Cisco Turns 30, Releases New Manifesto To Motivate Employees

Cisco celebrated its 30th year on Thursday, Dec. 11, releasing a manifesto in the process.

Established in 1984 by couple Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner, the company has grown into a $45 billion business with more than 71,000 employees. Cisco Systems Inc. is now led by CEO John Chambers, one of the longest-standing chief executive of operations in the tech industry, holding the post since 1995.

In celebration of its third decade in the business, the company released a new manifesto for their employees as a way to motivate them. Though the company has been a profitable company, it's the fourth year in a row that the growth has slowed down.

Titled “Our People Deal,” the manifesto emphasizes how Cisco values its employees. The company often regards the employees as the main people behind its success.

In a series of meetings on CiscoTV, Chambers delivered the speech to thousands of employees. He read the manifesto in the speech, telling the listeners that it's the company's destiny to be number one in its respective field.

“Our technology changes the way the world works, lives, plays and learns. But our edge doesn’t come from technology. It comes from our people,” the manifesto read.

In August, the company trimmed the workforce by 8% and a massive reorganization affected around 20,000 employees, causing many of them to submit their resignation.

Gary Moore, COO of Cisco, said that laying off isn't the best way to adapt to the demands and changes in the workforce.

Cisco also reveled their plan they call “Internet of Everything,” which aims to connect businesses and people with its analytic services which use all kinds of networking equipment such as security cameras and smart phones.

For the company, they connect everything from data to people to processes, and they claim to use all these connections for the better. As stated in the manifesto, “We don’t just dream it, we do it every day at Cisco.”