Product Description
“Doing Both shows how Cisco turns business questions into market answers, offering real-life examples that will benefit forward-looking leaders.”
—Jeff Immelt, Chairman and CEO, GE
“The best business books build around a single idea, often contrarian and counterintuitive. Everyone knows you can’t have your cake and eat it, too. One of the first things you learn at business school is that management is about making difficult choices. Well, not always. This book persuades the reader that in decision making ‘and’ is often better than ‘or.’ Well worth the read.”
—Sir Terry Leahy, CEO, Tesco
“Companies are often confronted with false choices, such as disruptive or sustaining innovation and optimization or reinvention. This book draws on Cisco’s impressive track record over the last decade to illustrate that the correct strategy is always to do both.”
—Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Group
“I have a very short personal list of ‘most-admired companies,’ and Cisco is one of them. Its management team has figured out how to break many ‘either-or’ tradeoffs that limit most companies’ abilities to innovate and grow. This book is a lucid, cogent chronicle of how they do this. Your entire management team should read it.”
—Clayton Christensen, Robert & Jane Cizik Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School, and author of The Innovator’s Dilemma
“Insightful recommendations from a key executive within Cisco, the game-changing leader in networking for the Internet.”
—Garth Saloner, Philip H. Knight Professor, and Dean, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University
“Doing Both brings together many powerful lessons behind the story of Cisco, a company with a long record of delivering consistent innovation and strong business results. I encourage senior executives to embrace the challenges presented in this thoughtful book.”
—Dominic Barton, Global Managing Director, McKinsey & Company
Over the past seven years, in a highly unstable global economy, Cisco doubled revenue, tripled profits, and quadrupled earnings per share. How? By Doing Both. When companies face key strategic decisions, they often take one path and abandon the other. They focus on innovation and new business at the expense of core businesses or vice versa. They stress discipline and sacrifice flexibility. They focus on customers and ignore partners. And they struggle. There is a better way: Doing Both. Doing Both means approaching every decision as an opportunity to seize, not a sacrifice to endure. It means avoiding false choices, reduced expectations, and weak compromises. It means finding ways to make each option benefit and mutually reinforce the other. In this book, Cisco Senior Vice President Inder Sidhu explains why “doing both” is today’s best strategy. Then, drawing on Cisco’s hardwon insights and the experiences of companies like Procter & Gamble, Whirlpool, and Harley-Davidson, Inder presents a complete blueprint for “doing both” in your organization, too.
Win by Doing Both!
• Sustaining and Disruptive Innovation
• Existing and New Business Models
• Optimization and Reinvention
• Satisfied Customers and Gratified Partners
• Established and Emerging Countries
• Doing Things Right and Doing What Matters
• Superstar Performers and Winning Teams
• Authoritative Leadership and Democratic Decision Making
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Airbrushed anecdotes from inside Cisco, November 13, 2010
By
digerati "digerati" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)
(VINE VOICE)
This review is from: Doing Both: Capturing Today's Profit and Driving Tomorrow's Growth (Hardcover)
If this book was a reality TV show, it would be a flattering portrait of a celebrity's life. Initially an intriguing glimpse into the inner world of someone of interest, then realization dawning that, in the end, you're only seeing what the celebrity wants you to see.
The opening chapters are a useful reminder that business folk often get trapped in false choices such as on-time or high-quality, for example. But that's about the extent of the concept, and the remainder of the book is a collection of anecdotes about Cisco senior executives. The writing is strangely mechanical and almost devoid of style and wit, which makes it hard to keep going. I found myself rapidly losing interest in the middle.
The Cisco examples are like a celebrity magazine cover: photoshopped for maximum effect. I worked at Cisco for five years, joining about the same time as Inder Sidhu in the 1990s. It was truly an exceptional place to work, and my experiences there left a lasting positive impression. I was part of some of the product stories he recounts, and this is where my recollection departs from Inder's. He's not trying to be deceptive, merely carefully selective to support his thesis. I did get a little suspicious of the frequent occurrence of the figure "40%". In so many of the vignettes, this is the stated bookings growth achieved as a result of "doing both".
