MORE ENTRIES
- Budgeting when there aren't any budgets
- How to become a published author
- Flip or fly
- Giving advice to the boss
- How to leave IT, volume 2
- Managing business change
- Rehabilitating a career
- Another ethical dilemma
- Will central IT allow independence?
- Why the "best" executives are rare, and what to do about it
Advice Line | Bob Lewis »
October 2006
Dear Bob ...
I just read your KJR column on budgeting ("Playing stupid games to win ... or at least to not lose," Keep the Joint Running, 10/23/2006) and you make some very valid points. However, none of them will work for me because I don't have a budget. My boss, the President and CEO, refuses to allow me to budget for anything. As a result I spend money as I see fit and never know if I've exceeded his expectations until I get called on the carpet about something or other.
However, usually I am called on the carpet about the exact opposite: Not spending money. This may sound like an enviable position to be in, but let me tell you it is extremely nerve-wracking; trying to out-guess the user base and my boss. For example, last week the plant manager at one of our remote manufacturing facilities called and said his PC was dying and when could I get him a new one. Considering I'd have to order a PC and configure it, I told him two weeks. He hit the roof and said he needed one right away, so I told him if could get one quicker, then go for it. He went out and bought a $400 wonder at one of the big box stores and then proceeded to trash me to my boss. I know this because yesterday my boss came in, while I was out at a doctor's appointment, and asked my co-worker (the other person in my department) if I really told the plant manager it would take two weeks to get him a new PC. He also mentioned how much cheaper the plant manager was able to get a PC.
So, aside from the back-stabbing issues here, how can I budget when there are no budgets?
- Before budgeting
Dear Before ...
First of all ... two weeks? I know this problem up close and personal, having gone through it quite a few years ago. The solution is simple: Keep a few preconfigured, pre-burned-in spares in stock.
Here's how you budget without budgeting: Schedule monthly meetings with the CEO to review your updated 90-day plan for IT. You might be in a great situation, where you can turn the almost-always-nothing-but-lip-service point of budgeting into reality. Your budget is supposed to be the financial reflection of your plans, not just a stupid negotiating game. Not having to get a budget approved, you can make actual plans, let your CEO know what they are and what they will cost, and have real, productive discussions about what you're planning to do.
If you aren't in the habit of formulating a 90-day plan, the first one will take serious time and mental energy to prepare. Once you've done so, the time and energy you'll need to update it once per month isn't all that bad. And the discussion you'll have with the CEO based on the plan ... here's what I'd planned to do, here's what actually happened, here's what the next three months look like and here's what it will cost to make this happen ... establishes you as the kind of executive who knows how to make things happen in an organized, efficient, quick way.
If your CEO has no interest in having discussions like this, my best advice is to work like this and spend like this anyway, only without the monthly review meetings. If the CEO calls you on the carpet for excessive or insufficient spending, bring your plans with you to account for your actions. It's an opportunity to apologize for getting it wrong, and to ask for an hour each month to go over your plans so you can prevent a recurrence.
- Bob
Dear Bob ...
I am new to the business of publishing books and I was hoping to run a question by you. What happens first? Does an author sell an idea to you and you work with him/her to develop the manuscript? Or does an author come to you with a completed manuscript and he/she "sells" it to you for general publication?
I am writing a "novel" that focuses on a very large, business-critical IT project in hopes of being entertaining and equally educational – for project managers, business analysts, business sponsors etc. I'm hoping it could become a discussion tool for IT and business leaders that face similar challenges – perhaps in both the corporate setting as well as academia. I do, however, hope that it's entertaining enough for non-IT (or business) people to enjoy.
What would you recommend as a logical course of action for me to get my manuscript published?
- Budding author
Dear Flower ...
First of all, I hope you understand that IS Survivor Publishing isn't a candidate publisher for you. From our perspective, right now I only use it to publish and sell books I personally author; from yours, we have effectively no distribution beyond the KJR subscriber list.
In general, for a trade book, you want to start with a proposal, not a finished manuscript, and even though you're talking about a novel I think it would be categorized as a trade book rather than as fiction. Were you writing a novel for general distribution, I'm told you'd be better off starting with a finished manuscript.
The proposal should include the title, a brief description, an explanation of the book's likely marketplace and appeal, how you'll lead the marketing effort (never for a minute imagine that the publisher will drive the marketing effort), and a chapter outline.
In describing the book's appeal, you have a dual challenge: Describing similar books that have been successful, and showing how your book is different enough to deserve publication alongside the others.
In your particular case, you have an extra challenge, in that what you describe sounds very similar to Tom DeMarco's The Deadline: A Novel About Project Management. If I were in the business I'd want to know why anyone would buy your book instead of one that's so similar, that pre-dated it, and that was written by an established author.
Understand that the quality of the product itself is secondary to the publisher's ability to sell it. Publishers invest quite a bit into each book they publish. The good ones especially invest the time of editors, fact checkers, indexers, layout specialists, and cover artists, and the cost of the initial printing (figure roughly a quarter of the cover price times at least 3,000 copies). To persuade one, your goal is to explain how it is that their risks will be lower than any other project they might take on, and how the potential sales will be higher.
As with all selling efforts, this means being able to see the world through your prospect's eyes - in this case, the publisher - rather than your own.
- Bob
Dear Bob ...
I am an engineer currently employed by the federal government. The leader position, a non-federal job, for one of the biggest projects in my field is available. I helped in some of the organizational development for this new, multi-year, large scale project. Now the recruitment for the leadership position has started.
The non-federal managers asked me to suggest candidates for the leadership position. They also asked if my name would be on my recommendation list.
I have decision to make: Throw my hat in the ring, or stay put.
I have a great job. An almost perfect mix of technical and admin. Almost perfect. Some days are diamonds, some days are stones. Most people would covet my current position.
However, I am tempted by the new position. I am sure there is a 'grass is greener' aspect to this, as well as ego stroking. It is a premier position with great direction, budget, and support.
Question: What am I implicitly agreeing to if I throw my hat in the ring? Is a self-recommendation the same as an implied acceptance of a potential offer? In other words, if offered, do I have to accept the position? What are the ethical boundaries? What are the potential consequences? How do I take stock of my current position and the potential new position and go through a decision process? Even if I am reasonably happy in my current position, is it unreasonable to aspire to a premier position?
I know that 'He who hesitates is lost', but I am also aware that you should 'Look before you leap'. The new position will be decided 60 days from now. I need to get the recommendation in soon.
Usually when you ask for advice you are really looking for an accomplice. Will you help?
- Looking or hesitating
Dear Undecided ...
The very short answer to your core question - how do you make the decision - is simple: You handle it the way you'd handle a software selection effort. In other words, you list the selection criteria, which in this case are what about a job matters to you, weight the criteria, score your current job and the new opportunity according to those criteria, and choose the path that gains the higher score.
Here are some considerations to include. But first, a consideration to exclude is that some days your current job is stones rather than diamonds. Unless you think you can compute the stones/diamonds ratio for the new opportunity, figure every job has both (I'll leave alone the question of whether greener grass grows under stones or diamonds).
As you're thinking this through, ask yourself which matters more to you, security or opportunity. If security matters more, stay where you are (unless you see your current job being eliminated for one reason or another in the immediate future, that is). If opportunity matters more, evaluate how much opportunity your current position provides, and whether choosing to not pursue the big project might have an impact on how many future opportunities come your way.
