Lessons Learned for the Future in Connecting the Dots

I never expected to write a book. The time never felt right, until finally it did. While I'll always prefer to talk, teach, coach, and mentor in person, I realize that I should not limit my ability to share broadly the lessons I've learned in a very unique seat over the last thirty years. Three years ago, I stepped down as Cisco's CEO and began engaging with startups and innovation leaders around the world. A few things struck me immediately: there was an incredible hunger for lessons, best practices, mistakes, and shortcuts, there was a monotonous consistency in the questions I was asked by young entrepreneurs and, and they truly craved guidance and mentorship. I have always loved playbooks and made them a key part of Cisco's operating model, and I realized there was both a need and an opportunity to create a playbook for building a world-class company in the Digital Age. And so that's what I did with my new book and I am excited to share it.

I am lucky to have the opportunities I’ve had, hold the seats I’ve held, and meet the people I’ve met. From the start, I had highly educated and enlightened parents who instilled in me a hunger to learn and adapt, and a belief I had the potential to make a difference. Throughout my career, I had leaders and mentors who showed me how to pioneer, how to disrupt, how to lead, and how to treat people. I led a company that became the backbone for how everything in the world is connected, and with that came tremendous visibility, impact, and responsibility. During every single point in my professional life, I’ve had amazing teams of people around me who have made impossible things happen over and over.

 Through the years, I’ve had incredible highs, but I’ve also made a lot of mistakes; the pain of some is still palpable. But I wouldn’t trade my journey with anyone and, at this point in my life, I’m driven to turn those experiences, sacrifices, scars, and lessons into actionable tools for the leaders around the world who are on a mission to build a better future for all of us. Those leaders may be the founders of a startup, prime ministers of a major economy, or the CEOs of a multinational corporation. All face similar challenges when it comes to successfully navigating the world in front of us, a world where everything is connected and yet the need to connect dots and adapt quickly has never been harder or more important.

 I think I can help. The patterns and playbooks to navigate the connected future are remarkably consistent. In Connecting the Dots: Leadership Lessons for a Startup World, I’ve laid out what I’ve learned and continue to learn every day, and my hope is that everyone will find in it the inspiration and tools they need to thrive in the exciting times ahead.