Connecting the Dots: Leadership Lessons in a Startup World

Legendary Silicon Valley visionary and one of the worlds greatest business leaders, John Chambers shares the playbook and philosophy that transformed Cisco into a global tech titan and now inspire a new generation of leaders.With numerous startups moving from zero to a billion to bankruptcy in a matter of years, its clear that sustaining a business in the digital age is no walk in the park. Over 20 years, John Chambers transformed a company with 400 employees and one toastersized product (a router) into a tech giant thats the backbone of the Internet. Along the way, hes outlasted and outmaneuvered practically every rival that ever tried to take Cisco onNortel, Lucent, Alcatel, IBM, Dell and HewlettPackard, to name a fewand turned more than 10,000 employees into millionaires, more than any company in history. When Chambers stepped down as executive chairman in December of 2017, he left a company that didnt just shape the first Internet era but is leading the next wave of innovation in areas from cybersecurity to selfdriving cars.Now, in collaboration with awardwinning journalist Diane Brady, Chambers shares the stories and strategies that helped his company win again and again through multiple market shifts. Posing a unique mode of thought proven to attain success, the message of this book is clear; it is not the biggest or the richest players who win, but the ones who are able to stay ahead of the trend by connecting the dots.Both enlightening and practical, this is essential reading to inspire a new generation of leaders.