Now ask yourself whether, if you don't pursue the new opportunity, you're going to start to coast. Unless you're ready for retirement and just need a few more years of income, coasting is death to a career. You need to put yourself in harm's way every so often, just to keep yourself sharp. So if your current job is risk-free, it's a sign you should consider the project lead.
Another consideration: Take a step back and look objectively at the project itself. Is it a good idea? Has it been chartered properly? Are the conditions in place that will give it a decent chance of success? Many people have been seduced by great projects, only to discover that while the concept was sound, the organization had set up the project team to fail.
You asked about whether it would be ethical to put your own name forward if you aren't certain. I don't see a problem. Putting your name in expresses interest. As is true of all other jobs, what follows is a two-way selection process. Those doing the hiring are selecting the best candidate. The candidates are all evaluating the opportunity to decide whether it's the best one for them.
Why should you be any exception? You need to make an informed decision. You have less information now than you will after you go through the process.
- Bob
Dear Bob ...
I have bosses who are running projects into the ground. They have implemented wasteful processes that produced ineffective or even negative results. Should I simply go along with these bad decisions to keep my "relationships"?
(Amazingly, even when projects failed, the people responsible still came out victorious. Is that the "relationship" you described in another recent column?) Are there ways for me to tell the bosses "you are making poor decisions" and still maintain "relationships"?
- Trying to manage
Dear Trying ...
If you have bosses who run projects into the ground, implement wasteful processes that produce ineffective or negative results, and are personally successful as a result, it implies a number of things.
First of all, yes. The managers and executives in question have mastered the art of managing relationships. It's the skill that powers their careers.
Second, it tells me that the people they report to value getting along more than they value results. That's a symptom of a company that will float along on the perception of success ... sometimes for quite awhile ... until it eventually implodes. You don't want to work there, unless your primary skill is getting along. And from the sound of your letter, you don't even want that to be the skill that drives your career.
Are there ways to tell your bosses that they're making poor choices? I don't want to say no, because there are. All of them entail significant career risk to you and a low likelihood of success. You'll be telling people who perceive themselves to be succeeding, and who most likely perceive themselves to be more important, successful, and smarter than you, that they're doing things wrong.
Think of it this way: The only people who are likely to be receptive to a message like this are the ones who already recognize that they have a problem. If you decide you want to stick your neck out this way, the starting point is to find one of the managers with whom you have a good relationship (there's that word again) and who seems worried about how things are going.
If the conversation seems to be going well, you can suggest, gently, that you know of a few techniques that might lead to better results.
Just remember - even if you succeed, you'll still be working in a company that values getting along more than it values results.
- Bob
Dear Bob ...
In surfing the web, I came across this article "How to leave IT" and, as that is the question foremost in my mind, I just had to write.
Having somehow survived 28 years in IBM's IT world, smashing my square peg (me) into their round hole (IBM), I've received a couple of poor performance reviews and have decided to do what I should have done years ago -- leave the IT arena to the folks (left brainers) who like that stuff. Now, all I need to figure out is what to do next and how to get there.
To go into the details of my background would give anyone a colossal headache but, to be as brief as possible, I majored in English in college, which I really attended to get a deferment to stay out of the Vietnam War. I studied English because it was the subject I enjoyed most -- reading more than writing -- but I had no idea what I would do after graduating. After playing drums for a few years in touring rock bands, I realized performing pop music wasn't the life for me (music, the art, yes; music the business, no).
I applied to IBM thinking they would find a good use for me and quickly found myself printing payroll checks in a computer room. I eventually determined that I was a people person and got into user support, education & training with some brief forays into IT communications (which, given the rate of change in IBM, was a very busy area) and received good to excellent performance ratings for most of my career. About 2 - 3 years ago, IBM started telling its employees to "manage their own IT environment" and the need for once-highly-appreciated folks like me died.
So, now I need to find something else to do and need some clues. If you can point me toward any resources that might help a "right brainer" like me with a resume that shows 28 years of IT experience but doesn't want to continue in that area, I'd appreciate any advice.
- Ready to leave IT
Dear Ready ...
I can't help you. Nobody can.
Yet.
Here's the challenge: You provided just about every important piece of information except one: What do you want to do next?
You worked for IBM. You "got into" end-user education and communication. You don't want to do that anymore. Good enough - 28 years of doing the same thing is plenty. But until you've thought through what you do want to do, it will be very hard to design a resume or anything else about a job search strategy that will be of much use.
There are professionals who purport to help people figure out what career they'd find most satisfying. I've yet to hear of any success stories about them. If you don't know yourself well enough to figure that out, it's doubtful that a total stranger will be able to do a better job of it.
You don't, by the way, have to settle on just one path with a laser-beam focus. Nor do you have to make the transition to your dream job in one giant leap. What I'd advise is to settle on three potential career directions - anything you think you'd be good at, enjoy, and that someone else would be willing to pay you to do.
Then figure out a job title you can successfully apply for right now that, after a couple of years, would both qualify you for all three (ideally), or job titles, each of which would qualify you for at least one of them. Just as important, the job title should result in your meeting the kinds of people who will be in a position to hire you for one of the dream jobs.
Find, that is, your logical next step.
Oh, and don't overestimate the value of your resume. You don't have to have just one - you're free to tailor it for each opportunity. You should: Never forget that resumes are mostly disqualifiers. Nobody ever got a job because they had a great resume, but lots of people have been screened out because something in their resume said, "Not a perfect match."
- Bob
Dear Bob ...
Background:
I work in an office with approximately 1,000 employees. One of our core systems was home built 25 years ago on Wang equipment and converted to a non-obsolete platform in 1999 because of Y2K. We are two years into a three-year project to replace this old system.
Although we are one office, we have lots of silos and the user community will be divided into 12 separate user groups in the software. We are violating most principles that you have written about regarding projects of this nature. I don't have sufficient influence to change that. I have, however, been recruited to serve on the steering committee to guide the implementation. I have given copies of your new project manager book, Bare Bones Project Management, to the two people who have been put in the position to "make this happen" by the business sponsor.
Specific request:
Can you recommend any books on the topic of change management that would be similar to your Bare Bones Project Management? Specifically books written for the person who has a regular job and is called on to assist with these projects as an additional duty. I feel like it is imperative that we start engaging the user community in this project now or at some point in the near future, but that's one of my questions - what is the appropriate time to start creating a "buzz" in the user community about pending change? Too soon, they will probably lose interest before even starting; too late and it will be too late.
Besides a book recommendation, I would appreciate a column devoted to your ideas about change management that can be done by the non-IT folks, (or suggested by IT-folk to non-IT folk) and any suggestions you have for ways to involve a user community this large. Being a state agency, of course there is no money for t-shirts, prizes, etc.
- Changeling
Dear Changeling ...
I don't have any bulls-eye books for business change management. One I've read that I thought highly of covers a critical subtopic and should be of value, and that's Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change by William Bridges. Bridges makes the excellent point that the subject of transition is distinct from the subject of change. When my consulting company covers this ground, though, we generally don't make the distinction for the simple reason that you always have to handle both the transition and the change itself. Regardless, the book is worth reading.
I've been considering writing Bare Bones Business Change Management as a companion volume to Bare Bones Project Management, but haven't yet put pen to paper (okay, I never will since I use a word processor, but you understand). In its absence, here's a checklist you can use to start the right conversation. Business change management generally calls for the following:
* Stakeholder analysis - who cares about the change, how are they likely to react to it, and what can you do about it?
