Your Time is Now: Get Ready to Ascend!

Cisco Live is quickly approaching on July 11-14, and I am growing more and more excited about participating in the IT Management Program in Las Vegas. This program has grown tremendously in the last few years and I can’t wait to see everyone there! Although I’m a 10 year veteran with Cisco, this is my first time presenting at Cisco Live. I’m thrilled to be able to meet with Cisco customers and other IT leaders from around the world, to learn and share about the great industries we’re in and how we can help each other succeed.

I’ve been fortunate to have a varied career – prior to, and at Cisco – and most of it has been focused on leading change, either locally, organizationally or globally. We’ve all experienced change in our lives: change created by us, change created with us, or change that happens to us. Most of us want to be in the first two situations – authors (or at least co-authors) of change in our lives. Bearing that in mind, when I’m leading change, my team and I ensure that we understand WHO the change will be impacting, HOW it will impact them, WHY the change is needed and then create change with the consumer in mind. When we focus our efforts on empathy around change, understanding consumer needs and what will make everyone’s lives easier, everyone wins. As a developer/engineer, your designs are positive and meaningful to those who use them; as a consumer, you’re delighted (or at the bare minimum, you’re not annoyed). As a leader, I get great joy from seeing it all come together – seeing the designers and consumers walk away fulfilled.

In my most recent role as the Senior Manager of the Global Service Logistics and Operations team, I’ve been leading a global organization through a massive change that impacts our people, process and technology. We’ve tried a number of changes that are new for the team, some are new for IT, and some are new for Cisco and the industry as a whole. When I was setting my FY16 career goals with my manager, we talked about industry trends and what Customers need the most right now. That’s when I realized that many, many leaders are going through the same challenges that my team and I have gone through. Applying to speak at Cisco Live seemed like the next natural step to sharing my team’s journey, and learning from Customers about theirs. At the IT Management Program, I’ll be speaking about some of the imperatives for change that compelled my team forward, the process for change that we used, the challenges we’ve run into, the victories we’ve seen, and what else still needs to be done. I’m interested in hearing back from our Customers about their journeys – where they are on their path, the high and lows along the way, and what mountains are still left to climb.

In the words of the late, great Dr. Seuss, July 11-14 will be “great days for UP!” The time is now to climb the mountain ahead of us, and take in the great view from the top.

See you in Vegas!!