Leadership and Management
My extraordinary success as a technology executive is based on four leadership and management cornerstones.
My primary focus is to better serve the customer (internal and external), which always acts as a catalyst to generate greater revenue.
Technology Visionary: I like to ask the following questions every day. What is the competition doing? What technology is emerging? How can we leverage existing technology? Where is the business going? Where does it need to go? How can we reinvent ourselves? This approach enables me to act as a change agent to enhance current value chains while creating technology solutions to support new business opportunities.
Business Leadership: The following anonymous quote summarizes my leadership mantra. “If people do not do anything differently from what they would have done without your presence, you have not exerted your leadership.” In every company I have worked for, I had the ability to influence and motivate those around me to perform beyond their routine efforts and thereby reach new plateaus in making greater contributions to the enterprise.
As a leader it is critical to ask tough questions as well as be able to answer challenging questions related to technology and business direction. The best gauge of this is the dramatic impact I have had on IT and the business. I believe every person that has worked with me has performed at a higher level than they did prior to my involvement. As a leader, I not only create a vision but also define a strategy to obtain that vision.
Management of people, resources and projects: My collaborative style is a result of my experience in managing many different technology organizations within different business cultures. Since so much of technology involves implementing new initiatives and delivering business solutions, having a rock-solid project management methodology is paramount. My focus on delivering technology projects is based on six key elements.
The goal must be specificThe project must be realistic (attainable) with the resources available.
There must be a time component start and end date.
They task must be measurable
The objective must be agreed upon
There must be clear ownership and accountability for completing the task
Communication: I believe that customers and coworkers have the right to assume you are doing nothing unless you communicate the status of the business and technology initiatives you are responsible for. Time spent in preemptive communication saves ten times the effort that is required with corrective communication to clarify any misunderstandings. I encourage timely and frequent communication for all technology associates across the organization. It is imperative to remember the importance of a collaborative partnership in fostering openness and communication supported by strong interpersonal skills.