Was there any pressure for you to move on?
I've had no pressure. You've got to understand one thing about Cisco: We're trying to build a company that's not only built to last, but built to lead. Almost no one's done that consistently in IP... Most of the predictions we've made have come true in the industry. So, I'm having a good time. I think my age is about average for a CEO at a large company. I make decisions three-to-five years at a time.
What do you see in that three- to five-year period? I assume you didn't throw that number out just randomly.
I've always had three- to five-year (outlooks) since I became CEO. It's kind of the working arrangement I have with the board and with my own team.
Why do you think there was so much corruption in the telecom industry? You were selling to some of these folks. Was it a surprise? Is this an issue that's getting worse?
Clearly, it was a surprise to all of us that people would do this…For those people that truly, knowingly, deliberately did things that were very, very inappropriate, I think they'll be held accountable — and firmly held accountable. What surprised me was how deep this went.
At Cisco, there's a culture of integrity. It doesn't mean we won't make mistakes. We sure as heck will, but we have a culture where people are very open. It's knowing that we expect them to do the right thing ethically and that if they see an issue, that they escalate it.
Do you think it's getting worse now, or do you think that there's more scrutiny, so people are kind of watching their backs?
Well, I think more important than that issue is that people have realised that this is wrong — not just at the top, but throughout the organisations — and needs to held unacceptable. I think it's having a culture that just views this as unacceptable.
What nontech CEO do you most admire?
I admire Jack Welch. It doesn't mean he was perfect, but he did an amazing job at [General Electric], and many of the things that we implement at Cisco we probably learned more from GE than others.
I admire very much statesmen like Colin Powell and King Abdullah of Jordan. I admire my dad. He was a stabilising influence throughout my life. He had an ability to look out not one to two years, but five, 10, 15, 20 years, and had the courage to stay with his convictions.
