- Jeetu Patel started at Sizzler, earning $4 an hour before joining the tech world.
- Now Cisco’s Chief Product Officer, he oversees global innovation and product strategy.
- Credits service industry work for shaping empathy, communication, and resilience.
- Encourages Gen Z to balance confidence with humility and seek mentorship.
Shares common roots with leaders like Jeff Bezos and Jensen Huang, who began in customer-facing jobs.Before steering innovation at Cisco, a $270 billion tech giant, Jeetu Patel was serving steaks at Sizzler for $4 an hour. Today, as Cisco's Chief Product Officer, Patel's journey from waiting tables to leading teams exemplifies how resilience and empathy can turn humble beginnings into extraordinary success.
In his early 20s, Patel deliberately chose to work in the service industry not as a means to an end, but as a lesson in leadership. “I think everyone in the early part of their career should work in the service industry somewhere,” Patel told Fortune. “It gives you a deep appreciation for hospitality and customer service—and it just wires you differently.”
That, 'wiring,' Patel says, became the foundation of his leadership style. At Sizzler, his earnings depended on how well he could connect with people, handle pressure, and solve problems fast, skills that later became essential as he moved through the ranks of companies like Doculabs, EMC, and Box, before finally landing at Cisco.
Patel credits much of his success to self-belief and grounded confidence. “If you put your mind to something, you can basically figure out whatever you want to figure out,” he said. For him, success came not from privilege or shortcuts but from understanding the power of humility and persistence.
He also challenges the myth of being “self-made.” “No one succeeds alone,” Patel stresses, urging Gen Z professionals to seek mentorship, ask for help, and remain grateful for their opportunities. Confidence, he says, must always walk hand in hand with humility.
Patel’s journey mirrors that of other global leaders who started from the ground up. Jeff Bezos once flipped burgers at McDonald’s in Miami, while Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang began by washing dishes at Denny’s. Both men, like Patel, credit these experiences with teaching discipline, respect, and empathy—values that endure long after corporate success.
Jeetu Patel’s story stands as a reminder that leadership doesn’t begin in boardrooms but often in small acts of service. From restaurant floors to executive offices, his rise embodies the timeless truth: every great leader once learned to serve first.
