This is the fifteenth in a planned series of exclusive columns former Cisco Executive Chairman and CEO John Chambers is producing for The Innovator. Chambers, who is widely considered one of the best performing U.S. CEOs during his 25+ year tenure at Cisco, helped grow the company from $70 million when he joined in 1991, to $1.2 billion when he became CEO in 1995, to $47 billion when he stepped down as CEO in 2015. As Executive Chairman, a position Chambers held until December 2017, he led the Board of Directors and provided counsel to the CEO and leadership team on strategy, digital transformation and strategic partnerships, Chambers oversaw 180 mergers and acquisitions during his tenure at Cisco and managed the company through multiple economic downturns He currently runs JC2 Ventures as CEO and serves as an advisor to heads of state, including France’s Emmanuel Macron and India’s Narendra Modi. In this column Chambers talks about how market leaders, without exception, have always been the ones who are courageous enough to take a platform approach, with a strong focus on outcomes.With almost five decades of experience as a tech disruptor, I’ve led market transitions and I’ve watched others do the same. Now with JC2 Ventures, I’m investing in and mentoring companies that are leading market transitions. And I have to say that one of the key takeaways from all of this experience is that market leaders, without exception, have always been the ones who are courageous enough to take a platform approach, with a strong focus on outcomes.This article is part of The Innovator’s premium content offer and available only to The Innovator’s Radar subscribers.
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