Thread regarding Cisco Systems Inc. layoffs

@OP I watched the moves you mentioned with your old SED to the new one who got the skip level VP promotion play out from the Americas SE team. Talk about a slap in the face for the folks who carry the technical titles we earned over years (not to mention the old leader that got sc--wed) yet now have to look to this unqualified person who obviously got some kind of preferential treatment from BB to create OUR career journeys in a technology they don’t get. Fantastic.

It is amazing that "CheckIn" is an important metric at Cisco. Kind of an indicator of what fell apart with Cisco through the years when that's the most important thing.

@d3 weekly check-ins and quarterly engagement pulse are definitely very popular with my manager. a drop in completion percentages gets an anonymous mention in staff meetings and a mention in weekly 1:1s or at least a webex dm from them to ask me to do it if i ever forget

I left a while back. They are still doing that CheckIn nonsense?

OP: " how do you work for someone like this who is 100% not ‘in it’ with you?"

You don't. Look outside Cisco. You'll find less toxic and better leadership.

Cisco is not the hill you want to die on.

Who cares? Middle management is irrelevant.

And you all still do your weekly check-ins? That process is from Maria time and su-ks. Are managers still forcing weekly check-ins and building reports?

@ad

Exactly. How does just a bunch of PMs create revenue?

We had a fantastic SEM who was brilliant at mentoring his individual team members and bringing out the best in them. I was excited to work for Cisco back then and viewed every day as a learning opportunity and to be able to do something great for customers. That SEM was LRd after constructively questioning strategy with his SED.

@aq same on FLM and next level too

Cisco has the absolute worst leadership of any company i've experienced. Gross incompetence and highly unqualified for their roles. Look outside cisco it is far less toxic and so much healthier with better leaders.

@ad sounds exactly like my manager. Totally disconnected from what we are building. No actionable feedback, mentorship or expertise. They don’t even do some of the common project manager type stuff.

I know exactly who you’re talking about. I am in a tangential org also collab focused. I’m glad someone said it as it seems like its a decade long process for a manager to become a director yet in the right scenario (or maybe she has dirt on someone) you can get a double jump promotion to VP. Without being technical in an engineering leadership role nor bringing the experience! There are quality people in that org fighting the good fight. They deserve much, much better.

Also agree with other comment, in lieu of a real strategy poor execs just follow the shiny object of the moment and bail when the new one bounces by.

@OP I feel you. I have had managers, senior managers who are nothing short of Program Managers at best. Forget about technical skills to guide anyone let alone a Grade 12, they have no communication or feedback skills, mentorship skills. All they did was hold meetings, say something where everyone would nod and move on. Every 6 months there would be something new making the last 6 months work useless and start over again. No vision, no innovation nothing. Managers, Directors here are not expected to be technical or have a technical background. That has been my experience