* Involvement plan - the more you involve people, the more it's their change instead of a change that's happening to them.
* Training plan - the more you help people succeed in the change, the less they'll be likely to resist it.
* Metrics plan - how will you tell if you're succeeding?
* Culture change plan - many business changes call for a change in how employees think and respond to different sorts of circumstances.
* Communication plan - employees will have questions and will get answers to them. The question is from whom - the rumor mill or you?
I hope that helps.
- Bob
Dear Bob ...
Nine months ago my employer offered me a terrific opportunity. Actually, two of them - the chance to build a department that had received too little attention up until then, and a major project that had only a slight relationship to the department.
The short version: I agreed to both. The CEO is the sort who could sell ice to Eskimos; he was very persuasive that I'd be able to succeed at both and I succumbed to the flattery ... and the assurances that I'd have all the support I'd need.
Here's what happened:
I really did get the support I needed, if "support" doesn't include the ability to hire key management positions to take on a lot of the day-to-day work. Maybe someone else could have juggled both responsibilities successfully, but I couldn't. The project limped along at about a quarter speed compared to the company's expectations, and I wasn't able to give the department anywhere near the attention it deserved.
Three months ago the company hired someone else to take on the project and took it away from me. I was relieved - I figured I'd be able to devote all of my attention to building my department. I would have, too, except that I heard through the grapevine that the CEO was making disparaging remarks about my abilities, and I stopped getting the cooperation I needed from other departments. I don't really blame them - if what I heard was accurate, I'd have avoided me too.
Last week I was demoted, although they had the good manners to hide it through a reorganization. The net effect is that someone else is now responsible for building the department I'd been in charge of, and I'm in a staff role.
What do you think I should do to salvage my career here?
- Took too big a bite
Dear Chewer ...
That's easy: Leave. Your reputation in the company is shot, and whether or not it's your fault doesn't matter a bit.
In theory, you could stay and salvage your career. The way to do it is to keep your head down, stick to your knitting, succeed at every assignment they throw at you, and politely but firmly turn down any assignment that looks like a losing proposition ... or redefine it so it can be a winning proposition.
In three years, more or less, you'll have been rehabilitated.
But why put yourself through this? If you move to a different company you'd be rehabilitated the day you start.
- Bob
Dear Bob ...
Another ethics question... what was the best ethical way to let a client know the contract company I worked for was allegedly defrauding the client of billing fees?
I worked as an IT contractor for a large company through a small local IT services group. The local IT services group had been found by the client company to have repeated labor billing overcharges that could not be substantiated by payroll records in the past year. The client had issued a warning to the contractor/reseller company a year prior to my joining the company.
The IT services group was difficult to work for because of behind the scenes company politics. While working for them I became aware of suspected billing irregularities caused by a supervisor on another project to maximize his department earnings and pad his yearly bonus. Other contractor employees were aware of the billing fraud and said nothing about it to the contract company management or the client.
What should I have done? I kept quiet for several months about the billing overcharges as I stewed with concern about what I knew and unwilling to act upon it. I did not know if I would get fired by the contract company for reporting alleged billing fraud. One of my parents advised me to ignore the alleged fraud because it was hear-say and I could not adequately substantiate my suspicions.
The IT services company made my decision for me through its twisted company politics. I received a formal commendation from the client (unknown to me at that time) for service actions above the call of duty on an unrelated project. My employer did not even let me know about the commendation that I earned and had been awarded by the client. Instead, they fired me a week later with no warning, notice, or severance claiming a 3rd party contractor had complained about my work. I felt this was a bogus complaint because I was not allowed to address or refute the it in this strange meeting. However, the unethical firing I experienced released my silence about alleged unethical billing practices by the former company.
I decided at that time to keep the contractor over billing quiet as I searched for a new job and soon found one working through another IT services company doing the same job for the client.
Several months later I was assigned to work with another senior exec at the client on a new project. He and I worked well together on the project and I later confided what I knew about the billing fraud.
It hit the fan when the senior exec investigated my allegations and found all of them to be true and valid.
What do you recommend I should have done about my former employers fraud? I was eventually proved correct, but when should I have revealed what I knew, given I was fearful of losing my job?
- Torn
Dear Rip ...
I think your parent gave you good advice. There are lots of allegations, and in the absence of evidence they're nothing more than gossip.
I'd also say that to the extent you thought the allegations were credible, you should have immediately found other employment. Never mind the ethical considerations - there's your reputation to consider, and hanging on with snakes like that doesn't do it any good.
I'm sorry - that wasn't fair to snakes, which in general are useful and productive members of the ecosystem.
One last thought on the subject: The client company had an obligation here as well - to maintain proper controls so that it couldn't be victimized in this way, especially since it had previously caught your former employer in billing irregularities. Failing to have them is, to my way of thinking at least, unprofessional. They certainly shouldn't be relying on either universal honesty or getting word from a whistleblower.
- Bob
Dear Bob ...
1. Operational excellence
2. Product leadership
Dear Bob ...
I agree with you 100% regarding the "best" executives ("People first, methodology second. Or perhaps third." Keep the Joint Running, 9/25/2006). But this is a rare breed indeed! Why does it seem that most (OK, probably not ALL) executives blindly watch the numbers, are constantly posturing, and are TOTALLY disengaged from the working level of the organization? What's more, they seem intent on discrediting and destroying the "best" executives.
Call me a pessimist, but that is how my experience has been. Of course my political skills are lacking, so perhaps I speak from ignorance.
- Pessimist
Dear Pessimist ...
I think the main reason is that they're taught to act this way. Or, rather, they're taught about all the importance of finance, process, methodology and so on, but not about the human aspects of business leadership and management. They're applying what they've learned, and not applying what they didn't learn.
Plus, most of those who acquire power are people who want power - too often for its own sake instead of for accomplishing something useful. There's a word for people like this ... actually, there are several. Many are in Yiddish, and the Anglo-Saxon ones aren't fit for a business conversation.
- Bob
Dear Bob ...
OK, I was trying to be nice and not put a label like megalomaniac or some such thing on our subject execs. But your point is well taken.
So the $64 question is, how do the working stiffs and first level managers survive in this kind of environment, without getting stabbed in the back or trampled, and still get work done? This is a topic which you always seem to migrate to in Advice Line, with no clear answer. Or maybe there is an answer, and I just fail to see it, or am unwilling to use it.
- Still a Pessimist
Dear Still ...
I have covered it in the past, but perhaps not from the angle that works best for you.
One of the big challenges for many people is the gulf between How I Want Things to Be and What I Need to Do to Be Effective. I end up in discussions of this nature all the time. They generally take the form of, "Here's what you can do to work with this sort of character," countered by "I'm not comfortable working that way - my question is how to get my manager to learn to be more like I want him/her to be."
So the starting point is to understand that you aren't going to change them. What you can do, assuming you'd prefer to neither leave nor to live with the situation, is to learn techniques that make you more effective in dealing with them. What makes this whole subject uncomfortable for many is that, depending on your personal code of ethics, the techniques in question might cross the line you draw that separates being persuasive from being manipulative.
- Bob
Dear Bob ...
So this is the million-dollar question:
How do people <i>learn</i> the skill set required for effective relationship management and contract negotiation?
Is it just time and experience in the workforce? Are there ways to build these skills outside of work? For example, could attending a public speaking organisation like Toastmasters help? What about a university degree or certificate?
