Author: Site Owner

Recovering from a Screw Up

Today was particularly challenging. You made a screw up, and the boss publicly pointed it out during a team meeting. As a tech executive excelling in performance and dedicated to excellence, you’ve noticed limited recognition for hard work, which can be elusive.

While the leadership team acknowledges your ongoing efforts and contributions, it’s disheartening to note the silence from peers. Indeed, upon mentioning the mistake, you observed subtle smirks that were hard to miss, signaling a lack of support or understanding from close colleagues. Even more disconcerting was overhearing two colleagues who seemed to take delight in my error, sharing a private chuckle at your expense. This unexpected behavior prompts a deeper reflection on what drives such reactions.

Recovering from a screw up can be difficult.

But it’s important to remember that we’re all human and prone to mistakes—this is an inescapable part of our shared experience in any workplace. Unfortunately, jealousy is a common trait that often manifests in unpleasant and sometimes hurtful ways. Navigating through such situations effectively can be challenging and requires a thoughtful approach. How would you handle it in a similar scenario?

  • Remember: You are a top performer who consistently approaches work with professionalism and diligence. Don’t let one incident bring you down. Rise above it and ignore any subtle digs or snide remarks from peers; don’t let them provoke anger or self-doubt.

  • Discuss with your boss the importance of better communication when addressing issues. While informing the team about relevant issues is crucial, handling blame privately rather than publicly can create a more supportive environment.

  • Show your peers the right way to respond when a teammate faces similar challenges. Approach them privately with empathy, reminding them of their humanity, and offering your support and understanding. This act of kindness not only helps them but sets a standard of compassion.

In conclusion, by being more compassionate than those who revel in others’ missteps, you contribute to a much healthier and more collaborative workplace culture. As a rising leader, your empathy and understanding will stand out to those in leadership roles, fostering constructive interactions. Recovering from a screw up requires acknowledging it, learning, and preventing its recurrence, turning it into a growth opportunity.

Click here for a post on about how to handle a boss who hates you.

Addressing Technical Debt

In prior posts we’ve been talking about technology strategy. Tech execs must possess a robust strategic approach to steer technology direction and secure agreement on projects and budgets within their organization. Addressing technical debt is crucial in every IT strategy. As part of our strategic building process, we include the following step:

5. Analyze Current IT Environment: A large piece of the strategy build effort occurs in this step.  Here analysis of the current environment (current state, or status quo) is documented and reviewed in order to do reflections and backward looking. 

During the current state assessment, watch out for technical debt. It’s crucial for CIOs to prioritize reducing tech debt, whether staying on the current platform or migrating to a new one.

Technical debt often stems from decisions made to expedite application deployment. It can manifest as deviations from project specifications, reliance on outdated technologies, or even shortcuts in the supporting infrastructure. Let’s explore a few instances where technical debt tends to arise:

Unpredicted expense

As pressure mounts for teams to deliver quickly, especially for applications on a lengthy development roadmap, evolving business needs may necessitate accelerated release schedules. This pressure can tempt teams to resort to shortcuts, such as hardcoding IP addresses, limiting logic flexibility and hindering future application transition to the cloud.

Evolving technology

During the system’s initial release, the technology choices were appropriate. However, the aging infrastructure requires maintenance over time. As applications become older, changes become more likely. Upgrading the operating system or supporting software may be costly but necessary for effective system operation.

Misunderstandings cause tech debt

Incomplete business requirements result in rework. Improperly documented and misunderstood application support processes cause user frustration and costly errors. Effective communication with experienced professionals prevents technical debt. A resource management plan provides valuable, low-cost support for applications.

Addressing technical debt is a delicate balance between cost and quality to meet business deadlines. If left unchecked, it hampers speed and agility in addressing business needs, gradually accumulating as the application ages.

See the next post for idea on how to eliminate Technical Debt.

