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Tag Archives: Management
Hey CIO, How Are Your Legal Skills?
What at one time consisted of determining departmental headcount now looks at how to augment this with contractors, consultants, and outsourcing firms. While the workforce plan provides the overall guidance, contracts are where the rubber meets the road. This is where you precisely define the products and services required, and the terms and conditions which go along with the acquisition. Knowing how to negotiate these contracts and the obligations of the parties is a core skill in the delivery of Information Technology. Continue reading
Posted in Management, People / Talent
Tagged business drivers, controls, Management, workforce dynamics
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Hey CIO, How Are Your HR/OD Skills?
Organizations morph. Sometimes the change is slow over time, sometimes rapid as part of a merger. What was effective structurally at one point inevitable deconstructs as the organization it supports changes. As people move in and out of the organization personalities change the roles and by association how the work gets done. Informal structures emerge and at some point the formal organization becomes a hinderance as opposed to a means to facilitate and support successful results. Continue reading
Posted in Leadership, Management
Tagged Management, organization, people, Process, productivity
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Hey CIO, How Are Your Financial Skills?
It can be argued that nothing is more important to executives than knowing exactly how the money with which they entrust people translates into results. This is a fundamental frame of reference for all those who hope to sit at the proverbial table. It also moves the CIO requirement set to be inclusive of the world of finance. Continue reading
Hey CIO, How Are Your Marketing Skills?
Marketing skills cannot be left to those in the marketing department. There is a heavy dose of marketing in IT. The job of the CIO depends on getting the marketing part right. Continue reading
The Inflection Point
As organizations grow the technology needs of an organization change – and sometimes change quickly and profoundly. Continue reading
Posted in Leadership, Management, People / Talent, Process
Tagged change, Leadership, Management, organization, workforce dynamics
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Soft Statements vs Hard Reality
If your company is like most, your mission statement and set of corporate approved values portray your company as being very compassionate. The picture painted is that people who work at your organization are more like family members than employees. The family will take care of itself and protect itself from all those not part of the family. While these words sound very “Mafia-esque” the messaging demonstrates that your organization is a great place to work. Continue reading
Posted in Leadership, Management, People / Talent
Tagged change, character, Management, values, workforce dynamics
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How Healthy is Your IT Ecosystem?
As we have all learned, in nature a healthy ecosystem benefits all involved. When any part of the ecosystem is in ill health, in time all other aspects of the ecosystem will suffer. An IT organization operates in a similar manner. When all aspects of the IT ecosystem operate in harmony it operates much more effectively and efficiently. Continue reading
Keeping Proper Perspective
Two of the weblogs I follow had interesting posts recently. The fist post by Seth Godin was titled Do You Have 16 Boxes?. In this post Seth elegantly describes a method of keeping perspective by (and I paraphrase here) imagining 16 boxes with each box representing a part of your life. As one box is doing very well, others may be doing poorly. By looking at the bigger picture, meaning all 16 boxes, it is much easier to stay in balance. Continue reading
Posted in Leadership, Management, People / Talent
Tagged balance, focus, Management, perspective
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Cautious Steps Make Little Progress
I read an interesting saying the other day, “People who take caution with every step make little progress.” In my experience as a management consultant I have seen many people who require a tremendous amount of information before they make decisions. In some cases there are many uncertainties which need to be worked through and in others it is simply a management style. Continue reading
Posted in Management, People / Talent
Tagged action, caution, decision, Management, progress
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Anatomy of a Decision
Decisions are interesting things. It can be argued that not making decisions well can cause significant damage to any organization. A friend of mine, who happened to come out of the military, explained to me that decision making is the essence of leadership. Another friend of mine once told me that perhaps the most important job of an executive is to make decisions (and to make them decisively). Continue reading
