the right people in the right place, with the right skills at the right time. With the complexities of IT today and the competition for top talent, it is a real challenge to create a resource strategy that is flexible enough to meet the ever-changing needs of the business. It means that we have to hire, grow and develop top talent, and to ensure we have our best people working on the most important elements of our business.
What advice do you have for IT managers in Asia who are moving up the corporate ladder and taking on more regional responsibilities?
In a healthy company, it is important to have a mixture of people with different talents, experiences and skills. The challenge is finding ways for different people to work together while understanding and appreciating the uniqueness each person brings. To be successful in a regional role, it is more important to be a conductor rather than an army general. Wherever you have people, to be successful you must create a compelling vision, establish shared values and enable others to act.
You hold a degree in Business Administration, with emphasis on organizational behavior. How did you land yourself in IT?
I have always had a fascination and a driving curiosity for technology. I also have a vivid imagination about how technology can impact the way we learn and connect to others. I discovered that IT was a place that allowed me to quench my curiosity of technology but also use technology to connect to the people I care about, and the things that I care about no matter where I am located. I've been very fortunate in my career to have business leaders that allowed me the freedom to look for new ways to marry technology and the business. As it turned out, I'm in the perfect place today with Cisco, because we use technology to change the way people live, learn, work and play.
What keeps you up at night?
Many companies talk about ways to build a company, and the organizations within the company, to last. I think it is critical to do that. But, what keeps me awake at night is trying to figure out ways to build a company and the IT organization that is adaptable to change. Economies, business requirements, customers and technologies all change. My challenge and the challenge of the IT organization is how to develop the speed and agility to stay ahead of the business.
What do you do to keep sane?
I'm blessed to have the most patient and understanding wife. She is my friend and my soul mate. Susan gently reminds me in a caring and loving way that she knows no one who spent the last moments of their life wishing they spent more time at work.
Tell us something that few people know about you.
This is pretty funny actually. I've been a fry cook, a newspaper delivery person, and I sold fire engines at one point in my career and also ran a large printing press. But, the job I remember the most was working at a circus when I was a teenager. The best part is that I have used every one of those experiences over my 35 years in technology and IT.
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