From The Soccer Pitch To Sticky Notes, Cisco’s Sophie Stevens Leads With Gratitude

Successful people know—it’s the little things. In order to achieve great heights in business, or in any other field, it’s seldom about a massive move or a giant decision. More often than not, success is defined by keeping track of the little things, those daily tasks and opportunities that add up to more than the sum of their parts. Sophie Stevens understands this idea and she’s brought it to her role as a Vice President at Cisco. 

Stevens, who was a standout soccer player at the University of North Carolina under the legendary coach Anson Dorrance (he boasts 21 NCAA national championships!), has spent the past two decades rising through the ranks at Cisco, moving up from Associate Account Manager to executive leader. And while she brings a competitive mindset to the job, she also brings something else—a feeling of gratitude. 

“We have a connected recognition program within Cisco,” Stevens said on a recent episode of the Corporate Competitor Podcast. “I have a sticky note on my desktop to reach out and do three gratitude reach outs every week, whether or not that’s someone working late, winning a big deal, doing the work no one notices. Just creating this sense of gratitude.”

But it’s not just expressions of gratitude that Stevens prizes—indeed, she works to create an overall buoyant attitude in the work place. For her, it’s all part of the job. 

“I’m a big attitude and gratitude person,” the Area VP of Global Enterprise Sales at Cisco explained. “Attitude being you choose how you show up every day. There’s a lot of stuff going on but choosing to be positive is your own mindset and gratitude around just being thankful for those around you every day that support you.”

Stevens discussed all this and more on the podcast, including:

• The competitive cauldron. At UNC, Coach Dorrance tracked data points to help his players improve, creating a culture of accountability. Stevens said she implemented something similar at Cisco. “By using data to understand where each player stood,” she said, “[it] ultimately elevat[ed] the entire group’s performance.”

• Open door policies. Returning to work as a new mother, Stevens saw that Cisco’s maternity policy wasn’t up to industry standards. So, she called the CHRO to change that. Now, new mothers receive 21 weeks of leave, not 9-12. “I would say just really having that open, honest, collaborative culture is one of the main reasons we’re differentiated in those top places to work,” Stevens noted. 

• Fight complacency. Stevens warns of feeling satiated by success. “You can’t rest on your laurels, right? Just because things are going well and you’re at the top of the pack, someone wants to knock you off,” she said.