Mantra for IT: “Participate in the process rather than confront results”
Let’s sail into a stretch of a metaphor this time. You probably know by now how much I embrace metaphors as a way to impart, often via a concrete example, ideas and concepts that are hard to grasp. So...
View Article“Getting” Twitter, from the technology executive’s perspective
I don’t want this to be just another post about Twitter, the current hot trend of the Internet. Rather, I’d like to relate this new Twitter fad to a long-planned important topic here. Specifically,...
View ArticleOn Twitter, if you follow back reflexively, the spammers win
Are you among those who believe that if you don’t follow someone back on Twitter, you’re being snobby and arrogant? Then this post is meant for you. My purpose here, quite candidly, is to persuade you...
View ArticleFits and starts: staying “tech savvy” as a CIO
Just a quick, personal post this time: I was recently interviewed by CIO Magazine on the topic of “How CIOs Can Stay Tech-Savvy“. Since (as is normal) only a portion of my conversation with the...
View ArticleIT tall tales and why they’re told, or, why I stopped going to conferences
Most senior technology executives have a good sense of the huge value that comes from comparing notes and impressions with one’s peers about industry trends, techniques, project approaches, even...
View ArticleBears, hedgehogs, and Gladys Knight: parables of IT leadership
For years, I’ve had two framed items hung on my office wall throughout my various stints as CIO, CTO, etc. I like to think of them, both individually and together, as reflecting certain truths or...
View ArticleOne CIO’s “lessons learned” in managing others
Here’s a shocker: none of us has failed to fail at times. We’ve all screwed things up on occasion, and I’m no exception. And that’s especially true when it comes to managing others, which I believe is...
View ArticleA CIO’s skeptical look at the QR code phenomenon
I had the good fortune last month to be invited to participate as a guest CIO on ITSM Weekly, a great IT-related podcast with the amusing ongoing tagline, “What happens when a CIO, a Service Desk...
View ArticleThe One True Way syndrome exemplified: the overstated case against code comments
I write frequently, and not without some exasperation, about the perennial search for the “silver bullet” in IT: the holy grail, the end-all, be-all solution to preventing IT failure. The silver bullet...
View ArticleIT conferences for the CIO: microcosms of industry trends
I’m back from attending ServiceNow’s Knowledge13 conference last month in Las Vegas, and have a grab bag of random thoughts and reactions to share as a result. As usual, these thoughts reach beyond any...
View ArticleThe value of DOING for the CIO: test-driven development
“How technical are you?” This common challenge, almost playground-aggressive in nature, can turn into a sore spot for the CIO today. It’s inevitable (and actually desirable), you see: as you move up to...
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