Having to lay off employees in a tough economy because management did not make the right decisions was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. That s one of the reasons I believe in frugality. Rather than spend money on fancy campuses, first class air travel, or a company plane, I continually challenge the team to think about how we can do things differently. Over the years, our customers have clearly outlined their expectations and changing requirements. As we enter new markets, keeping in touch with our customers is critical to our success.
Many companies fall in love with their technologies.
Sometimes these technologies are not the best solution for the customer. This is why Cisco is technology agnostic. Getting too far away from the customer is the one of the ways we could miss on execution. I always challenge employees to work smarter, not harder. One example of this is Cisco Connection Online.