CCisco Spaces is a cloud platform that connects people and things within buildings, transforming them into smart spaces. By leveraging Cisco’s network infrastructure and collaboration devices ‘as sensors’, Spaces helps organizations reimagine people experiences, maximize operational efficiency, optimize energy, and make effective utilization of space. This ongoing series, Meet Cisco Spaces, discusses our groundbreaking innovations benefiting industries, people and the planet.
For this edition, we interviewed CJ Flores, Product Manager in San Francisco. CJ discusses the Cisco Spaces team culture and underscores the importance of diversity, flexibility, and adaptability.
Please share a high-level overview of your role…
As a Product Manager on the Cisco Spaces team, I manage and support the life cycle of Cisco Spaces products, including activation, onboarding, adoption, upsells, renewals, and expansions. A unique aspect of my role also includes event management. I organize, strategize, and execute Cisco Spaces events showcasing our products to prospective and current customers.
What excites you about working on the Cisco Spaces team?
Every day at Cisco Spaces is different; new projects, ambitions, and challenges always arise. Considering this, our team is flexible, adaptable, and innovative. We’re creative thinkers and problem-solvers, and we’re comfortable pivoting our workflows to accommodate changing needs. Cisco Spaces leadership understands that employees need autonomy to accomplish our goals and remain agile in the evolving technology industry. There is never a dull moment on the Cisco Spaces team, which keeps me interested and excited about my work.
How would you describe the overall team culture?
One of Cisco Spaces’ most unique aspects is the diversity of our team. Everybody comes from different backgrounds and has unique experiences, skill sets, and perspectives. For example, I have a psychology degree and worked as a child therapist after graduating college. Many members of my team have non-technical backgrounds; some are former collegiate athletes and teachers with a wide range of unique abilities.
Since we are all different, our leaders give us the freedom to think creatively, be ourselves, and bring our special qualities to the table. Encouraging us to be authentic allows us to share our opinions and have constructive dialogue about our projects. This autonomy and transparency empowers me to think outside the box and deliver my strongest work. At Cisco Spaces, we are all on the same team, but we walked a different path to get here. We think differently, and our leaders celebrate our rich diversity.
Cisco Spaces is a leader in creating smart spaces that connect people and things, and enhance experiences. How does Cisco Spaces help create meaningful experiences for customers?
Cisco Spaces is dedicated to enhancing customer experiences. For example, when people enter a smart space, they are prompted to interact with our digital signage, which provides information about the building. This information includes room occupancy and capacity, environmental data such as temperature, humidity, and CO2 levels. In addition, users get indoor navigation to specific locations within the building. Innovations like digital signage enhance real-time customer experiences and deliver immediate value.
Which characteristics of an employee foster success at Cisco Spaces?
Possessing a flexible mindset is key at Cisco Spaces. Since we operate like a small startup, Cisco Spaces team members wear multiple hats, are adaptable, and are comfortable pivoting and changing direction. It’s also valuable to be self-directed and problem-solve independently. Of course, our team helps each other fix issues, but it’s essential to be proactive and contribute suggestions. We believe it is better to try something, fail, and learn from that mistake, than never take risks. Being brave and willing to experiment and explore is critical to innovation.
Discover more about Cisco Spaces on our website and YouTube page and explore exciting career opportunities on our careers site.
