Introduction
In today’s highly technology-driven society, companies and organizations have started to revolve around the technical aspects of how products and services are delivered. Sometimes, this is done to the detriment of the products and services themselves. Questions such as should we develop an “app” to be used on smart devices for our customers to access our products and services? Should we build a technology platform to make our products and services easier to manage and maintain? Should we retire our legacy systems in favor of new improved technology now available? With technology playing an ever-increasing role, Information Technology (I.T.) organizations are finding themselves as key to the overall delivery of products and services. Some organizations even allow I.T. to drive the overall program to deliver the solutions and manage the budget for themselves and their business partners. It is no wonder that I.T. leaders are increasingly becoming the key decision makers once the program or project moves into the implementation phase.
Unfortunately, I.T. leaders still tend to make decisions based on their technological or architectural perspective. Their decisions may or may not be in alignment with what’s best for the marketplace. For example, the I.T. organization may ask the company to delay a release of new technology to ensure that it is close to perfect even if a delay may result in a negative perception in the marketplace. Even if business partners push back on the extended period of time requested to deliver the new technology, the I.T. leader, and team usually discuss in very technical terms why the only course of action is to delay the release of the new technology. The discussion is usually so technical that only the I.T. team truly and completely understands all the jargon that is used; therefore, the company ends up begrudgingly agreeing to the delay.
Why the Increased Focus on Technology Today
In today’s world, the future is already here for Information Technology! This is a new world–a world of leveraging free open source code from the internet and the increased usage of cloud-based applications. These also include self-driving cars, “joystick” warfare, voice-activated smart devices, and so much more. Many of these technology products are being developed by college students and young adults who lock themselves in their dormitory rooms and apartments with a couple of pizzas and write code for 72 hours straight at times. Many times, they end up creating ‘disruptive technology’ vital to businesses even if these businesses’ main products and services are not technology-based. However, the days of being able to take a few years to launch an application and not be a compelling business partner are over. We, as I.T. leaders, either lead the way or we become a stumbling block in the way.
A New Kind of I.T. Leadership is Required
Generally, I.T. leaders rise from the technical ranks. Technical individuals working in I.T. are the ones who become the leaders of the I.T. organization. This happens more often than not because most I.T. team members want leaders who speak their language. In our experience, I.T. leaders will not garner the respect of their highly technical team if the leaders themselves do not have a strong technical background.
The challenge that sometimes occurs when technical individuals ascend to the role of leader of the organization is that their predominant focus is the technology itself and not understanding other aspects of their role as leaders. Many I.T. leaders do not treat the roles of a manager and leader as disciplines that need to be studied and continuously honed over time with the same, if not more, rigor that is applied to maintaining their technical skills. Technology leaders who come from strong technical backgrounds tend to grapple with traditional management and leadership concepts such as:
- Motivating team members to achieve beyond their perceived capabilities
- Tightly managing budgets to control spend
- Managing projects to ensure that huge I.T. projects are delivered on-time
- Working with business partners (e.g., Sales, Marketing, Finance, Human Resources, etc.) to ensure that I.T. products and services are in complete alignment with the goals of the organization and company
To this end, I.T. leaders tend to think that the organization and company revolve around them. As one senior I.T. leader who we met over the years once proudly stated, “After all, companies cannot survive without technology these days. ‘They’ need us more than we need ‘them’.” Colloquially speaking, this is clearly a case of a technology leader thinking that the I.T. organization is “IT” (i.e., the center of everything within the company).
This type of thinking is why a new kind of I.T. leader is needed. The I.T. leader needs to focus beyond the technology and continually develop soft skills such as motivating team members; improving relations with partner organizations; becoming better communicators; improving their writing skills; building an organizational structure where team members have opportunities for empowerment and career growth; and foster a positive culture of mutually shared respect, support, and trust within I.T. and with partner teams. The challenge for I.T. leaders is to increase their soft skill repertoire while not negatively impacting creativity and innovation. This is why a new kind of I.T. leader with soft-skills is needed to deliver technology-based products and services that enable the company to achieve its goals.
Why I.T. is Important, but They Are Not “IT”
I.T. is important, especially today given the ubiquitous nature of technology; however, unless I.T. leaders and organizations become partners of choice with their clients and their business counterparts, they will only waste money, time, and opportunity. I.T. leaders who continue to not think of their leadership and management roles as a discipline will inevitably lead organizations that become examples of why we in I.T. just do not “get it.” This is something that companies cannot afford in today’s highly competitive and fast-paced environment.
Conclusion
To avoid the trap of thinking that I.T. organizations are “IT” when they are many times the problem, we recommend the following:
- I.T. leaders should measure and understand their emotional quotient (EQ), which is a measure of their level of emotional intelligence (EI). EI is the ability to perceive, assess, and manage one’s emotions and understand the emotions of others (Goleman, 1995). EI includes dealing sensitively with others both inside and outside the organization; being self-aware, and having empathy for what others are going through emotionally. According to an article by Harvey Deutschendorf featured on Fastcompany.com, emotionally intelligent people, in general, are more successful. This success, according to the same article, may be attributed to the people skills that emotionally intelligent people possess.
- I.T. leaders (and leaders in general) would benefit tremendously from having a coach (e.g., executive or personal coach) help them become more self-aware.
- Create new roles and structures to support the end goal of delivering for the company and change what and how technical people are measured to ensure that compensation lines up with what is being said. This will also require a potential change in the culture, policies, and processes that have supported the old I.T. organizational structure.
I.T. organizations are indeed very important; however, all other organizations are equally important. Once I.T. leaders think of their leadership and management roles as disciplines to be studied and nurtured, they will be well on their way to becoming much more successful in enabling the entire company to become “IT” which is the true goal.
References
https://www.fastcompany.com/3047455/why-emotionally-intelligent-people-are-more-successful Goleman, D., (1995). Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. New York: Bantam Books.
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Dr. Milton Mattox is an Executive Coach, CEO Peer Group Facilitator, Motivational Speaker, Author and Technologist who has worked with some of the world’s most acclaimed companies. An authority in helping CEOs overcome everyday business challenges to achieve the success that they seek, career coach and expert in “all things technology-based,” he continues to practice the leadership techniques and methodologies outlined in his books and articles to successfully increase return on investment for companies, organizations, and individuals seeking to be all that they desire to be in life.
Amayea Maat is a change management, organization effectiveness, support, and services leader who has worked with well-known companies in the technology industry for over 20 years. As an expert in leadership development, process improvement, and customer delivery, Amayea is continuously at the forefront of transformational thinking as well as the development of people and corporate culture.
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