Mike Herbert is a Principal Engineer at Cisco Systems at Cisco Systems. Colleagues describe him as "Every once in a while - if you are very, very lucky - you get to work with someone who is not only a consummate professional, but elevates the quality of the people who work with them. Anyone who knows or who has worked with Mike would know that it's no exaggeration to say that working with him is intensely rewarding and enjoyable. Mike's ability to see a situation, properly characterize it, and clarify its significance is only the beginning of his skillset. He has the enviable quality of being able to visualize all of the elements of any situation (whether it be a problem or brainstorming "what ifs") and come up with reasonable, workable solutions. Moreover, he does this with near instantaneous speed - far faster than the majority of mere mortals today. If that were Mike's only traits worth mentioning, it would be worthy of high praise and unqualified recommendation. However, the impact he has on others, the inspiration he brings to his co-workers and colleagues, is what truly makes him stand apart from his peers (a small cohort if ever there was one). Simply working with Mike makes it obvious that the level of quality is so high, the desire to improve one's own contributions is so strong, that it is impossible to avoid ratcheting up one's performance. It simply can't be done. In sum, Mike has a well-deserved admiration and fierce loyalty from the people with whom he has worked. He has a rare combination of awareness, ability, vision and leadership that makes him a natural-born powerhouse that inspires those who work with (and around) him. I look forward to the opportunity to work with Mike again and offer my unqualified and enthusiastic recommendation for him and his work."