WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.470 --> 00:00:03.320 line:15% Hi, everyone, this is Miki Tsusaka from Davos. 2 00:00:03.320 --> 00:00:07.850 line:15% I'm here today with Ruba Borno, a fabulous alum of BCG. 3 00:00:07.850 --> 00:00:10.570 line:15% Hi, and so glad to see you today. 4 00:00:10.570 --> 00:00:11.610 Good to see you as well, Miki. 5 00:00:11.610 --> 00:00:13.320 It's really exciting to be here. 6 00:00:13.320 --> 00:00:15.620 You may have noticed with BCG this year, 7 00:00:15.620 --> 00:00:17.370 we're talking about Winning the '20s, 8 00:00:17.370 --> 00:00:20.660 as now, we've entered the next decade to come. 9 00:00:20.660 --> 00:00:23.030 I wondered if you had any of your favorites 10 00:00:23.030 --> 00:00:26.070 in terms of our writings and the things we're talking about 11 00:00:26.070 --> 00:00:28.680 that are requirements for Winning the '20s. 12 00:00:28.680 --> 00:00:30.660 So, the one that resonates the most with me 13 00:00:30.660 --> 00:00:34.790 and also happens to coincide with the theme at Davos, 14 00:00:34.790 --> 00:00:36.670 which is about stakeholder capitalism, 15 00:00:36.670 --> 00:00:38.100 but the way that I think you phrased it 16 00:00:38.100 --> 00:00:41.233 is "sustainable value for business and society." 17 00:00:41.233 --> 00:00:43.210 Indeed. And that, to me, has been 18 00:00:43.210 --> 00:00:45.250 really powerful in the last few days, 19 00:00:45.250 --> 00:00:47.130 because every single leader here 20 00:00:47.130 --> 00:00:49.610 has taken that message of responsible leadership 21 00:00:49.610 --> 00:00:51.280 and how do we create business value 22 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:53.900 while at the same time improving society? 23 00:00:53.900 --> 00:00:55.510 They've taken it to heart, and they're talking 24 00:00:55.510 --> 00:00:58.140 about how businesses are going to work 25 00:00:58.140 --> 00:01:00.320 with the public sector and nonprofits 26 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:02.240 in order to drive change and improve 27 00:01:02.240 --> 00:01:04.580 the collective benefit to society, 28 00:01:04.580 --> 00:01:07.550 and that's just been an incredible shift to see. 29 00:01:07.550 --> 00:01:09.170 You know, previous themes have focused 30 00:01:09.170 --> 00:01:11.260 on industrial revolution and other kind 31 00:01:11.260 --> 00:01:12.750 of big industry trends. 32 00:01:12.750 --> 00:01:14.830 This one's really focusing on personal leadership 33 00:01:14.830 --> 00:01:16.950 and how does business actually mobilize 34 00:01:16.950 --> 00:01:20.830 and change the world to develop progress on the SDGs. 35 00:01:20.830 --> 00:01:22.610 Yes, I've been here a few times, 36 00:01:22.610 --> 00:01:25.290 and I do think that this year feels very special 37 00:01:25.290 --> 00:01:27.940 in that regard, but one of my favorite pillars 38 00:01:27.940 --> 00:01:31.490 in Winning the '20s is also on the topic of diversity 39 00:01:31.490 --> 00:01:34.120 and how that drives innovation and resilience. 40 00:01:34.120 --> 00:01:36.740 I know you've done a lot of work on that in your company. 41 00:01:36.740 --> 00:01:38.290 There's a lot of it at Davos. 42 00:01:38.290 --> 00:01:40.320 Any thoughts you'd like to share about that? 43 00:01:40.320 --> 00:01:43.690 It's a great topic of passion for me as well, 44 00:01:43.690 --> 00:01:45.410 and it was something that I did get a chance 45 00:01:45.410 --> 00:01:47.120 to work on at BCG and also something 46 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:50.260 that we're carrying forward at Cisco quite a bit. 47 00:01:50.260 --> 00:01:53.260 If we, the way that we think about diversity at Cisco 48 00:01:53.260 --> 00:01:54.720 is actually full-spectrum diversity, 49 00:01:54.720 --> 00:01:57.240 so it's not just gender, it's also ethnic. 50 00:01:57.240 --> 00:01:58.370 It's also ability. 51 00:01:58.370 --> 00:02:02.230 For example, 15% of the world's population is disabled. 52 00:02:02.230 --> 00:02:04.160 That's probably one of the largest minority groups 53 00:02:04.160 --> 00:02:06.930 on the planet, so thinking about full-spectrum diversity 54 00:02:06.930 --> 00:02:08.550 and enabling all of those people 55 00:02:08.550 --> 00:02:10.610 to bring their best selves to work. 56 00:02:10.610 --> 00:02:12.310 Now, in order to do that, 57 00:02:12.310 --> 00:02:15.030 you can't just let momentum take its course. 58 00:02:15.030 --> 00:02:17.830 You really have to do things in a deliberate way 59 00:02:17.830 --> 00:02:20.420 and ensure that we are actually actively recruiting 60 00:02:20.420 --> 00:02:23.210 that talent and making sure we're cultivating them 61 00:02:23.210 --> 00:02:26.400 on their journey with sponsorship, not just mentorship, 62 00:02:26.400 --> 00:02:28.630 but actual sponsorship throughout their career. 63 00:02:28.630 --> 00:02:30.880 So, if you think more broadly about leadership 64 00:02:30.880 --> 00:02:33.230 in the '20s, any thoughts on, you know, 65 00:02:33.230 --> 00:02:35.570 maybe beyond diversity, what leaders need to do 66 00:02:35.570 --> 00:02:36.720 to lead from the front? 