- Relating
Dear Relating ...
Yes, that is the million dollar question, as in, in this day and age, being good at relationships is far more important than being good at doing useful work.
Probably, it was always thus, but it's one of the many reason I break into hives when I hear people decrying the lack of "work ethic" in America's workforce today. Of course there's less work ethic - people who make a living by doing actual work are the ones whose earning power is declining.
But enough of that rant and rave - the question is how to build your abilities at relationships and negotiation.
For relationships, the best advice I have is to exercise your empathy (and if you don't have any, fake it). At all times, in all interactions, and when planning for a future interaction or lack of one, ask yourself how you'd respond if you were on the other side of the interaction.
It's old advice. It's also difficult to remember to do, especially when your emotions are in play, because your emotions - especially negative ones like anger and jealousy - tend to focus you on yourself. So another piece of this puzzle is to keep your emotions under control.
If you want to be more deliberate about relationship management, take a page out of the book of all successful sales representatives and implement some sort of tickler or contact management system that reminds you of when it's been too long since you last connected with someone who is important to you, and reminds you of what happened in your last interaction.
Negotiation is another challenge entirely. My ability to give great advice is limited, because my ability to negotiate just isn't all that terrific. Here are a few thoughts on the subject that should prove useful:
* Remember that the other person isn't necessarily looking for the same thing you're looking for. Do your best to make sure of this by keeping at least two or three variables in play when negotiating, right up until the end. That way you're always in a position to give as well as take.
* Don't fall in love with the deal, and always be willing to walk away from it. When the other negotiator knows the hook has been set, you're vulnerable to agreeing to disadvantageous terms.
* Know when you're being played, and how. Even dopey games like "good cop/bad cop" are hard to recognize when you're on the firing line. Plan for them and how you'll respond if they happen.
* Know what you want, and be happy when you get it. If your goal in a negotiation is to get the sweetest deal possible you'll always be disappointed, because you'll never know for sure if there were a few more dollars on the table.
* Don't be embarrassed to ask for what you want. If you don't ask for it, you almost certainly won't get it.
There are seminars you can take on the subject, and a good one is a worthwhile investment. If you decide to sign up for one, just for fun try to negotiate a discount for the registration fee.
- Bob
Dear Bob ...
Years ago I worked as a junior employee for a public agency. One of the staff in another office completed an environmental analysis of a complex land use issue. The analyst was subsequently directed to change his conclusion and to delete any analysis supporting his initial conclusion. The staff member, although understandably upset, complied.
I, too, was upset but I left an anonymous telephone message with a local newspaper reporter. The newspaper investigated and reported the true facts. Subsequently there was an investigation within my agency as to who leaked the story to the press. Being so junior, I was not suspected. Unfortunately, the other staff member was accused by management of leaking the story and he soon left for another job. I've always felt guilty about my role in this matter. At the same time I felt I took the ethical path. Did I?
- Whistleblower
Dear Whistleblower ...
Understand that I'm not a professional ethicist, nor do I lay claim to knowing what is right in any absolute sense. Here's my take on it:
I understand you to be saying that you had direct knowledge of malfeasance on the part of the management of a government agency. The nature of the malfeasance led you to conclude, quite reasonably, that no internal avenues were open to either you or the analyst to challenge the malfeasance. Under these circumstances, leaking the situation to the press seems to be to be a very reasonable and ethical response.
Following the public blowup, agency management, instead of asking how it happened that someone directed an analyst to change findings and delete references to undesirable evidence, instead decided to find out where the leak came from. That's a second violation of the public trust. In my mind, it's more unethical than the original breach since it establishes clearly that agency management prefers to conceal its workings from the public.
Having made this unethical decision, management compounds the felony by assuming who is guilty instead of relying on evidence.
From your account it appears the analyst left under his own steam to a different job - he wasn't fired, nor did anyone actually ask you if you knew where the leak came from.
So the question is whether you had an ethical obligation to volunteer that you were the leaker when you found out management was on a witch hunt. Just my opinion - you didn't have any obligation to do so, nor did your silence do any lasting harm to the analyst.
That is, I don't think you had an ethical obligation to insert yourself into management discussions to which you had never been invited. You weren't responsible for their decision to act unethically, nor for the consequences.
On the other hand, speaking out would have been ... "nobler" is the word that comes to mind ... than your silence.
- Bob
October 31, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Budgeting when there aren't any budgets
Dear Bob ...
I just read your KJR column on budgeting ("Playing stupid games to win ... or at least to not lose," Keep the Joint Running, 10/23/2006) and you make some very valid points. However, none of them will work for me because I don't have a budget. My boss, the President and CEO, refuses to allow me to budget for anything. As a result I spend money as I see fit and never know if I've exceeded his expectations until I get called on the carpet about something or other.
However, usually I am called on the carpet about the exact opposite: Not spending money. This may sound like an enviable position to be in, but let me tell you it is extremely nerve-wracking; trying to out-guess the user base and my boss. For example, last week the plant manager at one of our remote manufacturing facilities called and said his PC was dying and when could I get him a new one. Considering I'd have to order a PC and configure it, I told him two weeks. He hit the roof and said he needed one right away, so I told him if could get one quicker, then go for it. He went out and bought a $400 wonder at one of the big box stores and then proceeded to trash me to my boss. I know this because yesterday my boss came in, while I was out at a doctor's appointment, and asked my co-worker (the other person in my department) if I really told the plant manager it would take two weeks to get him a new PC. He also mentioned how much cheaper the plant manager was able to get a PC.
So, aside from the back-stabbing issues here, how can I budget when there are no budgets?
- Before budgeting
Dear Before ...
First of all ... two weeks? I know this problem up close and personal, having gone through it quite a few years ago. The solution is simple: Keep a few preconfigured, pre-burned-in spares in stock.
Here's how you budget without budgeting: Schedule monthly meetings with the CEO to review your updated 90-day plan for IT. You might be in a great situation, where you can turn the almost-always-nothing-but-lip-service point of budgeting into reality. Your budget is supposed to be the financial reflection of your plans, not just a stupid negotiating game. Not having to get a budget approved, you can make actual plans, let your CEO know what they are and what they will cost, and have real, productive discussions about what you're planning to do.
If you aren't in the habit of formulating a 90-day plan, the first one will take serious time and mental energy to prepare. Once you've done so, the time and energy you'll need to update it once per month isn't all that bad. And the discussion you'll have with the CEO based on the plan ... here's what I'd planned to do, here's what actually happened, here's what the next three months look like and here's what it will cost to make this happen ... establishes you as the kind of executive who knows how to make things happen in an organized, efficient, quick way.
If your CEO has no interest in having discussions like this, my best advice is to work like this and spend like this anyway, only without the monthly review meetings. If the CEO calls you on the carpet for excessive or insufficient spending, bring your plans with you to account for your actions. It's an opportunity to apologize for getting it wrong, and to ask for an hour each month to go over your plans so you can prevent a recurrence.
- Bob
Posted by Bob Lewis on October 31, 2006 04:34 AM
October 29, 2006 | Comments: (0)
How to become a published author
Dear Bob ...
I am new to the business of publishing books and I was hoping to run a question by you. What happens first? Does an author sell an idea to you and you work with him/her to develop the manuscript? Or does an author come to you with a completed manuscript and he/she "sells" it to you for general publication?
