Cisco

Despite Cisco's revenue, product, and market challenges, it's still one of the best places to work. Compensation, benefits, and rewards and recognition are top-of-the-line compared to other companies of similar size, maturity, and industry.

Senior leadership is very communicative about strategy, company strengths and weaknesses, decisions, and goals. Also, Cisco has been very effective in moving leadership around and slimming down the executive band to allow lower levels to grow and ensure the company doesn't get "stuck" in its ways, as some companies do by keeping senior leadership locked into roles. Examples include changes in HR, IT, Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Engineering leadership over the last five years.

Cisco continues to be unclear and ineffective in expanding its product and industry space.

High-end video, consumer products (Linksys and Scientific Atlanta acquisitions), Education, and Health industry, etc., have been major investments that haven't moved Cisco's advancement in the industry successfully.

Data Center and Security products have been good moves, but more creative new industries haven't worked yet.

It's been hard to move Cisco from just the best routers and switches company in the world to a more futuristic service and product provider.

Also, it's been hard to attract and keep young talent (millennials), so new blood and true innovation is a bit difficult despite that Cisco has some of the most amazing technology, sales, and business development employees in the world.