67 00:02:36.720 --> 00:02:39.960 We've recently become a key sponsor for Global Citizen, 68 00:02:39.960 --> 00:02:41.730 which is hoping to eradicate poverty. 69 00:02:41.730 --> 00:02:44.670 The goal is to eradicate poverty by the year 2030. 70 00:02:44.670 --> 00:02:47.410 We're also taking an active role in homelessness. 71 00:02:47.410 --> 00:02:50.350 So, San Jose, which is where Cisco's headquarters are, 72 00:02:50.350 --> 00:02:52.830 Santa Clara County has one of the largest 73 00:02:52.830 --> 00:02:56.040 homelessness rates in the United States, 74 00:02:56.040 --> 00:02:59.190 which is really unfortunate for a tech hub, 75 00:02:59.190 --> 00:03:01.360 and so we're actively supporting that. 76 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:04.570 In India, and tied to disability, for example, 77 00:03:04.570 --> 00:03:06.800 we are continuously promoting 78 00:03:06.800 --> 00:03:08.540 not only education initiatives, 79 00:03:08.540 --> 00:03:10.340 but also connectivity initiatives. 80 00:03:10.340 --> 00:03:12.520 One thing that we found is that there's one 81 00:03:12.520 --> 00:03:14.190 and a half billion people across the world 82 00:03:14.190 --> 00:03:15.970 that are not connected to the internet. 83 00:03:15.970 --> 00:03:19.090 If you bring those people that are offline online, 84 00:03:19.090 --> 00:03:24.090 it can promote the world GDP by $6.7 trillion. 85 00:03:24.150 --> 00:03:26.790 That is where good for the world and communities 86 00:03:26.790 --> 00:03:28.100 actually does good for business, 87 00:03:28.100 --> 00:03:30.900 and that's the cycle we hope to see and hope to support. 88 00:03:30.900 --> 00:03:32.220 And on a personal level, 89 00:03:32.220 --> 00:03:36.320 any specific leadership resolutions or personal resolutions 90 00:03:36.320 --> 00:03:38.450 in terms of Winning the '20s? 91 00:03:38.450 --> 00:03:40.330 My biggest resolution personally 92 00:03:40.330 --> 00:03:42.700 is actually getting back to the human. 93 00:03:42.700 --> 00:03:44.450 I feel like we are so focused 94 00:03:44.450 --> 00:03:47.640 on operational effectiveness, driving efficiency. 95 00:03:47.640 --> 00:03:50.830 I'm a tech optimist, and I can't wait for the next phase 96 00:03:50.830 --> 00:03:54.380 of innovation to come in and for technology revolutions, 97 00:03:54.380 --> 00:03:56.750 but we also have to think about the individual, 98 00:03:56.750 --> 00:03:59.690 and so my personal goal is to make sure 99 00:03:59.690 --> 00:04:03.320 that I'm thinking about myself and having some sort 100 00:04:03.320 --> 00:04:06.790 of work/life blend, and the reason that that's important 101 00:04:06.790 --> 00:04:09.700 for a leader is that your teammates look up to you 102 00:04:09.700 --> 00:04:12.617 and think, "Do I need to actually give up myself 103 00:04:12.617 --> 00:04:13.450 to be in that role?" 104 00:04:13.450 --> 00:04:14.330 And the answer is no. 105 00:04:14.330 --> 00:04:15.470 You can be yourself. 106 00:04:15.470 --> 00:04:17.750 You can bring your best self while at the same time 107 00:04:17.750 --> 00:04:20.510 not just being a singular-dimension person 108 00:04:20.510 --> 00:04:22.030 who is just working all of the time. 109 00:04:22.030 --> 00:04:23.810 Any special memories about BCG? 110 00:04:23.810 --> 00:04:25.310 I know you've left a few years ago, 111 00:04:25.310 --> 00:04:27.650 but you were saying it feels like a long time ago, 112 00:04:27.650 --> 00:04:29.930 but it's been about five years, I guess. 113 00:04:29.930 --> 00:04:31.010 Any stories to share? 114 00:04:31.010 --> 00:04:34.250 So many, I mean, some of my best friends are still at BCG, 115 00:04:34.250 --> 00:04:36.990 and it continuously will hold a wonderful place 116 00:04:36.990 --> 00:04:37.823 in my heart because-- 117 00:04:37.823 --> 00:04:39.410 You can come back anytime. (Miki and Ruba laughing) 118 00:04:39.410 --> 00:04:41.910 You've got amazing, ambitious people 119 00:04:41.910 --> 00:04:44.630 who are so intellectually curious, and that environment 120 00:04:44.630 --> 00:04:46.440 is probably one of the most stimulating environments 121 00:04:46.440 --> 00:04:49.300 I've ever been in, but I will say something that ties 122 00:04:49.300 --> 00:04:52.630 to my personal goals is, that holds a special place 123 00:04:52.630 --> 00:04:55.520 in my heart for BCG, is that my father was sick 124 00:04:55.520 --> 00:04:59.090 for a few months, and BCG supported me during that time, 125 00:04:59.090 --> 00:05:02.090 allowed me to do my work and client-facing work 126 00:05:02.090 --> 00:05:05.400 all using videoconferencing technology from the hospital. 127 00:05:05.400 --> 00:05:08.680 So, I was able to be there for my family but also continue 128 00:05:08.680 --> 00:05:11.500 to do intellectually stimulating work and also continue 129 00:05:11.500 --> 00:05:14.570 to add value to the firm, and that support is so invaluable, 130 00:05:14.570 --> 00:05:17.020 and it's something that I will always remember and hope 131 00:05:17.020 --> 00:05:19.520 to extend no matter what team I'm leading. 132 00:05:19.520 --> 00:05:20.810 Well, thank you for sharing that, 133 00:05:20.810 --> 00:05:23.260 and thank you so much for chatting with us today.