Thomas Lam, China head of Cisco Systems

Updated: 2007-01-08 08:03

Thomas Lam believes leading a management team is like leading a blues band.
"You should manage to help all the performers bring their own aptitudes into full play," he says.
But improvisation does not mean there is a defined range for every performer. "As a leader, the major task is to set a framework defining a rough scope for the entire team," Lam says.
Lam has been trying to manage Cisco China in a real-time manner, which ensures the flexibility and agility of the business.
"I hope Cisco's revenues in (the affluent) Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shandong, Zhejiang, Shanghai and Beijing will hit $100 million respectively by 2009," he says.