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MDE News
IT Manager Education
2004 Schedule Announced
MDE has just released it's 2004 IT Manager Education Schedule. Register by January 15th and save 25%.
There are several options available in 2004 to meet your needs:
- One and two-day classes
- IT Manager "Fast Track" Workshop
- IT Manager Development Institute
- 3,,2,,1 Technology Conference
More info at: http://www.mde.net/schedule
MDE also offers the ability for you to host a three to five day seminar at your company or area. Programs can be customized to meet specific IT Manager development needs. Contact me for more information.
2 Articles picked in TechRepublic's Top 5 List for 2003
Two of the articles written and published in 2003 made TechRepublic's Top 5 List in their IT Manager and IT Consultant Newsletters.
Click on the title to read the article:
Ten traits IT Managers look for in a job
candidate
Eleven traits that distinguish successful IT Managers
I have published more than 150 IT Manager articles since writing the first article in 2001.
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IT Management Models
Open Door Policy
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Creating an environment where people know you are receptive to their ideas, needs, and inquiries is key toward building trust.
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An "open door" environment (notice I didn't say "policy") can help you create the trust you need to be effective.
Clients and users will be more open to discussing problems and working with you to develop solutions to those problems when you don't "shoot the messenger".
Employees will trust the fact that they can be open and honest about issues with their Manager when they aren't penalized for discussing tough subjects.
To have an open door "policy", you have to do more than just state that you have one. How you go about handling those that seek your counsel and advice will set the tone for whether your IT organization actually provides an open door "environment".
Creating the right environment to work in is by far more important than creating a policy.
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Thank you for making 2003 a great year.
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Practical IT Manager Tips
New Year Resolutions
I've written an article about developing New Year resolutions before and will probably do so again about this time a year from now.
My close friends suggest that I'm very disciplined and focused. In reality, I'm not so sure about that, but I do know that my propensity to quantify things I want to accomplish along with following up on them does make a difference, , ,at least for me.
I'm a firm believer in writing things down. It just seems to help when you are willing to write an objective down. What helps even more is when you share your goals and objectives with others.
I have been writing my New Year Resolutions down for as long as I can remember. That's a long time since I turned 54 this year. For most of that time, I have developed two lists at the end of each year:
1. My personal goals and objectives
2. My professional goals and objectives
I can tell you for certain that much of what I have accomplished in my personal and professional life over the years is written down somewhere on a New Year Resolution list.
So what's on the list for 2004? I haven't finished my 2004 list (and probably won't until sometime on January 1st), but here is what I have so far:
- lose 10 pounds (I'm probably the only person with this one)
- grow MDE by 30%
- publish my first golf book - 3 Steps to a Great Short Game
- take a real vacation
- get my son, Eddie, to the golf course more
- update Eddie's web site, www.eddiesisco.com
- conduct my first training class outside the US
- join the Board of Directors of a small company
- run at least 5 miles per week
When completed, my lists all have similar characteristics. There will be about three or four major objectives that help me grow personally or that are important for my business. There are also a few items that are important for my physical well being and that help me stay "sharp". Easy for me to say!
Planning is important. It comes easy for me because I've done it for so long, but it wasn't always the case. In my early days, my lists were short and sweet. Over time, I have tried to put more thought into what I want to accomplish and work to be as specific as I can.
Take fifteen to twenty minutes to jot down a list of things you want to accomplish in 2004. Keep the list handy so you see it every day or so and you will be surprised at how much of it you will accomplish.
Best of success in the year ahead !
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"War Story" Lessons
Stepping up to a "problem" employee
Over the course of a management career, you will deal with many employee challenges. One especially difficult challenge I encountered makes an interesting "case study".
The employee in question was abusing others, both teammates and clients, and was not producing at a level expected for the position. This employee also fit a minority category.
My approach has always been to deal with issues as they come up and deal with them as fairly and consistently as possible, regardless of sex, race, or other minority category.
The bottom line is that each individual on your team is expected to produce positive results and do so in a healthy way. Building a team that is highly responsive to client needs and successful in delivering value to your company requires everyone to make a positive contribution.
Here is a brief description of how I handled the situation:
I coached the employee about the problems on two separate occasions and made it clear that I expected improvement.
I sat down with the employee and had a formal "work improvement" discussion. In this discussion, I gave the employee specific critique with examples that reinforced my concerns. The employee was then given specific instruction on the improved behavior and results expected to continue employment. Finally, the employee was notified directly that continued performance that led to this discussion would result in dismissal.
In two weeks, I fired the employee because the performance improvements were not being met and another serious event demanded my action.
The formal improvement session included the attendance of our senior HR Manager because I wanted to be sure in this case that we covered all the bases since it was my belief the employee would simply "not get it".
