leadership

Varsha Kanwar has seen the power of the right workplace culture. As chief of staff in Cisco’s CX Portfolio Product Development organization, she’s passionate about the “power of we” and how teams can make amazing things happen — if we share the right purpose.     Five ways to build powerf…

The upcoming DevNet Zone at Cisco Live in San Diego will be the 5th anniversary of our first DevNet Zone at Cisco Live. The first was in San Francisco in 2014. We had just started up DevNet the preceding January and made a last minute decision to get into the Cisco Live game. It was a tough and stee…

Growing up in the South Bronx, NY – I didn’t have access to the Internet, cable TV, or even a telephone. After school most days, I took the long way home to avoid the drug dealers, gangs, and addicts. During summer and winter breaks, my aunt took me and my cousins to the free lunch program at a near…

If you’ve ever been in the presence of an exceptional leader then you know the feeling—they can unleash a gravitational pull that motivates you to act and inspires you to achieve your fullest potential. Cisco’s Senior Director of Connected Digital Interactions, Steve Cox (my boss), is one of those p…

While I’m out on maternity leave, I’m excited to highlight the varied viewpoints of some of the amazing people that make up CHILL. I’m proud to work with this diverse and talented team. They hail from around the globe, and bring a rich set of experiences, skills, and passions to bear on everything t…

Last week I was fortunate to attend the Simmons Leadership Conference in Boston. In its 39th year, Simmons is considered the premiere professional development event for women. Each year thousands of women, and a small contingent of men, gather together to learn, share, and exchange ideas. The theme…

Recently, my team had the honor of hosting retired four-star General Stan McChrystal as our keynote speaker for an event. The audience was a group of folks with an important job at Cisco; helping our customers navigate various escalation channels when they have problems with our products or services…

It’s with great honor that I get to highlight 10 of our Cisco leaders that have been named a top Channel Chief of 2018 by CRN. CRN’s Channel Chiefs list honors the best of the best—leaders who build, support and deliver superior partner programs and strategy. Each of our leaders that we submitted ma…

I’ve never told this story before.  I was set to join Cisco in July 2000.  However, I had scheduled a vacation the week prior to joining the company.  On the very first day of my vacation – actually, the first hour – I answered the phone in my hotel room, and the Chief Counsel of Cisco informed me t…