On the lighter side of things , we ask the industry experts what makes them tick . . . .

Joe Vaccaro , Vice President and General Manager , Cisco ThousandEyes , on what time in tech has taught him so far .

I think of my career as a novel , where every job is a different chapter that has offered me new opportunities to learn and grow . I ’ ve had the opportunity to work at some amazingly innovative companies and teams , especially alongside the two co-founders of ThousandEyes , Mohit Lad and Ricardo Oliveira , as we brought ThousandEyes inside Cisco in 2020 .

What first made you think of a career in technology ?

Perhaps somewhat unexpectedly , I come from a family of Northern California farmers . My father and grandfather started a sunflower seed agriculture business that serves customers worldwide . A lot of the lessons learned in the agricultural business and the visceral fruits of labour that come from it have influenced my thinking and approach to my own career .

What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position ?

People , product , performance . Always in that order . ThousandEyes ’ technology is unmatched in the

industry , but it would be nothing without the worldclass team behind it . If you focus on attracting and empowering the best team , they will help build the best product , a team that obsesses over solving the toughest customer problems . And if you do this , then the business performance will follow .

How do you deal with stress and unwind outside of the office ?

For me it ’ s all about balance . I love my family . They keep me grounded . When I get home , even if it ’ s been a tough day , my two young kids just want to run and give me a hug and then head out to play on the grass . Becoming a parent is a great equaliser that ensures you stay balanced in life .

With the rest of my ( limited ) free time , I love the outdoors . If I could design the perfect day , I ’ d spend the first half on the ski slopes , add in a round of golf , and then spend the evening fly fishing on the Upper Sacramento River .

If you could go back and change one career decision , what would it be ?

Early in my career I joined a small company and realised within the year that it was a mistake . I was miserable . In hindsight , everything lined up ( position , domain , compensation ) except the team . Learning

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