Isabella Yani ─ Decorated business leader driving strategy, operations, and business development…
November 9, 2021 • 3 Minute Read
Updated October 2022
Isabella Yani
AppDynamics Sales Director
Cisco
(Previously — Chief of Staff and Director of Business Development & Sales Operations
Cisco)
Are you looking for a decorated business leader driving strategy, operations, and business development? We know the person—Isabella Yani!
Isabella is the Chief of Staff and Director of Business Development & Sales Operations for Cisco's Americas Partner Organization. She bears multiple responsibilities including leading strategy, operations, and business development. One of her key leadership traits is her innate ability to consistently deliver exceptional results with her talented team. Isabella is an award-winning leader, including industry recognition from CRN’s Women of the Channel Power 100, Cisco’s Manager’s Excellence award, and multiple sales champions awards.
Please meet this IT Wondrous Woman™, Isabella Yani!
Our 10 Questions for this IT Wondrous Woman.
Fun Facts
1. What’s the one thing about you that your business colleagues don’t know about you?
During my college years, I often worked three or four jobs at any given time, including as a janitor in the library (best paying student job on campus), the house manager in my sorority house, and a swim teacher for faculty kids.
2. Before the pandemic, how many air miles/KMs did you flying annually?
50k miles on average, with a goal of at least 50% of that being for personal trips!
3. What is the most adventurous food you have eaten and what city/location did you eat it?
One of the most adventurous meals I always enjoyed as a child is the mushroom stew my stepmom prepared from the chanterelles and bolete mushrooms we would forage in the Austrian alps.
Your Career
4. What are the top two experiences, achievements or failures that shaped your journey as a successful leader?
My greatest achievement is the running list of mentees for whom I’ve made a positive impact through our relationship. There is no better feeling than to receive the “I got the job and couldn’t have done it without you” note. Those interactions reinforce the importance of taking the time to really listen to and coach the people who are seeking your guidance, even if it means giving them constructive feedback.
Second, the collection of rejection letters/calls I have from not getting jobs I’ve gone after has made a profound impact on my journey to becoming a successful leader. Each rejection taught me important lessons about myself and helped me hone in on what great leadership looks like.
5. Did you have a mentor in the early part of your career and, if so, what is the biggest lesson you learned from your mentor or influencer?
I’ve been fortunate to have several very impactful mentors throughout my career. One of those mentors often asked me “What’s the legacy you want to leave?” and for nearly a decade, I’ve continued to ask myself that question on a regular basis.
Walking In Your Shoes
6. What is one piece of business or career advice you would give to your younger self?
Boldly say yes to projects and promotions, especially when self-doubt and imposter syndrome insist otherwise.
7. As a leader, how do you remain a resource for people early in their careers?
I go out of my way to serve as a mentor for early in career people by seeking out opportunities through formal programs like ElevateHER and Girls Power Tech to stay connected with EIC talent. I also have a network of like-minded colleagues who know that if they refer EIC talent my way for mentoring, I will put in the effort to make a difference with that individual.
Today’s Business Environment
8. What is the most interesting project you have worked on in the last few years?
Over the last year, I’ve had the opportunity to spearhead Cisco’s strategy and planning work to transform the Americas Partner Organization to focus on new routes to market like Marketplace, Agency, and a new Cisco approach to Managed Services.
9. What skills are you currently developing or refining (in yourself) that will make you a more successful leader in the digital economy?
In a time when the pace of change and innovation is faster than ever, I’m working on not being the person who tries to solve it all.
10. What is your greatest business challenge today?
The last 18 months has completely changed the way we do business, and it is incumbent upon all of us to reimagine how we collaborate, keep teams engaged, and build relationships under dramatically different circumstances because we are never returning to “the way things used to be”.