I am writing a "novel" that focuses on a very large, business-critical IT project in hopes of being entertaining and equally educational – for project managers, business analysts, business sponsors etc. I'm hoping it could become a discussion tool for IT and business leaders that face similar challenges – perhaps in both the corporate setting as well as academia. I do, however, hope that it's entertaining enough for non-IT (or business) people to enjoy.
What would you recommend as a logical course of action for me to get my manuscript published?
- Budding author
Dear Flower ...
First of all, I hope you understand that IS Survivor Publishing isn't a candidate publisher for you. From our perspective, right now I only use it to publish and sell books I personally author; from yours, we have effectively no distribution beyond the KJR subscriber list.
In general, for a trade book, you want to start with a proposal, not a finished manuscript, and even though you're talking about a novel I think it would be categorized as a trade book rather than as fiction. Were you writing a novel for general distribution, I'm told you'd be better off starting with a finished manuscript.
The proposal should include the title, a brief description, an explanation of the book's likely marketplace and appeal, how you'll lead the marketing effort (never for a minute imagine that the publisher will drive the marketing effort), and a chapter outline.
In describing the book's appeal, you have a dual challenge: Describing similar books that have been successful, and showing how your book is different enough to deserve publication alongside the others.
In your particular case, you have an extra challenge, in that what you describe sounds very similar to Tom DeMarco's The Deadline: A Novel About Project Management. If I were in the business I'd want to know why anyone would buy your book instead of one that's so similar, that pre-dated it, and that was written by an established author.
Understand that the quality of the product itself is secondary to the publisher's ability to sell it. Publishers invest quite a bit into each book they publish. The good ones especially invest the time of editors, fact checkers, indexers, layout specialists, and cover artists, and the cost of the initial printing (figure roughly a quarter of the cover price times at least 3,000 copies). To persuade one, your goal is to explain how it is that their risks will be lower than any other project they might take on, and how the potential sales will be higher.
As with all selling efforts, this means being able to see the world through your prospect's eyes - in this case, the publisher - rather than your own.
- Bob
Posted by Bob Lewis on October 29, 2006 01:19 PM
October 25, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Dear Bob ...
I am an engineer currently employed by the federal government. The leader position, a non-federal job, for one of the biggest projects in my field is available. I helped in some of the organizational development for this new, multi-year, large scale project. Now the recruitment for the leadership position has started.
The non-federal managers asked me to suggest candidates for the leadership position. They also asked if my name would be on my recommendation list.
I have decision to make: Throw my hat in the ring, or stay put.
I have a great job. An almost perfect mix of technical and admin. Almost perfect. Some days are diamonds, some days are stones. Most people would covet my current position.
However, I am tempted by the new position. I am sure there is a 'grass is greener' aspect to this, as well as ego stroking. It is a premier position with great direction, budget, and support.
Question: What am I implicitly agreeing to if I throw my hat in the ring? Is a self-recommendation the same as an implied acceptance of a potential offer? In other words, if offered, do I have to accept the position? What are the ethical boundaries? What are the potential consequences? How do I take stock of my current position and the potential new position and go through a decision process? Even if I am reasonably happy in my current position, is it unreasonable to aspire to a premier position?
I know that 'He who hesitates is lost', but I am also aware that you should 'Look before you leap'. The new position will be decided 60 days from now. I need to get the recommendation in soon.
Usually when you ask for advice you are really looking for an accomplice. Will you help?
- Looking or hesitating
Dear Undecided ...
The very short answer to your core question - how do you make the decision - is simple: You handle it the way you'd handle a software selection effort. In other words, you list the selection criteria, which in this case are what about a job matters to you, weight the criteria, score your current job and the new opportunity according to those criteria, and choose the path that gains the higher score.
Here are some considerations to include. But first, a consideration to exclude is that some days your current job is stones rather than diamonds. Unless you think you can compute the stones/diamonds ratio for the new opportunity, figure every job has both (I'll leave alone the question of whether greener grass grows under stones or diamonds).
As you're thinking this through, ask yourself which matters more to you, security or opportunity. If security matters more, stay where you are (unless you see your current job being eliminated for one reason or another in the immediate future, that is). If opportunity matters more, evaluate how much opportunity your current position provides, and whether choosing to not pursue the big project might have an impact on how many future opportunities come your way.
Now ask yourself whether, if you don't pursue the new opportunity, you're going to start to coast. Unless you're ready for retirement and just need a few more years of income, coasting is death to a career. You need to put yourself in harm's way every so often, just to keep yourself sharp. So if your current job is risk-free, it's a sign you should consider the project lead.
Another consideration: Take a step back and look objectively at the project itself. Is it a good idea? Has it been chartered properly? Are the conditions in place that will give it a decent chance of success? Many people have been seduced by great projects, only to discover that while the concept was sound, the organization had set up the project team to fail.
You asked about whether it would be ethical to put your own name forward if you aren't certain. I don't see a problem. Putting your name in expresses interest. As is true of all other jobs, what follows is a two-way selection process. Those doing the hiring are selecting the best candidate. The candidates are all evaluating the opportunity to decide whether it's the best one for them.
Why should you be any exception? You need to make an informed decision. You have less information now than you will after you go through the process.
- Bob
Posted by Bob Lewis on October 25, 2006 04:41 AM
October 24, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Dear Bob ...
I have bosses who are running projects into the ground. They have implemented wasteful processes that produced ineffective or even negative results. Should I simply go along with these bad decisions to keep my "relationships"?
(Amazingly, even when projects failed, the people responsible still came out victorious. Is that the "relationship" you described in another recent column?) Are there ways for me to tell the bosses "you are making poor decisions" and still maintain "relationships"?
- Trying to manage
Dear Trying ...
If you have bosses who run projects into the ground, implement wasteful processes that produce ineffective or negative results, and are personally successful as a result, it implies a number of things.
First of all, yes. The managers and executives in question have mastered the art of managing relationships. It's the skill that powers their careers.
Second, it tells me that the people they report to value getting along more than they value results. That's a symptom of a company that will float along on the perception of success ... sometimes for quite awhile ... until it eventually implodes. You don't want to work there, unless your primary skill is getting along. And from the sound of your letter, you don't even want that to be the skill that drives your career.
Are there ways to tell your bosses that they're making poor choices? I don't want to say no, because there are. All of them entail significant career risk to you and a low likelihood of success. You'll be telling people who perceive themselves to be succeeding, and who most likely perceive themselves to be more important, successful, and smarter than you, that they're doing things wrong.
Think of it this way: The only people who are likely to be receptive to a message like this are the ones who already recognize that they have a problem. If you decide you want to stick your neck out this way, the starting point is to find one of the managers with whom you have a good relationship (there's that word again) and who seems worried about how things are going.
If the conversation seems to be going well, you can suggest, gently, that you know of a few techniques that might lead to better results.
Just remember - even if you succeed, you'll still be working in a company that values getting along more than it values results.
- Bob
Posted by Bob Lewis on October 24, 2006 04:46 AM
October 20, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Dear Bob ...
In surfing the web, I came across this article "How to leave IT" and, as that is the question foremost in my mind, I just had to write.
Having somehow survived 28 years in IBM's IT world, smashing my square peg (me) into their round hole (IBM), I've received a couple of poor performance reviews and have decided to do what I should have done years ago -- leave the IT arena to the folks (left brainers) who like that stuff. Now, all I need to figure out is what to do next and how to get there.
