Recently, representatives from our firm were invited to meet with and participate in executive level meetings at Cisco Systems headquarters in San Jose, California. We thought we were going to spend two days playing with top secret tech toys which are being developed behind darkened windows and screens. Although we did see some really innovative things, most of our time was spent interacting with Cisco executive team members discussing organizational strategies relating to how people collaborate and execute the organization’s mission statement. From the moment the first session commenced we knew we were in for a transformative experience. Perhaps the best way to describe it is that we participated in a mini MBA boot camp. Over the next several posts I will share some of the information we learned.
Does your organization have a VSE ? Vision, Strategy, Execution plan.
Vision: 5+ years out;
Strategy: 2-4 years out;
Execution 12-18 months out.
There is nothing new about strategic planning. What was impressive about Cisco is that every operating unit, every group and every executive had their own VSE! Think how powerful that is when your entire organization is on the same page as the top management.