Summaries of the thought processes for some of the major decisions are thought provoking -- made me think about how I could use the same ideas in my business. The most difficult part of corporate decision-making is bringing the rest of the organization along on the journey, though, and there's precious little on how that was achieved.
In short, an interesting glimpse into the inner life of Cisco, a good-but-not-great business book. Another reviewer describes it as a modern The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book that Will Change the Way You Do Business (Collins Business Essentials) -- I can't agree with that. It's too anecdotal, without the rigor and depth of Christiansen's work.
The opening chapters are a useful reminder that business folk often get trapped in false choices such as on-time or high-quality, for example. But that's about the extent of the concept, and the remainder of the book is a collection of anecdotes about Cisco senior executives. The writing is strangely mechanical and almost devoid of style and wit, which makes it hard to keep going. I found myself rapidly losing interest in the middle.
The Cisco examples are like a celebrity magazine cover: photoshopped for maximum effect. I worked at Cisco for five years, joining about the same time as Inder Sidhu in the 1990s. It was truly an exceptional place to work, and my experiences there left a lasting positive impression. I was part of some of the product stories he recounts, and this is where my recollection departs from Inder's. He's not trying to be deceptive, merely carefully selective to support his thesis. I did get a little suspicious of the frequent occurrence of the figure "40%". In so many of the vignettes, this is the stated bookings growth achieved as a result of "doing both".
Summaries of the thought processes for some of the major decisions are thought provoking -- made me think about how I could use the same ideas in my business. The most difficult part of corporate decision-making is bringing the rest of the organization along on the journey, though, and there's precious little on how that was achieved.
In short, an interesting glimpse into the inner life of Cisco, a good-but-not-great business book. Another reviewer describes it as a modern The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book that Will Change the Way You Do Business (Collins Business Essentials) -- I can't agree with that. It's too anecdotal, without the rigor and depth of Christiansen's work.
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Aiming and Achieving Higher, June 24, 2010
By
Jonathan Cohen (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Doing Both: Capturing Today's Profit and Driving Tomorrow's Growth (Hardcover)
Years ago a very wise person taught me that by changing my frame of reference from "either/or" to "both/and" I could find creative solutions to the challenges I was facing in life. Work hard AND exercise. Make time for your old golf pals AND your wife. Think expansively, give your all, and discover that you're capable of accomplishing much more than you once thought possible.
Inder Sidhu, as wise a corporate executive as you will find in Silicon Valley, imparts a similar wisdom in this concise but rich history of Cisco Systems and its phenomenal success. Sidhu's surprising thesis is that great companies like Cisco simply refuse to settle. They don't compromise on innovation to become more efficient. Nor do they let quality or customer service lag in order to make their numbers. Instead, they foster a culture in which being good isn't good enough and leaders are encouraged, if not exepcted to pursue transformational as opposed to merely incremental improvements. Cisco is able to "Do Both" Sidhu demonstrates, by asking more of its always-connected employees, but it also gives those same employees more in the form of flexible hours and a win-win culture in which people trust one another to produce superior results. His case studies of Cisco successes in areas ranging from Engineering to Manufacturing to Marketing should be required reading at any company that is ready to think big.
Inder Sidhu, as wise a corporate executive as you will find in Silicon Valley, imparts a similar wisdom in this concise but rich history of Cisco Systems and its phenomenal success. Sidhu's surprising thesis is that great companies like Cisco simply refuse to settle. They don't compromise on innovation to become more efficient. Nor do they let quality or customer service lag in order to make their numbers. Instead, they foster a culture in which being good isn't good enough and leaders are encouraged, if not exepcted to pursue transformational as opposed to merely incremental improvements. Cisco is able to "Do Both" Sidhu demonstrates, by asking more of its always-connected employees, but it also gives those same employees more in the form of flexible hours and a win-win culture in which people trust one another to produce superior results. His case studies of Cisco successes in areas ranging from Engineering to Manufacturing to Marketing should be required reading at any company that is ready to think big.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and inspiring, June 24, 2010
By
K. Fleming (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Doing Both: Capturing Today's Profit and Driving Tomorrow's Growth (Hardcover)
Inder begins with sharing how Cisco's TelePresence video conferencing technology has enabled him to see, hear and almost feel his mother's presence who is 8,000 miles away back home in India. The intro is touching and a friendly reminder of how technology has changed our lives in many ways and most importantly how we stay in touch and always connected.
