8 Tips for Success in the workplace (and in life) from Shannon McFarland
After 26 years and 108 days at Cisco, Shannon McFarland turned in his Cisco badge.
In my three years here at Cisco, Shannon has been a bright light literally from my first day on the job. I met Shannon in Las Vegas at Cisco Live 2023, the Monday after the Lightspin acquisition officially closed. He was about to be promoted to VP of DevNet for Cisco. Every person I spoke to had only glowing things to say about him. They all turned out to be true.
I caught up with Shannon on his second-to-last day at Cisco to talk about his lessons learned and stories from almost 3-decades of technology innovation.
You can check out part 1 and part 2 of the interview, and below I have highlighted the 8 tips for success in the workplace (and in life).
- Be helpful. Shannon said in all his time working at Cisco, he never met an unhelpful Cisconian. And helping hand culture hasn't changed in the last quarter century.
- Be a multiplier of people around you. Shannon excelled because he helped other people succeed and they in turn propelled him.
- Learn. Even when you’re not asked to. Make learning a passion, not a chore. This is especially important in this phase of rapid change and new capabilities with AI.
- Focus on how first, not just the why. Often, the how something works determines Shannon’s understanding of the why. Not just why it exists or should exist, but why now and why is this a tool or thing that deserves his time.
- Put others above yourself. Live it. Genuinely care. Shannon would regularly DM people to check in “just because”.
- Be humorous. Learn to laugh at yourself and don't take yourself to seriously.
- Never ignore fundamentals. Example: don’t build AI on bad APIs.
- Get out to your people. Connecting in person is where life is richest.
So, be helpful, be a multiplier, never stop learning, start with how, put others above yourself, be humorous, never ignore the fundamentals, and get out to your people.