Leadership team members have lost touch with reality, and are primarily drinking the Kool-Aid. They communicate the direction to Sr Management and line-management, and those managers are then forced to try and take an untenable vision/strategy and execute upon it. How well they can balance reality with fantasy determines how well you, as an individual contributor will do.
In the ancient past, if you chose to bring up a serious weakness of a product/service you were considered to be contributing to the success of the team, now if you are outspoken you are not a team player. Empowerment is now non-exsistent. Mediocrity is becoming the norm, and those that want to excel are starting to look outside the doors of Cisco now that the Golden Handcuffs (stocks/bonus/benefits) are evaporating.
The EPM (employee review) cycle is a joke and your reviews are strictly based on your manager and his/her ability to 'fight' for you at leadership ratings/ranking meetings.
Have a passive manager who doesn't like a good fight or has someone else they're solely rooting for? You'll not get that strong E+ or X rating to get that promotion or salary increase. Period.
If you have a passionate manager that cares for his/her people, then they can eventually "spread some love around" to you, but chances are it will take a few cycles.
A note to prospective employees: Once your inside, if you plan on sticking around, shop for those managers... If you can find one that's good with people, technically sharp, and somewhat politically savvy at the same time you might be able to also get some promotions along the way as he/she rides the wave upward. You need to use your skills/merit to leverage yourself into an org that will allow you to play this game, then you can be promoted. This skill took me a long time to learn, but it's a good one to learn, since it doesn't just apply here as Cisco is just like any other big company now.
And yes: negotiate a high starting salary - you may not see an increase for some time.
