7 Days, 7 Roles, 1 Company

I love reinventing myself. I thrive on finding different ways to bring a sense of “newness” to my day, every day. As you can imagine, doing this can take a lot of energy and requires a lot of dedication, but it’s also been the most fulfilling journey of my life.

In just one week, I created the best experiences for myself here at Cisco. In just seven days I was a marketing manager, a culture enthusiast, a student, a pioneer, an innovator, a world traveler and a thrill seeker! Here’s how I did it – and how you can too!

Monday: Marketing Manager – Monday morning brought my usual routine – I started the day by working out, checking my calendar, and then (most importantly) making my coffee. As a Global Logistics Marketing Manager in the Supply Chain Operations organization here at Cisco I have the exciting opportunity to develop creative concepts to launch our new Cisco Routed Services, consult on team development, and launch innovation labs and centers around the world. My background has never been in Supply Chain, and I may be a bit biased, but I think it’s one of the best organizations to work in at Cisco!

Even “regular Mondays” have a pretty great start when you’re working at Cisco!

Tuesday: A Culture Enthusiast – On this day, I participated in a panel discussion organized by the Connected Black Professionals group at Cisco discussing Black History: Past, Present and Future. There aren’t many places where you are able to learn something new about your culture – but Cisco made this happen. True to Cisco’s dynamic company culture, we love learning about each other – what makes us different, and what makes us alike – and how we can take our past experiences and bring them with us to innovate in the future.

Did I also mention that on this same day I was busy planning an innovation center opening and hosted a Women in Tech Instagram Live with another fellow co-worker who happens to be a WeAreCisco Ambassador? It’s one thing to #LoveWhereYouWork, it’s another thing completely to be able to share our culture with the world.

Wednesday: A Student – “Focus on the things where you bring a unique value.” This incredible advice was given to me during a 1 on 1 meeting I had with my executive mentor. It really stopped me and left me thinking about where I wanted the rest of the week to go. I was energized and fired up to bring my unique value to my team and work throughout the remainder of the week – but, also I became intensely focused on utilizing my Teamspace strengths as a connector, influencer and advisor. Teamspace is a tool that helps Cisco employees become the best teams by revealing individual strengths and amplifying their collective power. When we realize what work fuels us, and what work drains us, we can accommodate and shift the work so that everyone is (more or less) loving where they work.

Thursday: An Advisor – Each week we’re all presented with challenges. I thrive on finding solutions for each challenge and creating ways to achieve success through the roadblocks. Whether it’s crafting complicated communications, understanding stakeholders and identifying new ways to solve their business problems or removing obstacles to ensure events remain on schedule, my job is the perfect mix of innovation, program management, and leadership. It gives me the feeling of simply being alive with a total rush! I believe in this motto. “There is always an opportunity to win. Let’s find it.”

Being able to find that opportunity with my team invigorates me and pushes me to end the week strong!

Want to join a company that encourages you to reinvent yourself? We’re hiring. Apply now.

Friday: A Connector – To close my work week, I sat on a panel with my colleagues from different parts of Cisco and discussed the need for diversity in different areas. It was a true honor to participate in this panel with people from different cultures and to identify new ways for me to connect in the future. Cisco employees are passionate about giving back and this panel was also a great time to both share and learn about the wonderful giving back opportunities going on throughout Cisco.

From there, my weekend started with a viewing of Black Panther, and what a phenomenal movie this is! My brother is a comic book artist and made my entire family commit to seeing it on opening day, so I had to go (even though I knew I wanted to see it right away anyway) and I have never been more proud to be a strong, powerful woman in tech! So many people may feel that Wakanda is just a figment of their imagination – but we Cisconians KNOW that it’s real, because we’re living it!

Saturday: A Pioneer – I attended the Cisco Connected Black Professionals Masquerade Ball and received the Pioneer for Change award. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to lead the organization and to receive this acknowledgement from my peers brought me great joy and humility.  I received this award for my efforts in rebranding the organization to a name more connected to our employee resource organization and to clearly align with our goal of being a global black affinity group.

Sunday: Innovator, A Thrill Seeker and World Traveler – All at the same time! As I mentioned, I am in the midst of preparing for the grand opening of Cisco’s 10th Innovation Center in Istanbul and it is the perfect definition of passion driving purpose. I am passionate about connecting diverse people through innovation and this effort is beyond rewarding. I am not from Turkey but enjoy every moment I spend with the Turkish Sales and Marketing Teams that I get to work alongside. Istanbul feels like my home away from home.

See it’s not difficult to reinvent yourself, you just have to get creative and get involved!

Are you ready for the challenge? If you are a Cisco employee or seeking to join this exciting company, I dare you to live your best life in one week! Ready! Set! Go! #LoveWhereYouWork