One of the most embarrassing events to happen to me is when my boss has asked me why our company website is down. I didn’t know it was down – and it was. Yellow Pages down the pants-time. One easy way I found to get to know first is to use a website monitoring tool. […]
Know When Your Website is Down Before Your Boss Does! Read More »
Management science couldn’t warn Churchill of the strong link between the Leader, Followers and Situation. This is called the Leader Follower Situation Model.
The Leader Follower Situation Model in Action Read More »
I’ve often written about Lightworkers and Darkworkers. There are similarities between the boy-hero and Lightworkers I thought might be fun. He trusted his instinct and acted upon it:Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: A New Hope switched off his targetting computer and trusts his instinct when firing that bomb thing into the Death Star. What a guy. Lightworkers
5 Reasons Why Lightworkers (in IT) are like Luke Skywalker Read More »
Asking questions is one of the most powerful tools a leader can use. Young children use questions from an early age to find out how the world, and people, works. The great thing about questions is that they enable a leader to direct and instruct without actually giving directions or instructions, and the result of
How To Ask Questions to get Great Results Read More »
Opinion isn’t one-sided! In response to my recent article on the 11 behaviors most disliked by IT leaders, here are the 12 behaviors most disliked by IT workers of their managers/leaders. This list was created from surveying some of the IT professionals I know and connect with from a number of countries and industries (56
12 Behaviors Most Disliked by IT Professionals Read More »
I’ve just seen this article on CIO.COM which lists the top 10 annoying aspects of social networking, according to PCWORLD. Number 8 in their list is a comment about LinkedIn being ‘uptight’ – the article goes to say:
LinkedIn isn’t for Lovesick Teenagers Read More »
I’d like to point you to a brief but useful article by Loraine Lawson I found on ITBusinessEdge which discusses cost saving on integration projects. Loraine gives three tips for ensuring your integration project delivers value and isn’t pumped up with hype. Vendors are aggressive in their sales tactics as the prize is high, and particularly
SOA and Integration – Buyer (Be/A)ware…? Read More »
A couple of weeks back I wrote about the most disliked behaviors in IT departments, and one that 80% of IT leaders felt strongly about was the rise of the Merit-Whore. A Merit-Whore is someone who persistently and unfairly takes credit for the work of a team or a subordinate. Why does this happen? In
It’s Leaders Who Create Merit-Whores Read More »
I Have A Tenuous Link With Bill Gates Because… … I once bought a pizza (although I didn’t eat it) from a Seattle restaurant that Bill Gates frequently used in his teenage years!
My Tenuous Link To…. Bill Gates Read More »
Do you still sense a big gap between the IT and Business? What do you think should be done about it? There is still quite a big gap in my opinion, and although it is reducing over time, there is still a perception of IT that it is all about tape-reels, basement rooms and fan-fold
The IT-Business Divide – Still Wide and Still Alive? Read More »
I recently wrote about the 11 Behaviors most disliked by IT Leaders, and #9 in that list was: Email-itis – in other words, staff using emails rather than interacting with each other in person. The added hatred was the use of blind copy and the overuse of copy to a wide audience
Leaders Must Exorcise The Curse of Email Read More »
Following my recent article, I’ve found an excellent article on the HBS Working Knowledge website which discusses the tendencies of women who are finding it easier to move jobs and maintain their star profile. This article shares the results of research that shows that females are generally more apt at switching jobs and preserving their ‘shine’, when
Update: How To Find a Much Better IT Job, Even in Recession Read More »
To most people outside of IT, SOA is really dull. I hear business people talk about it as ‘hype’ and an ‘excuse’ to delay work. Well that might be true in some cases. But I think it is more likely because of a lack of understanding and appreciation of the potential upside. I recently wrote
How To Sell SOA to Your Business Read More »
These two people are the most powerful in your organization…
The Two Most Powerful People in an Organization Read More »
It wasn’t long ago that I advised you to feel confident in moving jobs, if you’re a master at your subject . I thought it would be interesting to think about more than moving IT jobs, but getting a better IT job. How could you do that? I’m going to caveat this by saying the
How To Find a Much Better IT Job, Even in Recession Read More »
Good leaders know what they value and what their values are, and they recognize the importance of ethical behavior. The great leaders consistently and recognizably exhibit their values and ethics in their leadership style and actions. But what about the values that your organization declares it honors in corporate brochures, office posters and standard desktop
Do You Know If You Live Your Organization’s Values? Read More »
Congratulations to DigitalMind (Jason) from TechieNation.com for winning ten bucks – he is July commentator of the month! Don’t spend all the money at once now!
July Commentator of the Month! Read More »
What if bricklayers worldwide all upgraded their trowels for more ergonomic versions with gold-plated handles, but they weren’t compatible with some brands of mortar and were slower to use? The economy would slow down further as the brickies couldn’t complete their work, or on time. Well this is analogous to what Windows Vista could bring,
Would You Back Your Business on Windows Vista? Read More »
Last week I met with 20 CIOs and other senior IT leaders over dinner and we approached the subject of behavior in their departments. We went around the table sharing the behaviors we would most like to see the back of. So I noted them down to share with you. I should first say that,
11 Behaviors Most Disliked by IT Leaders Read More »
This is my first article aimed at IT Sales. Selling technology is not easy, particularly in this Web2.0-fuelled, open-source aware, web-enabled environment. There is always a competitive product, and sometimes the competition might be available for free. Sales calls are a wonderful bevy of pleasantries and good intentions. Sales, though, are not won or lost
How to Avoid Wasting Time When Selling Technology Read More »
