There’s been a real urgency to get the Transformation org up and running. Cisco don’t normally make such big changes until the start of the financial year - it’s as if the ELT have seen some information that has made them take quick emergency action, but of course dressed up as brilliant strategic leadership.
The ELT have committed to get to 50% of recurring revenue, mostly by way of software subscriptions by 2025. I thought MM’s Customer Success people were tasked with moving this number up? Does this mean that these people are failing? If so why isn’t MM sacked? Will the Transformation org just be a rehash of what has been seen with Customer Success, but with a new cast, some newer PPTs, with some funky attention grabbing job titles? Where will these guys sit on the racetrack? Now that we’re no longer the first choice pick for many of our customers who are going to Arista, Aruba, Fortinet, Juniper, PAN etc surely we need to be concentrating on the overall revenue number too?
Have been on some recent all hands regional meetings and none of the leadership talking about this inspired much confidence, with a few giving an air of “we’ve been told to big this up, but I don’t really believe it, but if I don’t big it up bang goes my promotion/bonus/RSU”.
Hopefully, it will work out well, but I’m not so sure.
7 replies (most recent on top)
ELT is the team that need the transformation lessons. it doesn;t work by creating team of old school Cisco Executivies. They where the problem we are in this siutation. now you are assign them to make a change. lol ..CR you have no clue how they are making you a mickey ::-)). you hardly see the real world of your customers and partner. you will only see what your SVPs and VPs will show you in their PPTs - which are esciaplly modified for your ecstasy.
If ELT members aren't out in front leading the transformation, it's all just window dressing.
Given that the ELT like their current situation and don't want it to change, this will create lots of opportunity for entertainment as the Transformation Org makes recommendations that the ELT works very hard to ignore.
@1mvx+1mwlPtj5 As someone in sales I want to thank you for all you do, despite the distinction, to create products for our customers.
I hate to say this, but the initiatives and targets in my group seem desperate, especially given the time of year. Gearing up for a Summer of missed deadlines leading to a Fall of recriminations. I can see where we're chasing competitors that seem to have the advantage, but how much can I trust a competitors white paper. Throw in chatgpt and everyone is stressed.
From outside looking, it is an act that executives did to save from being fired by boards. You will see a lot of folks with "connections" got those executives jobs and came out useless plan/slides etc. Being an engineer, at the end of day, is what can the team produced. This "transformation" is not going to save the facts that CISCO's products qualities and product support qualities are declining faster and faster. It is not going to cure the facts that engineer teams are not able to come up with differentiate products/features. It is not going to stop those boneheads/failed acquisitions. It is not going to stop those slide-wares (talking big but deliver little). However, the reality in corp American is that those are the "ACTIONS" to please the Wall Street and stop the board on firing them for now. If you have been working in this environment for a while, ask yourself, how many of those "transformation" initiatives you have been experienced? How many of them actually made a real impact? I cannot say it is ZERO but the % is extremely low.
So, if you ask me, just play along with it and life goes on. For CISCO, it will be continuously cost reduction and eventually bought by some private equity (or large company) like once proud storage giants EMC.
We’ve been supposedly doing the same things to transform for a decade. It’s all lip service. Notice CR saw we won’t make the ARR target so he moved the goal posts? It’s 50% of this FYs number, not 25’s.
If you need a transformation org, you know you're doing something wrong. Transformation should be embraces and embedded at every level in the business if you want meaningful change - not some thin veneer at the top.
It's purely there to appease shareholders/the board. It will make absolutely zero difference.
The most hilarious part is that it's a team constructed almost (maybe completely) entirely of people who have been in Cisco for a LONG time - exactly the people who you don't want leading change.
It's crazy.