This was exactly the observation the HR Manager gave me after the session when he said, "You addressed all the issues well: what's wrong, what you need to do to fix the problem, and clear understanding that continued poor performance would not be allowed. Even so, the employee doesn't understand the problem; but you could not have explained the situation more clearly."
In most situations, you won't have to actually get to the point that you fire an employee. What I've encountered over 90% of the time is that when you address poor performance or conduct a "needs improvement" session with a poor performer, the employee does one of two things: improves the situation quickly or leaves on his/her own accord.
One of the most important responsibilities a Manager has is to do the right thing by your employees. That means stepping up to bad situations and taking appropriate action to improve performance of your IT Organization.
It is the right thing to do for your company, your clients, your IT Organization and staff. More importantly, it's the right thing to do for the poor performing employee. If you approach it in that light, it makes the tough work a little easier.
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Letters from the Field
"Will you share a few of your tips for motivating an IT staff?"
Motivating employees is something I really like to do. It's a conscious thought and a deliberate, proactive effort that I go through when managing an IT Organization.
Employees want and need leadership. They want to be "pumped up" and feel energized in doing their work. One of the most gratifying things is being part of an organization that is all focused on the same objective and is "charging up the hill" to reach it's destination.
Motivating employees begins with honesty, respect, and an understanding of what motivates an individual.
People are not motivated by deception, being taken advantage of, or being kept in the dark. Showing respect means sharing your company's objectives and how your IT Organizations fits into the grand scheme of things.
When I was a young employee at IBM, I enjoyed the comeraderie, the monthly branch meetings with recognition and agendas that focused our efforts. Much of these principles are what I take to a new IT Organization as their IT Manager.
My book, IT Staff Motivation and Development, provides insight into the process I use and many of the techniques I use to "pump up" the staff. The most important aspect is that I genuinely care about my staff and do all that I can do to help them be successful because I recognize that their individual successes lead to the organization's success that leads to value for the company.
Here are a few techniques I have used. Just remember, if you aren't sincere it will have an opposite effect.
- schedule monthly staff meetings to recognize achievement
- hand out ice cream sandwiches in the afternoon
- award an evening on the town for results
- develop a training program for your staff (learning new
things is always the top motivation item that keeps
employees with their company
- pizza lunches
- motivational films
- give your staff credit for accomplishments and take the
"hit" as their Manager for failures
- be a positive force in the company
- reward desired behavior
Motivating employees happens because you decide to make it happen and you implement a strategy to do so; it doesn't happen by accident. Take a look at yourself and think about what motivated you as an employee. You will find that many of these things still work with today's employees.
Ultimately, it's ,more about caring for others and respect for the individual than anything else.
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Product & Services Review
Tom Mochal's Project Management training
TenStep, Inc. has published dates for their next set of four-day Project Management Preparation for Success classes.
This class provides a complete overview of important project management processes, techniques and best practices. There is an in-depth discussion on each area, without getting into the tedious level of detail. The class is peppered with opportunities for class discussion and exercises, as well as a formal 11-part case study that is worked on and discussed in teams.
More information is available at:
http://www.tenstep.com/98.3.9.1TrainingClasses.htm
Mention "MDE" and receive a 10% discount on the class fee.
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A few personal notes from 2003
2003 has been an eventful year. My company has developed more IT Manager assets and is positioned for a significant year of growth in 2004. Here are a few thoughts as I reflect on this past year:
- I lost a close friend to cancer this year. Charlie Carroll was one of my IBM mentors and always had a positive outlook. I never heard him say an unkind word toward anyone. His positive outlook is truly an example to follow.
- Dorine & I celebrated 33 years of marriage this week. She continues to be my best friend and I owe much of what I have to her.
- Eddie never has a bad day. He continues to be an inspiration to me and others that meet him.
- Delivering the first two IT Manager Institutes was great.
- Being able to move "back home" to middle Tennessee has worked out better than we could have hoped. Being close to family is great.
- I appreciate being able to do what I do.
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SPECIAL SECTION - A few of my favorite products and services
I often receive questions about products or services that I like and that are helpful in my business. Below are a few noteworthy items worth taking a look at:
Shopping cart and credit card processor service - GoeMerchant.com
Graphics programs, especially XARA3D - XARA
Tools and insight to help generate web site traffic - SiteSell
Tom Mochal's TenStep Project Management tools - TenStep
Bill Carico's Technical Awareness Series - TAS
bCentral's ListBuilder for handling my newsletter - ListBuilder
Pay per click advertising - Overture.com
Helping others eliminate debt and create a secondary revenue stream - Everyday Wealth
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I discovered most of these services from newsletters much like this one. Many of them have provided me very valuable services that have helped me in my business.
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Until next time, I hope the little bit of information provided in this newsletter is helpful to you. Feel free to pass it along to other IT managers you know. Work hard and take time to smell the roses along the way.
Mike Sisco
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