On Your Mark, Get Set, Grow! – Cisco Blogs

Coming in at 101 years old and completing the Hong Kong race in 1 hour, 32 minutes, and 28 seconds, Fauja Singh is the oldest, known man to run and complete a marathon. Singh wasn’t a long-time runner; in fact, as a young child he wasn’t able to walk until he was five years old due to weak and thin legs. He didn’t come from a family of runners but was 89 years old before he took running seriously and started training.

Most of the time we don’t necessarily set out to beat a record. Instead, we fuel the motivation to keep going and trying our hardest. A leading transcendentalist, naturalist, and poet, Henry David Thoreau once said, “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” We are all busy. We have family obligations, work requirements, and even jobs to do in our community. The mark of a truly successful person is one who isn’t scouting for their own personal success, but continuously pushing to go the extra mile to help others achieve their goals. I’m sure we can all think of someone in our lives who fits that description.

H1 FY22 Review

We have had an amazing first half of FY22, and I have had a chance to see some of the incredible things our Distributors have done to stand by our Americas Distribution slogan, “Fueling Partner Success.” We have seen amazing growth in almost all our product architectures. You are making a difference, and we see your teams going the extra mile. I’d like to say we can now slow down and set out for some smooth sailing, but we still have so many hurdles to jump.

Pillars for Growth

As we look ahead into H2, my pillars for driving success haven’t changed. Our priorities continue to center around the three pillars: Enable, Accelerate, and Align.

Enable – The 400-metre Relay

The reason I relate the enable pillar to a relay race is because we, at Cisco, are taking additional opportunities to set you, our Distributors, up for success. We’re not only investing in our people, but we’re looking into ways to expand your lifecycle capabilities, buying programs, and commerce automation. Between everything we are striving for and everything that is coming, we are creating a culture of diverse solutions and technology that enable all to be and feel connected.

Accelerate – The 200-metre Sprint

When I look at the accelerate pillar, I see efforts to cover all the new solutions that cover multiple Cisco product tech stacks. We just released a whole series of updates around Hybrid Work and Cloud, and as a company we are focused on SASE as a solution. We are also in a sprint to help you identify new routes of selling through Managed Service Providers (MSP) and your marketplaces.

Align – The Long Distance 10K

Although we have seen a drastic digital transformation over the almost two years, we are not done. With so many opportunities in the world of Software, we are able to use them to bridge the technology gaps. Twenty years ago, there would have been absolutely no way our world could have gone through the pandemic like we have without today’s technology. Video conferencing and calls aside, which were pivotal in keeping our relationships strong, we have more solutions for enterprise and small businesses alike that are helping them to stay afloat. Our journey with maintaining an alignment between our programs, training, and specializations is one that we see consistently transforming with the new solutions that come from our combined efforts to power an inclusive future for all.

Training for the Hurdles

We’ve come this far, and I know there are going to be new challenges and solutions that will have to be fought for. I’d never say our job is easy, but if we keep our eye on the horizon and jump, we’ll make it over those hurdles and a step closer to the end of the race. The best part about it is that, as individuals, we get to help shape the world, regardless of whether we are ten or eighty-two. Let’s seize success together and pass on the baton to those who come after us.

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