To go into the details of my background would give anyone a colossal headache but, to be as brief as possible, I majored in English in college, which I really attended to get a deferment to stay out of the Vietnam War. I studied English because it was the subject I enjoyed most -- reading more than writing -- but I had no idea what I would do after graduating. After playing drums for a few years in touring rock bands, I realized performing pop music wasn't the life for me (music, the art, yes; music the business, no).
I applied to IBM thinking they would find a good use for me and quickly found myself printing payroll checks in a computer room. I eventually determined that I was a people person and got into user support, education & training with some brief forays into IT communications (which, given the rate of change in IBM, was a very busy area) and received good to excellent performance ratings for most of my career. About 2 - 3 years ago, IBM started telling its employees to "manage their own IT environment" and the need for once-highly-appreciated folks like me died.
So, now I need to find something else to do and need some clues. If you can point me toward any resources that might help a "right brainer" like me with a resume that shows 28 years of IT experience but doesn't want to continue in that area, I'd appreciate any advice.
- Ready to leave IT
Dear Ready ...
I can't help you. Nobody can.
Yet.
Here's the challenge: You provided just about every important piece of information except one: What do you want to do next?
You worked for IBM. You "got into" end-user education and communication. You don't want to do that anymore. Good enough - 28 years of doing the same thing is plenty. But until you've thought through what you do want to do, it will be very hard to design a resume or anything else about a job search strategy that will be of much use.
There are professionals who purport to help people figure out what career they'd find most satisfying. I've yet to hear of any success stories about them. If you don't know yourself well enough to figure that out, it's doubtful that a total stranger will be able to do a better job of it.
You don't, by the way, have to settle on just one path with a laser-beam focus. Nor do you have to make the transition to your dream job in one giant leap. What I'd advise is to settle on three potential career directions - anything you think you'd be good at, enjoy, and that someone else would be willing to pay you to do.
Then figure out a job title you can successfully apply for right now that, after a couple of years, would both qualify you for all three (ideally), or job titles, each of which would qualify you for at least one of them. Just as important, the job title should result in your meeting the kinds of people who will be in a position to hire you for one of the dream jobs.
Find, that is, your logical next step.
Oh, and don't overestimate the value of your resume. You don't have to have just one - you're free to tailor it for each opportunity. You should: Never forget that resumes are mostly disqualifiers. Nobody ever got a job because they had a great resume, but lots of people have been screened out because something in their resume said, "Not a perfect match."
- Bob
Posted by Bob Lewis on October 20, 2006 07:27 AM
October 17, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Dear Bob ...
Background:
I work in an office with approximately 1,000 employees. One of our core systems was home built 25 years ago on Wang equipment and converted to a non-obsolete platform in 1999 because of Y2K. We are two years into a three-year project to replace this old system.
Although we are one office, we have lots of silos and the user community will be divided into 12 separate user groups in the software. We are violating most principles that you have written about regarding projects of this nature. I don't have sufficient influence to change that. I have, however, been recruited to serve on the steering committee to guide the implementation. I have given copies of your new project manager book, Bare Bones Project Management, to the two people who have been put in the position to "make this happen" by the business sponsor.
Specific request:
Can you recommend any books on the topic of change management that would be similar to your Bare Bones Project Management? Specifically books written for the person who has a regular job and is called on to assist with these projects as an additional duty. I feel like it is imperative that we start engaging the user community in this project now or at some point in the near future, but that's one of my questions - what is the appropriate time to start creating a "buzz" in the user community about pending change? Too soon, they will probably lose interest before even starting; too late and it will be too late.
Besides a book recommendation, I would appreciate a column devoted to your ideas about change management that can be done by the non-IT folks, (or suggested by IT-folk to non-IT folk) and any suggestions you have for ways to involve a user community this large. Being a state agency, of course there is no money for t-shirts, prizes, etc.
- Changeling
Dear Changeling ...
I don't have any bulls-eye books for business change management. One I've read that I thought highly of covers a critical subtopic and should be of value, and that's Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change by William Bridges. Bridges makes the excellent point that the subject of transition is distinct from the subject of change. When my consulting company covers this ground, though, we generally don't make the distinction for the simple reason that you always have to handle both the transition and the change itself. Regardless, the book is worth reading.
I've been considering writing Bare Bones Business Change Management as a companion volume to Bare Bones Project Management, but haven't yet put pen to paper (okay, I never will since I use a word processor, but you understand). In its absence, here's a checklist you can use to start the right conversation. Business change management generally calls for the following:
* Stakeholder analysis - who cares about the change, how are they likely to react to it, and what can you do about it?
* Involvement plan - the more you involve people, the more it's their change instead of a change that's happening to them.
* Training plan - the more you help people succeed in the change, the less they'll be likely to resist it.
* Metrics plan - how will you tell if you're succeeding?
* Culture change plan - many business changes call for a change in how employees think and respond to different sorts of circumstances.
* Communication plan - employees will have questions and will get answers to them. The question is from whom - the rumor mill or you?
I hope that helps.
- Bob
Posted by Bob Lewis on October 17, 2006 08:34 AM
October 16, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Dear Bob ...
Nine months ago my employer offered me a terrific opportunity. Actually, two of them - the chance to build a department that had received too little attention up until then, and a major project that had only a slight relationship to the department.
The short version: I agreed to both. The CEO is the sort who could sell ice to Eskimos; he was very persuasive that I'd be able to succeed at both and I succumbed to the flattery ... and the assurances that I'd have all the support I'd need.
Here's what happened:
I really did get the support I needed, if "support" doesn't include the ability to hire key management positions to take on a lot of the day-to-day work. Maybe someone else could have juggled both responsibilities successfully, but I couldn't. The project limped along at about a quarter speed compared to the company's expectations, and I wasn't able to give the department anywhere near the attention it deserved.
Three months ago the company hired someone else to take on the project and took it away from me. I was relieved - I figured I'd be able to devote all of my attention to building my department. I would have, too, except that I heard through the grapevine that the CEO was making disparaging remarks about my abilities, and I stopped getting the cooperation I needed from other departments. I don't really blame them - if what I heard was accurate, I'd have avoided me too.
Last week I was demoted, although they had the good manners to hide it through a reorganization. The net effect is that someone else is now responsible for building the department I'd been in charge of, and I'm in a staff role.
What do you think I should do to salvage my career here?
- Took too big a bite
Dear Chewer ...
That's easy: Leave. Your reputation in the company is shot, and whether or not it's your fault doesn't matter a bit.
In theory, you could stay and salvage your career. The way to do it is to keep your head down, stick to your knitting, succeed at every assignment they throw at you, and politely but firmly turn down any assignment that looks like a losing proposition ... or redefine it so it can be a winning proposition.
In three years, more or less, you'll have been rehabilitated.
But why put yourself through this? If you move to a different company you'd be rehabilitated the day you start.
- Bob
Posted by Bob Lewis on October 16, 2006 09:50 AM
October 11, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Dear Bob ...
Another ethics question... what was the best ethical way to let a client know the contract company I worked for was allegedly defrauding the client of billing fees?
I worked as an IT contractor for a large company through a small local IT services group. The local IT services group had been found by the client company to have repeated labor billing overcharges that could not be substantiated by payroll records in the past year. The client had issued a warning to the contractor/reseller company a year prior to my joining the company.
The IT services group was difficult to work for because of behind the scenes company politics. While working for them I became aware of suspected billing irregularities caused by a supervisor on another project to maximize his department earnings and pad his yearly bonus. Other contractor employees were aware of the billing fraud and said nothing about it to the contract company management or the client.
