For as much as the current generation loves to bash the 20-somethings entering into the workforce and assign clichés about their demeanor and work ethic, the reality is that this group will one day be the industry leaders and is currently among the group leading the charge of a digital revolution. So rather than thinking about what management practices will work best for “them” how can the current generation help pave the way for the future? If the value in the workplace to millennials is a better corporate environment, a reinvented virtual enterprise, BYOD policies and more flexibility on the ..read more

Posted by Robert Reeg on Monday, 24 June 2013 in Leadership/Management Come June each year, I like to take a few moments to reflect not only on the year so far but on how my career is going. And if you’re like me, you’ll also be thinking about the sorts of things you still want to accomplish. I say it to my own staff all the time – you’re the architect of your own career. You have to take the time to focus on it, to build the plans for where you want to be and identify the steps it’s going to take to get there. That’s not to say that you have to undertake it all on your own; not at all ..read more

When it comes to making the farmer’s breakfast, the chicken is deeply involved, in that she contributes the eggs. If the breakfast is burned, it is unfortunate, but the chicken will contribute another egg tomorrow and we’ll give it another try. In contrast, it takes the pig everything it has to make the farmer’s breakfast (ham, sausage, bacon), and if the breakfast is burned, it is more than unfortunate, because the pig hasn’t got another chance to make it work. Thus, the pig is committed to the success of the breakfast, and the chicken only deeply involved. I bring up this little fable becaus ..read more

In an organization’s attempt to cut costs and meet business demands, there’s a perceived notion that IT leaders are creating a ruthless environment in which workers are treated as cogs in a larger machine. But this culture, whether a myth or a tough reality, can ultimately undermine performance. How do we reduce the damage to our most precious human resources and still deliver profitability and shareholder value? Contributors Joseph D. Sniado, Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer, Standard & Poor’s Frank Wander, Author, Former CIO, People Productive, LLC (Formerly Th ..read more

Last month I shared items #10 through #6 of the Top 10 things I wish I’d learned earlier in my career.  This month I’ll share items #5 through #1. Once again, I hope you can use these insights to accelerate your career, since I believe if I had learned these tidbits earlier, they would have accelerated my career. 5.  Prune weak links.One of the hardest things to do as a manager is to prune weak links from your team. Every time I pruned poor performers, I always wished I had done it sooner. I learned that weak performers drag down the performance of the team, forcing other team member ..read more

I have been in business since 1984, starting as a part-time computer programmer. As I progressed towards becoming a CIO, I kept track of the key management insights I learned from others in leadership positions with whom I had the privilege to interact. A few years ago I summarized these notes into a top 10 list that I now frequently share with leadership groups at my current company, and periodically in speaking engagements.  I realized if I had learned these earlier in my career, it would have accelerated my success.  Hopefully you can use these insights to accelerate your career ..read more

Business models, computing paradigms, delivery expectations, customer satisfaction, and profitability are all in flux. The ability of IT talent at all organizational levels to understand business as it stands and how it will morph in the future while maintaining and improving service delivery is no small feat. Can we prepare our IT people proactively or is it going to be a catchup game? Will our efforts to manage the skills gap even be adequate? What are organizations doing or should be doing to manage the IT skills gap and sustain delivery for now and in the future? Contributor Todd Thibbode ..read more

For the CIO to deliver real business growth, handle sensitive business/IT partnerships, and make complex technology decisions, he or she needs to be backed by a high performance IT team. Listen to these talks that tell you how to build a talented team. The post How to Build a Great Workforce first appeared on CIO Talk Network ..read more

Both IT and the business environment are changing fast! While the spotlight is on technology, what about the IT people who deliver the goods? Where is today’s workforce failing? Will traditional approaches to managing the skill, competency, and engagement of our IT workforce continue to be relevant, going forward? What changes in skills and/or competency do we need? Who are the stakeholders who need to come together to build an IT workforce for today and that will still be delivering tomorrow? Contributors Pablo A. Vegas, VP and Chief Information Officer, American Electric Power (AEP) Ma ..read more

Engineers, developers, project managers and other technical members within an IT organization are living repositories of the organization’s technology, architecture, software, and processes. What people know and can do is just as important as their ability to manage. Some retain unique technical knowhow that would be difficult, if not impossible to replace. So how do you retain knowledge crucial to your organization’s software development project management, for example? …Information that may reside in the heads of a select few individuals? People who retain crucial knowledge of the organizati ..read more