Cisco’s CDLF Focuses On Value Of Multi-Dimensional Leadership

 The seventh edition of the annual industry event celebrates diversity at workplace by encouraging men to advocate real change and inclusivity

Cisco hosted Cisco Diverse Leadership Forum (CDLF) 2014, at its Globalisation Centre East campus in Bangalore. An initiative of Cisco Connected Women (CCW), an Employee Resource Group, this event celebrates diversity at workplace in its varied forms. The key theme for this year’s edition was ‘Multi-dimensional Leadership’.

The business environment today is more dynamic than it has ever been, and the workforce has never been as diverse, and for any organization to do well in this scenario, it is pertinent for it to realize the value that this multifaceted workforce brings and more importantly to tap the synergies they bring. We are living in the knowledge era where idea is the currency and Ideas can come from anyone within the organisation irrespective of their gender, race, age, role etc. This is where the aspect of multi-dimensional leadership comes to the fore, and how well the organisations of the future will do, will be determined by how well these diverse groups are nurtured at the workplace.

 In order to tap the energies and to take full advantage of synergies shared by employees who share similarities, Cisco encourages them to interact with each other through affinity groups or ‘Employee Resource Groups’ (ERGs) where members leverage each other’s unique skills to move forward together. Some of these groups include Cisco Connected Women (CCW), Connected Disabilities Awareness Network (CDAN) for differently - abled employees and Early Career Network (ECN) for the Gen Y employees.

Cisco Men for Inclusion is one such initiative modeled on Men Advocating Real Change’ (MARC), an industry initiative and an online community to help men further the cause of diversity at workplace. It is also a resource centre and showcase for members to share advice and insights to inspire men to further the agenda of gender equality at work.

 The event featured a panel discussion titled ‘Multi-dimensional Leadership - Changing the Mindset’ which had panelists from various walks of life discussing the benefits that a multi-faceted leadership can bring to an organization. The panel comprised of Jayshree Gururaj – Director, Advanced Services, Cisco Systems, Dr Mamatha Gowda – Joint Director, Government of Karnataka, Gururaj Rao – IBM Fellow and Vice President, IBM, and  Amit Phadnis – Vice President, Enterprise Networking Group, Cisco Systems.

 The forum was attended by 800 professionals and the speakers included a cross section of men and women from within the technology industry, as well as achievers from various walks of life. The event had technical demos from Goldman Sachs, Intel EMC² and Cisco among others, and stalls by NGOs including Srishti and Samathanam.

Inclusion and Diversity are an integral part of Cisco’s DNA because a diverse workforce with unique life experiences, education, cultures and talents bring a unique perspective which leads to a workplace that is creative, innovative, and collaborative. These are also the same elements that bring in a culture of innovation and growth, which eventually drive business strategy.

Amit Phadnis – India Site Leader & President, Enterprise Networking Group, Cisco Systems says, “Inclusion and Diversity are a key focus area for us at Cisco because we believe that a diverse workforce can play a pivotal role in fuelling innovation, one of the key factors that has helped us stay current and competitive. This year’s theme of Multidimensional Leadership is a celebration of diversity – be it gender based, multigenerational, diversity of thought & culture, diversity of differently-abled which can be leveraged to bring varied aspects, ideas, and positive influences of all kinds in the society and in an organization. CDLF has been one of our flagship events for I&D for seven years now, and the response we have garnered for it has improved with each passing year and are certain that it will continue to get even better in the years to come.”

 “While I&D is a vast subject and has multiple hues, we do realize the importance of, and the need for increased participation from women, especially in the technology sector. Men Advocating Real Change (MARC) is one such community that encourages men and helps them with resources to further the cause of diversity at workplace, and we are glad to have initiatives at Cisco that align with MARC. We are certain that this initiative will further the cause of women in technology and will inspire the industry to follow suit.”