Year: 2023

Diversity Equity and Inclusion

As a tech exec, prioritizing diversity equity and inclusion (DE&I) is crucial a creative and forward-thinking workforce. Unfortunately, it is common for leaders to hire individuals who mirror their own backgrounds and experiences.

People often seek the company of like-minded individuals because it provides a sense of comfort and affirmation. Surrounding yourself with people who share your views and align with your values can create a pleasant and reassuring environment.

DE&I means hire a diverse team.

Avoid hiring individuals who closely mirror your own traits. A true leader, embracing diversity equity and inclusion, seeks out those who challenge them and expand their horizons, offering a wide array of perspectives and innovative ideas.

Hiring individuals who merely echo your views leaves you susceptible to disruption. In essence, they lack the genuine concern for your best interests, as they fail to recognize the evolving landscape of the business world that can affect you. What you truly need are individuals who are unafraid to say, “That approach may not be the most favorable because…” or “Perhaps we should consider this alternative instead…” Having a team that is ready to challenge, and question is paramount to the success of any leader.

As a leader you need to establish a diverse team that allows a thought-provoking environment to thieve.

In summary, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) foster an organization rich in diverse perspectives, fueling creativity and vitality. Embrace individuals with great ideas instead of viewing them as threats. Ensure genuine collaboration, avoiding adversarial dynamics. Acknowledge each person’s uniqueness and set clear boundaries and expectations to enhance both personal success and organizational growth. DE&I is not just a “nice to have” in the workplace, but rather a crucial component for creating a successful and sustainable organization. By valuing individuals from different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences, companies can tap into a wealth of diverse perspectives that can lead to innovative solutions and approaches.

Click here for a post on importance of DE&I for technology teams.

Importance of Technical Skills

Technology is reshaping the business landscape, and employees must adapt to avoid obsolescence. As organizations rely more on digital tools, adapting to technological advancements is key to professional resilience. Particularly, tech executives must prioritize the importance of technical skills to remain at the forefront.

Understanding emerging technologies impacting your work is essential. For instance, ChatGBT exemplifies a tool that replaces certain human tasks, offering advanced conversational capabilities and efficiency, though it’s not the only transformative technology. As a technology leader, it is your duty to prepare your organization for such shifts. This preparation involves understanding the impacts of new technologies and devising strategies to integrate them into existing processes.

With the importance of technical skills as a high priority you need to develop a comprehensive plan.

Grasp the technological impacts on the workforce and business as a whole. Align the technology team with business leaders to develop an employee training strategy, focusing on necessary technical skills and strategic thinking to leverage technology effectively. Encourage a culture of innovation where employees feel comfortable experimenting with new tools and methodologies.

The cloud greatly impacts business operations, transforming IT service approaches and enabling businesses to engage in decision-making with more agility and efficiency. By using cloud capabilities, businesses achieve seamless enablement and enhanced agility—the ultimate goal of investing in a flexible, globally deployable infrastructure. The shift to cloud technologies enables organizations to scale operations quickly, respond to market demands with agility, and optimize costs. Relying on vendors for infrastructure management creates new opportunities for IT departments, making a strong training plan crucial. This involves equipping teams with the skills to manage vendor relationships and ensure that cloud solutions align with business objectives.

IT is transitioning from infrastructure support to business enablement.

The IT team needs Agile skills, vendor collaboration, quick identification and implementation of new technologies, and active engagement in becoming more business-centric. This transformation requires IT departments to change their mindset, focusing on understanding business goals and how technology drives value. Training should develop these skills, enabling IT professionals to be strategic partners in the organization’s growth and innovation.

One way for tech executives to stay informed about emerging technologies is by networking with other professionals in the industry. Attending conferences or joining online communities can provide valuable insights into current trends and innovations.

Besides technical skills, soft skills like communication, collaboration, and adaptability are increasingly important in the tech industry.

As technology advances, teamwork and effective communication between departments and teams are crucial for successfully integrating new technologies.

In summary, technology is constantly evolving, and individuals and organizations must adapt to thrive in this fast-paced digital landscape. As a tech executive, staying informed, planning for effective technology integration, and fostering a culture of innovation are crucial. By staying ahead and enhancing technological expertise, you can become an invaluable asset in today’s tech-driven business world.

Click here for a post on the importance of technology innovation.

Manage Emotions as a Tech Executive

If you want to move up in the leadership ranks and be a tech executive, you need to manage emotions effectively. The fast-paced, high-pressure world of technology can be overwhelming and it’s easy to get caught up in the stress and frustration. However, as a tech exec, it’s important to maintain composure and make decisions based on logic rather than emotions.

Being sad, aggressive, mad, etc. just shows to leaders that you are an emotional person, and the question comes up as to if you can handle the stress of the executive world.

Here are some ideas for helping manage emotions:

  1. Practice Mindfulness: Mindfulness is being fully present, aware of your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings without judgment. By practicing mindfulness, you can become more aware of your emotions and choose how to respond to them.