What should I have done? I kept quiet for several months about the billing overcharges as I stewed with concern about what I knew and unwilling to act upon it. I did not know if I would get fired by the contract company for reporting alleged billing fraud. One of my parents advised me to ignore the alleged fraud because it was hear-say and I could not adequately substantiate my suspicions.
The IT services company made my decision for me through its twisted company politics. I received a formal commendation from the client (unknown to me at that time) for service actions above the call of duty on an unrelated project. My employer did not even let me know about the commendation that I earned and had been awarded by the client. Instead, they fired me a week later with no warning, notice, or severance claiming a 3rd party contractor had complained about my work. I felt this was a bogus complaint because I was not allowed to address or refute the it in this strange meeting. However, the unethical firing I experienced released my silence about alleged unethical billing practices by the former company.
I decided at that time to keep the contractor over billing quiet as I searched for a new job and soon found one working through another IT services company doing the same job for the client.
Several months later I was assigned to work with another senior exec at the client on a new project. He and I worked well together on the project and I later confided what I knew about the billing fraud.
It hit the fan when the senior exec investigated my allegations and found all of them to be true and valid.
What do you recommend I should have done about my former employers fraud? I was eventually proved correct, but when should I have revealed what I knew, given I was fearful of losing my job?
- Torn
Dear Rip ...
I think your parent gave you good advice. There are lots of allegations, and in the absence of evidence they're nothing more than gossip.
I'd also say that to the extent you thought the allegations were credible, you should have immediately found other employment. Never mind the ethical considerations - there's your reputation to consider, and hanging on with snakes like that doesn't do it any good.
I'm sorry - that wasn't fair to snakes, which in general are useful and productive members of the ecosystem.
One last thought on the subject: The client company had an obligation here as well - to maintain proper controls so that it couldn't be victimized in this way, especially since it had previously caught your former employer in billing irregularities. Failing to have them is, to my way of thinking at least, unprofessional. They certainly shouldn't be relying on either universal honesty or getting word from a whistleblower.
- Bob
Posted by Bob Lewis on October 11, 2006 05:08 AM
October 10, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Will central IT allow independence?
Dear Bob ...
I have a topic that I'd like to see you cover some time ... service models. There are 3 that I know of:
1. Operational excellence
2. Product leadership
3. Customer intimacy
Most corporate IT shops run the operational excellence model ... deliver
desktop systems that are the same everywhere, run servers that are the same
everywhere. Minimizing overall cost (or at least "first incurred cost") seems to
be a hallmark of this model.
desktop systems that are the same everywhere, run servers that are the same
everywhere. Minimizing overall cost (or at least "first incurred cost") seems to
be a hallmark of this model.
I work in an "embedded" computing group. We are not part of the
intergalactic IT group that supports desktops and servers and the like. We work
for R&D researchers, and as such have to know a lot about their business,
have to offer customized services and products that change quickly due to the
nature of R&D. I'd say that we are in the "customer intimacy" service model.
intergalactic IT group that supports desktops and servers and the like. We work
for R&D researchers, and as such have to know a lot about their business,
have to offer customized services and products that change quickly due to the
nature of R&D. I'd say that we are in the "customer intimacy" service model.
I write all of this because there's a study underway by the global IT folks
to pull in all "embedded" computing. They claim that they know how to manage
different support models, but all we ever see is the "one size fits all" mantra
that the operational excellence service model is known for.
to pull in all "embedded" computing. They claim that they know how to manage
different support models, but all we ever see is the "one size fits all" mantra
that the operational excellence service model is known for.
Since I have a deep interest in how this turns out, I'd like to hear your
opinion on service models, and especially any history/advice you have on
organizations trying to blend service models.
- Being intergalactacized
Dear Warped ...
I'll take up the service models question in a future Keep the Joint Running. The other question you asked - is it possible for a central management group to support multiple service models - is worth some time and energy on its own.
The theoretical answer is of course. It is possible, in that nothing about it violates the laws of physics. It does, however, violate the laws of organizational dynamics, which means it's highly unlikely to happen in practice.
The reason is connected to how the person in charge defines success. Each service model is connected to a different definition - one reason among many that the many executives who tell their teams, "We're going to do all three!" invariably tear their organizations apart at the seams.
When central IT says it will successfully manage to multiple service models, it's saying it can accommodate different definitions of success in different parts of the company. There's no reason why not, except that it's so hard to explain as you go up the chain of command. "Well, yes, the IT group in Altoona does spend quite a bit more in desktop support than the one in Walla Walla, but that's okay because Altoona focuses on customer intimacy while Walla Walla focuses on operational excellence."
"Altoona can be as intimate with its customers as it wants, so long as it doesn't spend more than anyone else," is the likely response.
Clayton Christensen discusses this at some length in The Innovator's Dilemma, and concluded that it's the single most important reason great companies fail at innovation: They measure the success of the innovation using the same criteria as they measure their traditional business. The ones that succeed at innovating are the ones that take the team that's supposed to innovate and spin it off, viewing it more as a funded venture than a reporting business unit.
Which gets to the answer: If central IT views itself as a "holding company," it can manage multiple service models, but it will be tricky because it will have to figure out how to deal with each "business unit" on its own terms instead of on a single, shared set of criteria.
All in all, I wouldn't bet on it happening that way.
- Bob
opinion on service models, and especially any history/advice you have on
organizations trying to blend service models.
- Being intergalactacized
Dear Warped ...
I'll take up the service models question in a future Keep the Joint Running. The other question you asked - is it possible for a central management group to support multiple service models - is worth some time and energy on its own.
The theoretical answer is of course. It is possible, in that nothing about it violates the laws of physics. It does, however, violate the laws of organizational dynamics, which means it's highly unlikely to happen in practice.
The reason is connected to how the person in charge defines success. Each service model is connected to a different definition - one reason among many that the many executives who tell their teams, "We're going to do all three!" invariably tear their organizations apart at the seams.
When central IT says it will successfully manage to multiple service models, it's saying it can accommodate different definitions of success in different parts of the company. There's no reason why not, except that it's so hard to explain as you go up the chain of command. "Well, yes, the IT group in Altoona does spend quite a bit more in desktop support than the one in Walla Walla, but that's okay because Altoona focuses on customer intimacy while Walla Walla focuses on operational excellence."
"Altoona can be as intimate with its customers as it wants, so long as it doesn't spend more than anyone else," is the likely response.
Clayton Christensen discusses this at some length in The Innovator's Dilemma, and concluded that it's the single most important reason great companies fail at innovation: They measure the success of the innovation using the same criteria as they measure their traditional business. The ones that succeed at innovating are the ones that take the team that's supposed to innovate and spin it off, viewing it more as a funded venture than a reporting business unit.
Which gets to the answer: If central IT views itself as a "holding company," it can manage multiple service models, but it will be tricky because it will have to figure out how to deal with each "business unit" on its own terms instead of on a single, shared set of criteria.
All in all, I wouldn't bet on it happening that way.
- Bob
Posted by Bob Lewis on October 10, 2006 08:35 PM
October 09, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Why the "best" executives are rare, and what to do about it
Dear Bob ...
I agree with you 100% regarding the "best" executives ("People first, methodology second. Or perhaps third." Keep the Joint Running, 9/25/2006). But this is a rare breed indeed! Why does it seem that most (OK, probably not ALL) executives blindly watch the numbers, are constantly posturing, and are TOTALLY disengaged from the working level of the organization? What's more, they seem intent on discrediting and destroying the "best" executives.
