Doing Both: Capturing Today's Profit and Driving Tomorrow's Growth

Over the past seven years, Cisco has doubled its revenue, tripled its profits and quadrupled its earnings per share. Cisco now enjoys a $10 billion annual cash flow, and has more than $35 billion cash on hand, global recession notwithstanding. The company's brand is estimated to be worth $22 million (the 14th most valuable in the world). By all standards this is an enviable business position. How did the company accomplish this? Whenever Cisco faces decisions about whether to do one thing or another, it chooses to do both. For example:

• Sustaining and Disruptive Innovation
• Existing and New Business Models
• Discipline and Flexibility
• Established and Emerging Countries
• Success and Significance

Instead of choosing one thing to the exclusion of the other, Cisco's leadership opts to do both, simultaneously. By incorporating the principle of "doing both" throughout its operations, Cisco is systematically removing the things that limit its growth and transforming itself in the process. Rather than an academic survey of business theory and research, Doing Both is an insider's look into a company that is truly built to last. Filled with detail on how to "do both", the book will serve for readers as a blueprint on how to start "doing both" in your company.

Acknowledgments   xiii

Author’s Note to the Reader   xvii

Chapter 1 Doing Both   1
Chapter 2 New & Improved and The Next Big Thing   7
               Sustaining and Disruptive Innovation
Chapter 3 Current Accounts and Future Conquests   33
               Existing and New Business Models
Chapter 4 Tuning and Transforming   57
               Optimization and Reinvention
Chapter 5 Satisfied Customers and Gratified Partners   77
               Direct Touch and Leveraged Influence
Chapter 6 The Beaten Path and The Road Less Traveled   95
               Established and Emerging Countries

Chapter 7 Doing Things Right and Doing What Matters   113
               Excellence and Relevance
Chapter 8 Michael Phelps and The Redeem Team   137
               Superstar Performers and Winning Teams
Chapter 9 West Point and Woodstock   151
               Authoritative Leadership and Democratic Decision Making
Chapter 10 The Journey Begins   169

Epilogue   173

About the Author   177

Endnotes   179

Index   187