  2. Engage in Physical Activity: Regular exercise not only enhances physical health but also boosts mental and emotional well-being. Physical activity releases endorphins, natural brain chemicals that reduce stress and elevate mood.

  3. Connect with Others: Having a support system of friends and loved ones is crucial when feeling overwhelmed. Sharing your feelings with a trusted person can bring perspective and comfort.

  4. Practice Self-Care: Make time for activities that bring you joy, like reading, bathing, or taking a walk. Prioritizing self-care allows you to process emotions in a healthy way.

  5. Seek Professional Help: If you’re struggling to manage emotions, seek professional help. A therapist or counselor can provide tools and techniques for emotional management and support during difficult situations.

There are many other ways to manage emotions and cope effectively, but these five ideas are a great place to start. It’s important to remember that everyone experiences emotions differently and what works for one person may not work for another. The key is to find healthy coping mechanisms that work for you.

But remember, if you get upset in a work situation it’s better to hold it in… and let it out when you are not around your peers or superiors.

Click here for a post on expectations of a technology exec.

Building your First Resume

As a tech executive, I’m frequently asked by soon-to-be college graduates about how to make their resumes stand out. Crafting your first resume is crucial, and having a strong foundation ensures that both its format and content can evolve effectively over time.

First, if you are going into an IT career and you’ve done an internship, that’s a big plus. Second, if you’ve attended on campus career fairs and met big companies who are doing campus recruiting, you’ll have received some good exposure to what companies are looking for in talent. If you have not done these things let me help with some thoughts.

Adapt your resume.

For your technology major, professors often discuss how your skills apply to industry. Research key companies and explore their main web pages. Uncover their initiatives to gain insight. When applying for jobs, carefully read the job description and adapt your resume accordingly. Be honest to avoid issues during interviews. Look for jobs that align with your education, emphasizing the projects and specific skills you learned on campus to compensate for lack of industry experience.

Factor in soft skills.

Once you have the technical part of your resume worked up, lace in the soft skills. Soft skills are the communication, presentation and people management skills that technical people tend not to be the best at.

Yes, understood, you want a technical job. However, many employers are looking for well-rounded technology professionals. If you can emphasize and prove that you have outstanding communication skills, it’ll put you ahead of many of your peers who are relying on their technical skills alone. Also, if you have aspirations to lead and make your way up the executive ladder, having the soft skills are going to be a must.

Click here for a post on building and maintaining your resume.

It’s Okay to Ask Questions

I was reading a funny story about Henry Kissinger that highlight why it’s important to ask questions. If you don’t know who Dr. Kissinger is, you are probably too young. He was the Secretary of State during the Nixon Administration and considered one of the smartest SoS’s ever.

Henry Kissinger’s speech writer handed Kissinger the latest speech for him to review. Kissinger wrote on the paper, “Is that the best you can do?” The speech writer rewrote the piece and handed it to Kissinger for his thoughts. Kissinger wrote the same thing, “Is that the best you can do?” The speech writer did two more revisions with the same responses. Finally, frustrated, he told Kissinger that it was the best he could do. Kissinger said, “Okay, now I’ll read it.”

This anecdote shared by Kissinger’s speech writer highlights the importance of constant and thorough review in creating quality content. In today’s digital world, with rapid information sharing, we often overlook the need to review our work.

To stand out online, prioritize content quality over quantity for businesses and individuals alike. This means taking the time to carefully craft and review each piece before publishing it.

Similar to Kissinger’s speechwriter, we may undergo multiple revisions before reaching a final product we’re proud of. Like Kissinger, who read the speech only when it was perfect, we should publish when confident in our work’s quality.

Reviewing our content helps us catch overlooked errors, maintaining credibility and professionalism. Errors can damage our reputation.

Furthermore, by thoroughly reviewing our content before publishing it, we give ourselves the opportunity to refine and improve upon it. We can add more clarity, strengthen arguments, and make sure each point is effectively conveyed to our audience.

In conclusion, prioritizing the review process when creating content is crucial for success in today’s digital landscape. It ensures high-quality, engaging content that meets audience needs and reflects positively on your brand. Don’t forget to set aside time for review and revision when creating content – your readers (and reputation) will thank you.

And… moral of the story:

Unless you like doing a lot of unnecessary extra work, make sure you understand what the boss is saying. It’s okay to ask questions. That’s what meetings are for. Don’t just nod and agree without fully comprehending the task at hand.

As a tech executive, it’s easy to get caught up in the fast-paced environment and numerous tasks that require completion. However, it’s important to remember that understanding your boss’s instructions is crucial in order to successfully complete your work.

Sometimes, to seem competent or avoid looking ignorant, we nod along with our boss without fully understanding their requests. This can lead to confusion and wasted time as we try to figure things out on our own.

Click here to see a post on questions to ask when building a technology strategy.

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