Call me a pessimist, but that is how my experience has been. Of course my political skills are lacking, so perhaps I speak from ignorance.
- Pessimist
Dear Pessimist ...
I think the main reason is that they're taught to act this way. Or, rather, they're taught about all the importance of finance, process, methodology and so on, but not about the human aspects of business leadership and management. They're applying what they've learned, and not applying what they didn't learn.
Plus, most of those who acquire power are people who want power - too often for its own sake instead of for accomplishing something useful. There's a word for people like this ... actually, there are several. Many are in Yiddish, and the Anglo-Saxon ones aren't fit for a business conversation.
- Bob
Dear Bob ...
OK, I was trying to be nice and not put a label like megalomaniac or some such thing on our subject execs. But your point is well taken.
So the $64 question is, how do the working stiffs and first level managers survive in this kind of environment, without getting stabbed in the back or trampled, and still get work done? This is a topic which you always seem to migrate to in Advice Line, with no clear answer. Or maybe there is an answer, and I just fail to see it, or am unwilling to use it.
- Still a Pessimist
Dear Still ...
I have covered it in the past, but perhaps not from the angle that works best for you.
One of the big challenges for many people is the gulf between How I Want Things to Be and What I Need to Do to Be Effective. I end up in discussions of this nature all the time. They generally take the form of, "Here's what you can do to work with this sort of character," countered by "I'm not comfortable working that way - my question is how to get my manager to learn to be more like I want him/her to be."
So the starting point is to understand that you aren't going to change them. What you can do, assuming you'd prefer to neither leave nor to live with the situation, is to learn techniques that make you more effective in dealing with them. What makes this whole subject uncomfortable for many is that, depending on your personal code of ethics, the techniques in question might cross the line you draw that separates being persuasive from being manipulative.
- Bob
Posted by Bob Lewis on October 9, 2006 08:43 PM
October 04, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Building relationship and negotiating skills
Dear Bob ...
So this is the million-dollar question:
How do people <i>learn</i> the skill set required for effective relationship management and contract negotiation?
Is it just time and experience in the workforce? Are there ways to build these skills outside of work? For example, could attending a public speaking organisation like Toastmasters help? What about a university degree or certificate?
- Relating
Dear Relating ...
Yes, that is the million dollar question, as in, in this day and age, being good at relationships is far more important than being good at doing useful work.
Probably, it was always thus, but it's one of the many reason I break into hives when I hear people decrying the lack of "work ethic" in America's workforce today. Of course there's less work ethic - people who make a living by doing actual work are the ones whose earning power is declining.
But enough of that rant and rave - the question is how to build your abilities at relationships and negotiation.
For relationships, the best advice I have is to exercise your empathy (and if you don't have any, fake it). At all times, in all interactions, and when planning for a future interaction or lack of one, ask yourself how you'd respond if you were on the other side of the interaction.
It's old advice. It's also difficult to remember to do, especially when your emotions are in play, because your emotions - especially negative ones like anger and jealousy - tend to focus you on yourself. So another piece of this puzzle is to keep your emotions under control.
If you want to be more deliberate about relationship management, take a page out of the book of all successful sales representatives and implement some sort of tickler or contact management system that reminds you of when it's been too long since you last connected with someone who is important to you, and reminds you of what happened in your last interaction.
Negotiation is another challenge entirely. My ability to give great advice is limited, because my ability to negotiate just isn't all that terrific. Here are a few thoughts on the subject that should prove useful:
* Remember that the other person isn't necessarily looking for the same thing you're looking for. Do your best to make sure of this by keeping at least two or three variables in play when negotiating, right up until the end. That way you're always in a position to give as well as take.
* Don't fall in love with the deal, and always be willing to walk away from it. When the other negotiator knows the hook has been set, you're vulnerable to agreeing to disadvantageous terms.
* Know when you're being played, and how. Even dopey games like "good cop/bad cop" are hard to recognize when you're on the firing line. Plan for them and how you'll respond if they happen.
* Know what you want, and be happy when you get it. If your goal in a negotiation is to get the sweetest deal possible you'll always be disappointed, because you'll never know for sure if there were a few more dollars on the table.
* Don't be embarrassed to ask for what you want. If you don't ask for it, you almost certainly won't get it.
There are seminars you can take on the subject, and a good one is a worthwhile investment. If you decide to sign up for one, just for fun try to negotiate a discount for the registration fee.
- Bob
Posted by Bob Lewis on October 4, 2006 08:19 AM
October 02, 2006 | Comments: (0)
An ethical question about whistleblowing
Dear Bob ...
Years ago I worked as a junior employee for a public agency. One of the staff in another office completed an environmental analysis of a complex land use issue. The analyst was subsequently directed to change his conclusion and to delete any analysis supporting his initial conclusion. The staff member, although understandably upset, complied.
I, too, was upset but I left an anonymous telephone message with a local newspaper reporter. The newspaper investigated and reported the true facts. Subsequently there was an investigation within my agency as to who leaked the story to the press. Being so junior, I was not suspected. Unfortunately, the other staff member was accused by management of leaking the story and he soon left for another job. I've always felt guilty about my role in this matter. At the same time I felt I took the ethical path. Did I?
- Whistleblower
Dear Whistleblower ...
Understand that I'm not a professional ethicist, nor do I lay claim to knowing what is right in any absolute sense. Here's my take on it:
I understand you to be saying that you had direct knowledge of malfeasance on the part of the management of a government agency. The nature of the malfeasance led you to conclude, quite reasonably, that no internal avenues were open to either you or the analyst to challenge the malfeasance. Under these circumstances, leaking the situation to the press seems to be to be a very reasonable and ethical response.
Following the public blowup, agency management, instead of asking how it happened that someone directed an analyst to change findings and delete references to undesirable evidence, instead decided to find out where the leak came from. That's a second violation of the public trust. In my mind, it's more unethical than the original breach since it establishes clearly that agency management prefers to conceal its workings from the public.
Having made this unethical decision, management compounds the felony by assuming who is guilty instead of relying on evidence.
From your account it appears the analyst left under his own steam to a different job - he wasn't fired, nor did anyone actually ask you if you knew where the leak came from.
So the question is whether you had an ethical obligation to volunteer that you were the leaker when you found out management was on a witch hunt. Just my opinion - you didn't have any obligation to do so, nor did your silence do any lasting harm to the analyst.
That is, I don't think you had an ethical obligation to insert yourself into management discussions to which you had never been invited. You weren't responsible for their decision to act unethically, nor for the consequences.
On the other hand, speaking out would have been ... "nobler" is the word that comes to mind ... than your silence.
- Bob
Posted by Bob Lewis on October 2, 2006 12:32 PM
|
Three books. Three ways to change the world, your life, or at least Bob Lewis' bank account. Leading IT: The Toughest Job in the World distills the world of IT leadership into eight learnable skills and gives you concrete, practical techniques for each one of them. Bare Bones Project Management: What you can't not do makes project management manageable, even for first-time project managers with no formal training in the discipline. ManagementSpeak: What managers say/What they mean … well, it won't help your career, and won't make you a better manager. Mostly, it will make you chuckle, guffaw, and maybe even chortle. Make friends - it's the perfect gift for anyone who has ever suffered through one of those meetings. Order your copies today! |
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