Layoffs, a down economy, stress… is there a bright side to your job? Staying positive can be harder than ever. Scott Lowe helps the process by focusing on the good aspects of IT at Westminster.

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Everywhere you turn these days, you see negativity. From economic conditions resulting in mass layoffs to those same mass layoffs creating additional stress for the survivors to tales of horrible bosses, it can be hard to keep a positive outlook on work. Considering the fact that most of us spend at least a third of our day in the workplace, it’s really a shame that so much attention is devoted to a mindset that doesn’t accentuate the positive aspects of work life. With this constant barrage of negativity coming from any corner and a never-ending stream of work, how do IT leaders stay positive and motivated? What aspects of the job make you get up every day and go to the office?

In this column, I’ll tell you about the positive aspects of my job as CIO at Westminster College. In the comment section, describe what you like about what you do.

Note: Before I begin, I will preface this list by telling you that I’m focusing on the good here. Like every job, mine has its ups and downs and there are parts of my job that I’d gladly hand off to someone else, but the good far outweighs the bad.

Flexibility.

I can safely say that I have an extremely flexible job in which I’m able to better achieve some semblance of a work/life balance. Sure, I work a whole lot of hours, but it’s much easier to accept longer hours when I can come in at 10AM after spending the morning having a long breakfast with my four-year-old daughter. If I need a day off or want to leave early, there’s never a fuss. This kind of flexibility is something that I pass on to my staff as well. As a team, everyone works very hard to meet our department’s goals. This commitment includes long hours and, sometimes, sacrifice. Besides, this flexibility is a two-street. It’s difficult for me to tell someone that they have to work late with one hand, and with the other, tell them that they can’t take a bit of extra time in the morning. Obviously, flexibility is easier with salaried employees that understand that functions still need to be staffed during our normal working hours. Everyone works together to make sure key operations are staffed.

Variety.

No one can claim that the world of IT is boring! The kind of variety that I see is one of the main reasons that I stay in IT. I get bored easily, so a constantly changing landscape is a perfect backdrop for my career. Beyond the constant change in IT, I manage to get involved in a whole lot of operational items at Westminster.

Development.

Personal and professional growth is important to everyone. I’m fortunate to work in an environment that encourages and nurtures growth. People are frequently promoted from within; there is broad representation from many levels on committees, including our strategic planning committee and a lot more. My boss, the president, also encourages – to a point – our individual outside activities. I tend, for example, to do a lot of writing for TechRepublic. This activity is encouraged and well-supported.

Opportunity.

If I can dream it, I can do it. Working at a college Read more…

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Technology projects rarely go off without a hitch. We all know it, and we all have seen and absorbed an unnecessary amount of stress, blame and headaches from projects gone wrong.

Why do they go wrong? Bad project management? Poor planning? Bad estimation of work scheduling? Missed dependencies? It’s easy to have one throat to choke with a project manager, but often, it’s people management skills rather than any one project plan or scheduling deficiency that make the difference between project success and failure.

While these can all be factors, among the more overlooked aspects of project work are the relationships between internal departments and external teams. Without full cooperation between teams who are focused on the end result, you can expect to have a bumpy ride, says the CIO.com article, “Project Management: How IT and Business Relationships Shape Success.”

One problem the article brings up is that many project managers may be a tad too focused on software, processes and technology solutions rather than onbuilding the relationships that are key to a project’s delivery and ultimate success:

Despite the positive impact good relationships have on project management, IT project managers rely more heavily on software and methodologies than on building relations when they need to improve their delivery. It’s no wonder: Compared to the time it takes to build relationships, software seems like a quick fix. IT project managers are also most comfortable with tools.

“As IT professionals, we’re raised on technology,” says Ouellette & Associates’ Hagerup [Bill Hagerup, a senior consultant with Ouellette & Associates, an IT leadership and project management consultancy]. “Almost all the training we get throughout the years is about tools and processes.”

Consequently, he adds, IT professionals think process and technology [are] the answer to everything, including effective project management. While project management frameworks and tools certainly help, projects are fundamentally people-driven, he says.

“When things go wrong [with a project], it’s people who have done something that didn’t work,” says Hagerup. “Problems start with people and they end with people.”

Yet project management training and certification programs are only just beginning to address the people side of projects Read more…

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Joseph Folkman and John Zenger have co-authored a book called The Extraordinary Leader: Turning Good Managers into Great Leaders. The book is the result of a five-year research project led by Folkman that involved a database of 200,000 360-degree feedback reports pertaining to approximately 20,000 managers within hundreds of companies.

The book takes a look at how leaders are and are not developed. One point the authors make is that too much emphasis is placed on correcting weaknesses in potential managers. They say their research indicated that “lack of weaknesses” was not the distinguishing feature of the best leaders. Most great leaders have shortcomings, but the strengths they possess are profound. In other words, all leaders have some areas where they’re not so strong, but those aren’t a problem if a leader has outstanding strengths that compensate.

However, according to the authors, there are five flaws (”fatal flaws”) that prevent a leader from moving forward if the shortcomings Read more…

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Understanding if you are a good fit for a job also means knowing how to assess the culture of both a company and the group you will be predominantly working.

How can you figure out culture without working there yet? You need to act a bit like a private investigator and pay attention to details you might not ordinarily notice when the bulk of your efforts are going in to getting the job.

A recent CIO.com article delves in the subject, talking to experts such as Elaine Varelas, a managing partner of Keystone Partners, a Boston-based career management and executive coaching firm, and Edward Lawler, a professor at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and author of Talent: Making People Your Competitive Advantage.

Here is their advice (edited down for quick consumption):

1. Read the company’s Website. Look for pictures, testimonials and whether there is an employee intranet.

2. Pay attention to the hiring process. Are they nice on the phone? Do they seem relaxed? Do they talk about bureacracy or an open hierarchy?

3. Notice the job surroundings on an interview–look at furniture, clothing of employees, the office space. What kind of computers are they using?

4. Ask about the organizational culture, and ask how long people have worked there. You can get a sense if it’s a good place to work if people have been there for some time.

5. Ask about the values of the employer and how they make them work day to day. Also, ask about the Read more…

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5-MUST HAVE LEADERSHIP TRAITS

 Leadership should be borne out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it. Leadership also has a lot to do with you.

Accept all realistic challenges and deliver them on time to be a good leader.

“Leadership should be borne out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it.” 
- Marian Anderson. Read more…

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