Yoshiyuki Hamada, President and CEO, Cisco Systems G.K.

A culture of "thinking from the other person's perspective" creates maximum value

President and CEO, Cisco Systems G.K.　Yoshiyuki Hamada(Yoshiyuki Hamada)

■ Profile
He joined Cisco Systems G.K. in 2016 and has held various leadership positions, including Chief Technology Officer and General Manager of the Information and Communications Industry Business. Most recently, he served as Managing Director of Security Sales for the Asia Pacific, Japan, and China regions, where he focused on helping customers ensure security in their businesses amid rapidly growing threats and achieved stable results. He will assume his current position in January 2024.

The internet and Wi-Fi are now used by everyone on a daily basis. Cisco Systems G.K. is the company behind the scenes that supports the internet and network society we are so familiar with. We spoke with Yoshiyuki Hamada, president of Cisco Systems G.K., whose purpose is to "realize an inclusive future for all" and who is involved in various initiatives both inside and outside the company.

During my student days, I often chose the safe path, and attended a private affiliated school from junior high school onwards. When entering university, students can choose their department or faculty based on their ranking in the internal exam, but since I had chosen a science major in high school, I was free to choose any department or faculty. At the time, I wasn't interested in medicine, so I chose the Department of Electronic Engineering in the Faculty of Science and Engineering, which had the second highest deviation value, and entered the university.

However, because I had always chosen the safe path, there was a time in university when I couldn't see my future and lost motivation for my studies. However, I was deeply impressed by a talk given by a professor in the lab I belonged to in my third year, and from that point on, I changed my attitude and began to study with clear goals in mind. In the lab, I mainly learned about communication technologies such as optical transmission, but I became particularly interested in systems engineers, the need for technological innovation, and future innovations in communication, including the Internet. This was the starting point for my encounter with IT, which is also connected to my current profession. What I learned in the lab led to my current job, and it's no exaggeration to say that it was a turning point in my life.

■ Putting yourself in that person's shoes will bring out the greatest value

At Cisco, we take our company culture very seriously. We call it conscious culture, and we define it as creating the best experience for everyone by acting with an eye on the impact it has not just on yourself, but on your team, your customers, and the larger community.

Cisco has a diverse workforce, so we value diversity. Furthermore, by not only recognizing but also embracing diversity, we are able to share the insights, thoughts, and ideas of members with different backgrounds. This is a part of the culture that is valued not only in Japan but globally, and has been deeply rooted at Cisco since its founding.

■ Job satisfaction born from a balance of freedom and independence

Cisco has been ranked number one for two years running in the "Great Place To Work" survey, conducted annually by the Great Place To Work Institute, which surveys working styles in 150 countries around the world, in the large-scale company category for companies with 1,000 or more employees in Japan. This ranking is based on employee interviews and the initiatives the company undertakes, and I believe our strength lies in the fact that each employee is able to work with a sense of fulfillment. However, an environment where each employee is respected and is free to take on various challenges naturally comes with responsibility, so a sense of independence is also necessary. I believe we were able to win first place because each employee works with an awareness of "freedom and independence."

Many people tend to misunderstand this, but there's a big difference between a "great place to work" and a "friendly place to work." First of all, satisfaction won't increase unless the work environment is comfortable. Even before the COVID-1 pandemic, Cisco had a corporate culture and system in place that allowed employees to work from anywhere. Everyone worked completely remotely during the pandemic, and even after the pandemic, there are no rules about how many times a week employees must come to the office. Still, the reason many employees want to come to work is because of the opportunity to collaborate with a variety of people. Cisco believes that the office is a magnet for new ideas, where people from various departments can meet and collaborate face-to-face, and we are committed to creating such an environment. In addition, career development opportunities are available within the company through regular one-on-one meetings with managers. In this way, Cisco has a positive impact on everyone and provides an environment where each employee can realize their full potential.

■ Aiming for an autonomous and decentralized organization for the happiness of employees

I became president of Cisco Japan in January, and my goal is to create an autonomous, decentralized organization. I want to create an organization where people with different ways of thinking can respect each other, share a vision, and work independently. Foreign companies tend to value outgoing people, but that's not the whole story. Depending on the type of communication, you might be required to respond immediately, or you might be required to digest and carefully consider the information before responding.

Cisco is not a process-oriented company, so of course there are rules, but working according to a process is not mandatory. As long as you can find a way that suits you, you can try various things and broaden the scope of your work. I think it is a very easy place to work for people who want to practice a more free-flowing work style rather than following a set pattern.

■Message to students

I want you to have a clear vision of your goals. Having one or not can make a big difference in your performance and motivation. Many people say, "I don't know what I really want to do," but the goal you set at the beginning isn't everything. As was the case for me, your final goal can always be updated. It's important to have a vague idea of ​​what you want to do and what you're passionate about early on. As a student, you probably have more free time than working adults. Make sure you clearly define what you can do during that time. I realized this in the second semester of my third year, so I only had a short year and a half to use. Even if it's just a hypothesis, try to gain insight into how society works from opposing perspectives and gain experience that will help you move toward your goals.

Student Newspaper Online March 12, 2024 Interview: Kyoritsu Women's Junior College, 2nd year student, Reina Inomoto

Kyoritsu Women's Junior College sophomore Reina Inomoto / Saitama University junior Ayana Iwata / Sophia University Junior College sophomore Shiori Ohno / Tsuda University freshman Karin Ishimatsu