Tough calls, earning buy-in, and the ‘Courage to be Disliked’: Cisco’s Liz Centoni on driving big change
Release Date: 07/24/2025
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info_outlineBig change can come with big fallouts and big feelings. Cisco's chief customer experience officer Liz Centoni runs a team with tens of thousands of employees and has 25 years of experience making the tough calls needed to drive needed technological change and earn critical buy-in and support. She shares what she's learned about tackling team fears and frictions head on and the importance of breaking down complex shifts into manageable ‘chunks’ to bring people along. She explains why she recommends leaders embrace the 'power of the pause’ -- and wait to speak in meetings -- and what's needed to get truly honest feedback in pivotal moments. Learn more about her approach – and the empowering lessons she learned about transformation from books like ‘The Courage to be Disliked’ and the famed psychologist Viktor Frankl.
About this episode:
Cisco:
https://www.cisco.com/
Episode Transcript:
https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/liz-centoni-cisco-tough-decisions-big-change
Referenced in this episode:
Book recommendation - The Courage to Be Disliked, by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi: https://www.amazon.com/Courage-Be-Disliked-Phenomenon-Happiness/dp/1501197274
World Economic Forum Research - Future of Jobs Report:
https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/
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