Inder takes you through the various steps that Cisco has taken to grow to a $40 billion dollar company with over 60,000 employees. Its an interesting read as Inder walks through the history and the strategic decisions made to remain competitive through innovation and bold moves. Inspired by the stories of the background of the leaders chosen, the difficult questions and challenges faced and their paths take to success.
Doing Both is an interesting and inspiring read.
4.0 out of 5 stars Insider account of Cisco
What makes a company successful? Many things, of course: The brilliant ideas of the firm's founders, the firm's structure, its basic strategy, luck, and -- a key point, I think... Read more
What makes a company successful? Many things, of course: The brilliant ideas of the firm's founders, the firm's structure, its basic strategy, luck, and -- a key point, I think... Read more
3.0 out of 5 stars The history of Cisco
Too many polished anecdotes with too little advice. If you are interested in reading about Cisco, this is for you. For better business advice, look elsewhere.
Too many polished anecdotes with too little advice. If you are interested in reading about Cisco, this is for you. For better business advice, look elsewhere.
1.0 out of 5 stars Yet another philosophical book!
My Manager gave this book to me last week. He said he got it free from Inder (Author) himself. He also said he did not care much for the book and that I could have it. Read more
My Manager gave this book to me last week. He said he got it free from Inder (Author) himself. He also said he did not care much for the book and that I could have it. Read more
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Cisco read
Love this book. Cisco is one of the all-time power-house success stories and deserves as much inside tips and business success strategy as possible. Read more
Love this book. Cisco is one of the all-time power-house success stories and deserves as much inside tips and business success strategy as possible. Read more
1.0 out of 5 stars IF THE STRATEGY IS THAT GOOD HOW COME CISCO STOCK HAS NOT GONE UP IN PAST 10 YEARS?
I do not believe this strategy works...Have you seen Cisco Stock for the last 10 years. Compare it with Apple or Google.
I do not believe this strategy works...Have you seen Cisco Stock for the last 10 years. Compare it with Apple or Google.
5.0 out of 5 stars Organizational transformation is not -- repeat not - a zero-sum game
One of the most self-defeating mindsets is suggested by the admonition, "You can't have your cake and eat it too. Read more
One of the most self-defeating mindsets is suggested by the admonition, "You can't have your cake and eat it too. Read more
5.0 out of 5 stars Doing Both Makes Good Sense
Inder Sidhu's wisdom and practical advice to avoid traditional either/or thinking in favor of adopting two seemingly conflicting options is a must read for anyone interested in... Read more
Inder Sidhu's wisdom and practical advice to avoid traditional either/or thinking in favor of adopting two seemingly conflicting options is a must read for anyone interested in... Read more
3.0 out of 5 stars Polyanna
As a straightforward history of Cisco from the inside, this is just fine. If you were curious why the company made certain decisions - acquisitions, product strategy shifts, etc... Read more
As a straightforward history of Cisco from the inside, this is just fine. If you were curious why the company made certain decisions - acquisitions, product strategy shifts, etc... Read more
5.0 out of 5 stars The Future of business is captured
This is the best modern business book that I have ever read. Excellent read on the future of business and especially how Collaboration and video are changing the face of business... Read more
This is the best modern business book that I have ever read. Excellent read on the future of business and especially how Collaboration and video are changing the face of business... Read more
5.0 out of 5 stars The Golden Gate Bridge as a Metaphor for Doing Both
Inder Sidhu discusses how Cisco Systems has grown into an international powerhouse in communications. Read more
Inder Sidhu discusses how Cisco Systems has grown into an international powerhouse in communications. Read more
http://astore.amazon.com/doingboth-by-inder-sidhu-20
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