My latest article, Five Keys to Managing Gen Y was recently picked up by Business in Vancouver and published in the January 17-23 edition. Here’s an excerpt: You’d think we were grumpy old men. Recently I had lunch with a number of IT leaders, and…
After spending a few years in our careers, we start to our professional/career roadmap. For us techies, this is an easy process. After all, the natural progression for a great techie is simple: Help Desk Network and Server Admin – IT Manager – IT Director…
Over the last several months I’ve been spending time working with a client’s finance department on process improvement. While their headcount is quite small, their finance and accounting there is complex – they’re a multi-national public (SOX applies) company managing several very major projects (think…
Technology can be a disruptor or accelerator for businesses. When IT processes are immature and systems not stable, IT is a cost center; distracting and disrupting the business. Working properly, IT is transparent and works like a utility; it’s there working for you when you…
Last week I spent several days with a long-term client at their US offices. The goal of this trip was simple – get as much feedback on the “state of IT” a possible, then develop a plan to remediate any issues and execute. The end…
I recently stumbled upon another interesting leadership website, from Terry Starbucker. In this collection of 21st century leadership ramblings, there’s a posting on applying a little Zen at your workplace. In his article, Terry talks about the importance of being present, taking the time to…
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to sit down and enjoy coffee with a colleague dealing with a daunting business process re-engineering task. She’s working with a client that has not leveraged technology well in their current business processes. Management recently hired a new…
A couple weeks ago I finished on a renovation project at the Ki Society with my step father, John. John is a recently-retired trades-person. It’s interesting to listen to him talk about the difference in trades-work between the professionals today, and those from a generation…
Knowing my love for great leadership fables, one of my clients recently passed me a copy of Lencioni’s The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive. As with his other books, this one is full of great insights and provides a great real-world example of how…
Recently I was reading an interesting article called Outsourcing: 10 Crippling Mistakes IT Departments Make and found myself scratching my head. At first, I was unsure why – all 10 things they point out are definitely key issues that can seriously harm or cripple your…