I‘ve left Cisco EMEA some time ago, but I would agree 100%. You can be successful if you work hard and are a yes person. But strong results don’t get you anywhere, the key is that leadership likes you and you‘re not a threat. I have seen brilliant people failing, not because they were not performing, but they simply didn’t understand what the key to success is. This also means that almost all people leaders are like that: They need to be liked by management, so they don’t ask critical questions, come up with new ideas, or question any status quo. They are yes people, highly skilled in politics, but not leaders. People follow them out of fear or to get a promotion. It was hard to swallow for me but I have moved on.
I agree completely with this assessment, and if nothing else, that will chase me away from Cisco. Source: @enm+1tr5dLKg.