Startup Lessons from John Chambers

Podcast and text from K@W.  His book, about to take a look.

Success in the Startup World: Why Good Leadership Matters Most

Former Cisco CEO John Chambers shares some hard-won lessons.  His forthcoming book is Lessons for Leadership in a Startup World, Connecting the Dots 

John Chambers isn’t just another overnight success story who is ready to talk about his golden-paved path to the executive suite. Growing up dyslexic in West Virginia, he worked hard to overcome personal challenges and rise to the top position at Cisco Systems, where he transformed a router company into one of the biggest tech operations in the world. Chambers, who now runs JC2 Ventures, shares his hard-won life and business lessons in his new book, Connecting the Dots: Lessons for Leadership in a Startup World. He joined the Knowledge@Wharton radio show on SiriusXM to talk about what defines success. (Listen to the full podcast above).

An edited version of the transcript follows.

Knowledge@Wharton: What are the components of leadership that you think are the most important?

John Chambers: I think for a leader who is dealing with a large organization — let’s say a CEO of a startup or CEO of a large company, or head of a group — it’s the ability to articulate a very clear vision and strategy of where the organization is going that is differentiated and sustainable. It’s the ability to build a great team, and that includes developing the team, recruiting and periodically changing the team. It’s culture — I did not understand how important it was when I first became CEO, but you never have a great company without a very strong culture. And the fourth element, which is more important now than ever, is the ability to communicate to all of your constituencies each of the elements we’ve talked about.

In terms of how I measure leaders, it’s results, quality of team, do they really understand the industry they’re focused on, their communications skills, how well they walk the talk, the culture, and the ability to outline a bold vision and then really make it happen.

Knowledge@Wharton: Culture is at the forefront these days. Why do you think it has taken so long for it to become a priority?

“I did not understand how important it was when I first became CEO, but you never have a great company without a very strong culture.”  .... '