Click here for a post on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

Technology Budget Terminology
Managing a Tight IT Budget
Understanding Technical Debt

Leverage Your Strength – a lesson from history

In May 1940, the German army swiftly invaded France, leading to the astonishing defeat of the Battle for France. This unprecedented downfall stunned Europe, especially considering France’s prior reputation as a formidable Western nation. A tech exec can learn from this lesson in history.

Germany didn’t solely triumph with might; even though the French had a bigger, technologically advanced army and knew about the upcoming German invasion, they should have been prepared to repel the invaders effortlessly.

How did it happen?

The lack of trust and effective communication among French politicians and generals was exacerbated by their stagnation in the past. In 1914, France faced a challenging scenario when German forces overwhelmed them. However, their perseverance and strategic prowess proved decisive. The French tactically withdrew, synchronized their remaining armies, gathered crucial support from allies, and counterattacked. Teamwork made the Battle of the Marne pivotal for the allied forces in World War I.

Twenty-six years later the French were still using 1914 tactics against 1940’s technology. 

Leverage your strength but update your strategy. The generals believed armor supported infantry from behind, underestimated planes as frontline weapons, relied on horses to outpace the enemy, and used motorcycle couriers instead of rapid communication. They also misplaced trust in misguided technology and overestimated Maginot Line defenses along the German border. The French generals, WWI veterans, failed to recognize technological advancements and clung to outdated strategies. General Gamelin, head of the French military, even lacked a telephone in his headquarters.

The French thought they knew the enemy. 

The Germans effectively employed tanks, planes, troops, and weapons in innovative ways. Tanks, bombers, and infantry quickly penetrated, catching the French off guard. The German generals swiftly adapted their tactics using telephone and telegraph. Unfortunately, France failed to grasp the technological possibilities, leading to their complete defeat within 10 days. Unthinkable, but it happened.

A lesson for companies.

Silos in a company are a natural result of its structure, but they must not impede collective power and success. A tech exec should aim for a unified approach to operations, with shared standards across the leadership team. Keeping up with tech advancements and leveraging them before competitors is crucial. Embrace cross-team collaboration and resource sharing to enhance experience and boost versatility.

Organizations that stick in a ridged silo model and do not collaborate will lose to their competitors.

Leverage your strength and avoid having your teams move in different directions, as it weakens a united force. To effectively leverage your combined organization, do the following:

  1. Have a common mission and set of objectives agreed to by all leaders.

  2. Ensure roles and responsibilities between teams are well defined and understood.

  3. Communicate the operating models for each team to all stakeholders, which will help minimize a silo mentality.

  4. Better coordinate work going between teams ensure linkages are understood. This improves teamwork.

  5. Ensure an effective leadership structure where leaders trust and are communicating with each other.

  6. Have a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in our teams so individuals can be deployed appropriately.

  7. Ensure that technology is understood and used effectively (to meet business needs) across all teams.

Don’t forget to empower your team! If you leverage your strength, the combined organization, you’ll be unstoppable… and you will have a much more cost-effective technology environment. 

Click here for a post on how to empower and use the full strength of your team.

The Demon of Unrest: Confronting Challenges as a Leader

Manage the move to cloud – don’t jump

As the chief tech exec of your company, you are faced with a nervous CEO/CFO/COO who wants to cut costs amidst economic uncertainties. Understanding the potential benefits of a move to cloud technology in reducing total cost of ownership, they have tasked you with exploring the expedited migration of certain application assets to the cloud. How will you proceed?

We talked in past posts about technology strategy. If you have one in place, this can help you convince the leadership that jumping too fast to a new platform can be detrimental to the organization.

You have not retooled your processes or retrained your staff, and you certainly don’t know the impact on the business by moving too quickly. What about contact center support?

In our technology strategy we have the following step:

7. Envision Target State and Assess Gaps: The IT mandate and analysis of the current environment should allow for definition of strategic goals and a conceptualization of the future state.  To achieve this goal, follow an Enterprise Architecture modeling approach that allows for depiction of a potential future state.

