For a guy with no training in technology,
In fact, the 51-year-old chief executive of
In the process, Chambers, with his boyish grin and southern twang, has built Cisco into the mother of all Internet companies. In the five years since he took the reins in San Jose, Calif., Cisco's annual revenue has gone from $1.2 billion to $18.9 billion. And even though its stock has slumped with the rest of the market this year, it still boasts a gain of more than 1,000% since 1995.
As seems to be the case with all great CEOs--from General Electric's
"John is obsessed with making customers successful," says Howard Charney, senior vice president of customer relations. "He would turn heaven and Earth for them."
Chambers, who holds an M.B.A. from Indiana University and a law degree from West Virginia University, spent eight years at
Cisco began as a maker of routers--devices that manage the way information moves through a corporate network. Chambers expanded its vistas to include networking products for everything from voice to broadband. Like a master builder, he fashioned his empire by gobbling up smaller competitors and promising startups. During his reign, 66 companies have given up their independence to become part of Cisco's stable.
Until Cisco came along, the conventional thinking was that growing by acquisition was an iffy proposition loaded with pitfalls. Chambers has not only proved them wrong, but he's inspired a wave of similar activity from other technology companies. Even giant chipmaker
Chambers is known as a demanding leader, but one who is willing to take chances. Not every acquisition or new product is going to fly, says Charney, "but there's this cultural imperative that we'd rather try and get eight out of ten."
Having shown what it takes to forge an Internet powerhouse, Chambers is now imparting some of that wisdom to other aspiring executives. "In the end, the only sustainable advantages in the Internet economy may be your speed, your ability to attract talent and your ability to associate brand with a competitive differentiation," he told a recent gathering of business types.
"The industrial revolution was about economies of scale," Chambers says. "The Internet revolution will be about economies of skill, and how you empower people."
Of course, it also helps if you have John Chambers at the helm.
See:
Forbes.com Presents: Top Tech Execs 2000
Top Tech Execs: Hawkins, Dubinsky
Top Tech Execs: Henry Nicholas
Top Tech Execs: Eugene Polistuk