By clearly defining what the target environment should look like – to support the business goals – you will have an idea for the training needs of the organization. You should also begin to understand the costs of such a move, and the impacts on how the business operates today.

Manage expectations

Operating without a well-thought-out strategy exposes technology leaders to inherent vulnerabilities.

You will not only have a difficult time maintaining the target platform because you won’t have the correct skills, but you’ll also need to support the current platform because you’ll need overlap… assuming you can even move everything. Don’t underestimate the cost to train your people and support your technology environments.

If you are re-platforming (just moving) applications from on-site to the cloud, you’ll find that they may not perform as well and need retrofitting, which is costly. This could also leave you with technical debt, such as back versions of software, and systems components that could be eliminated before a cloud move.

In general, transitioning your cloud (or any platform) may result in increased expenses for the company and potential job loss. Ultimately, it is crucial to leverage your strategy when considering technology shifts to ensure comprehensive planning and mitigate risks effectively.

Click here for a post on what the cloud is and why it’s important.

Protect Yourself from Layoffs

You may have noticed that many tech companies are undergoing layoffs, affecting employees at all levels, and even executives aren’t immune to this trend. The tech industry is experiencing upheavals due to various factors such as economic shifts, changing consumer demands, and increased competition. However, there are steps you can take to better protect yourself from layoffs. For instance, continuously updating your skills, expanding your professional network, and staying informed about industry trends can fortify your position. While these strategies can enhance your job security, regrettably, no guarantees exist, and the landscape remains unpredictable.

Why are layoffs happening?

During Covid, traditional service businesses faced layoffs, while tech companies thrived and supported the adoption of hybrid working models. The shift in work dynamics due to Covid benefited software and consulting companies that offered remote working solutions. As businesses normalize, tech companies reduce staff to cut costs. Economic uncertainty affects purchasing decisions, especially for commodity software providers, consulting organizations involved in software installation and customization, and technology services.

So, with all this happening, how do you protect yourself from layoffs?

Unfortunately, no one is immune or indispensable. Consulting companies often have an overstock of benchwarmers who become dispensable during slow periods and are usually the first to be let go. In companies facing reduced purchasing, layoffs generally impact higher-ranking leaders due to the bigger cost-effectiveness of staff reduction. As a leader, one must never be complacent, particularly during economic downturns.

Here are some actions to help protect yourself from layoffs:

  • If you often come across as disagreeable and difficult to work with, it’s crucial to change that impression swiftly. Although it’s challenging to shake off a negative reputation, those who don’t are often the first to be let go.

  • Enhance your marketing messaging to highlight your strengths and the value you bring to the organization. Ensure that your immediate supervisor acknowledges and agrees with your contributions.

  • Regularly update your boss—I’d suggest weekly—on your activities and the perception others have of you. Highlight any positive contributions and, if possible, have others vouch for your work. If a client, such as a business leader, deems you indispensable, your chances of maintaining your position will improve.

  • Ensure your colleagues appreciate and enjoy working with you, and that they speak positively of you. Refer back to the first point: if you are not well-liked, it could give your leadership a reason to consider removing you.

  • If you’re engaged in projects deem important, ensure your boss recognizes the value they bring to the company. If there’s a chance to transition to a high-impact project, now is an opportune moment to advocate for that move.

In these uncertain and stressful times, it’s crucial to stay prepared for any changes that might come your way.

There is no true way to protect yourself from layoffs. However, keeping an updated resume is a fundamental step in ensuring you are ready for new opportunities. Additionally, reaching out to executive recruiters can significantly aid your job search, as they have access to a wide range of job opportunities and can connect you with potential employers. Many companies are actively hiring, despite the current climate, so leveraging platforms like LinkedIn to connect with recruiters and industry professionals can greatly enhance your chances of finding a suitable position. Networking and maintaining professional relationships can be invaluable in navigating the job market during challenging times.

Click here for a post on the importance of laid-off employees supporting one another.

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