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January, 2012 (distributed to subscribers via email on January 10th)
- Hiring like a Jigsaw Puzzle
It’s not the way most companies hire, but it gives you a much better result. - Interview Performance Doesn’t Equate to Job Performance
Unless you’re hiring actors, you should try to see through the act - A Model of Job Performance
A simple model of employee job performance gives us some insight into ways to improve that performance.
December, 2011
- Does a Higher GPA Make You A Better Employee?
A high GPA can make you a better employee, but not necessarily the kind of employee you want to be. - Achievement is Not the Absence of Failure
You have to make things better for your business. - What Ever Happened to the “Truth”?
There is no absolute truth — only the truth that we’ve developed based on the opinions of others.
November, 2011
- The Naive CIO
Technology isolationism won’t work in the long term. - IT Governance is Like Pushing a Rope
Businesses which focus on IT governance instead of IT strategy are going to fail. - Getting Ready to Move using Push and Pull
Using a Push or Pull approach to cutting back
October, 2011
- 8 Techniques for Dealing with Grief
8 ways to live with your grief and move on with your life - If you’re stuck, get a Jiggler
If you’ve never heard the term, then you probably need one. - Advice for New Managers on How to Avoid Harwell’s Laws
New managers will fail unless they heed this advice.
September, 2011
- Grief and Disentangling
Dealing with grief, whether from the death of a loved one, divorce, or job loss. - The Difference between Success and Happiness
Success doesn’t lead to happiness. It’s the other way around. - Which Do You Have? A Job, a Profession, a Career, or a Passion?
Happiness and success come from following your passion.
August, 2011
- Driving Information Technology — Is the CIO Just a Chauffeur?
Is the CIO in your company just a high-priced chauffeur? Or is the CIO leading strategic use of IT within the business? - IT Alignment is Simple, Part 1
Part 1 of a two-part solution to your business/IT alignment problems. Defines IT Alignment and tells you how to achieve it. - IT Alignment is Simple, Part 2
Part 2 of a two-part solution to your business/IT alignment problems. Focuses on budget transparency and IT Alignment FAQs.
July, 2011
- Should You Let People Go, or Keep People and Reduce Salaries?
Evaluating one of the alternatives to layoffs - The Bad Economy is an Excuse for Layoffs, But They Should Have Happened Earlier
Increases in employee productivity often aren’t realized until the economy forces a company to cut the number of employees. - Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Firing People
Firing an employee is a last resort, but you still have to know how to do it.
June, 2011
- Are You Listening with Confidence or Listening with Arrogance?
As managers get more experienced, they tend to listen less. Big mistake! - Thrasher’s Hierarchy of Business IT Needs
Businesses have a hierarchy of needs just like human beings, and what’s “strategic” for one business isn’t necessarily what’s strategic for another. - 10 Reasons You Need an IT Architect
You wouldn’t construct a major office building without an architect, so why do you think that putting together a major system is any different?
May, 2011
- 8 Ways to Deal with Employee Personal Problems
It’s our job as managers to get the best work out of our employees. Sometimes that means we have to help employees with their personal problems. - How to Deal with a Bad Boss — 3 Approaches
You’ve only got three ways to go. Each has advantages and disadvantages. - On Time at the Wrong Restaurant
Are your IT decisions like those of a six-year-old kid? An IT Strategy can help you make better decisions. - Interview with Harwell on SerialStartups Web Site
Some of the things to consider when starting up a new company.
April, 2011
- No Surprises, No Rushing
Two important principles to apply to project management and to work in general. - Why ROI Isn’t Working
Return on Investment (ROI) is probably the best known project ranking tool, but it’s a poor basis for project decisions. - How to Improve ROI and your Project Selection Process
How to solve the problems listed in the “Why ROI Isn’t Working” article.
March, 2011
- You Don’t Have to Measure It to Lead It
I’m sick of people telling me, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” This article explains why. - Experience, Knowledge, Wisdom, and Better
Making things better is what it’s all about. - IT Marriage Counseling
The partnership between IT and the business is like a marriage, and subject to many of the same issues that affect marriage. Sometimes marriage counseling is a good way to solve those issues.
February, 2011
- Future IT = Cloud + Mobile + Enterprise App Store
Cloud computing, mobility and apps are changing the face of IT. Just add an enterprise app store. - What is Cloud Computing? And Why Should You Care?
Using Cloud Computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) lets you pay for the results you need — not for the cost of the technology it requires. Includes both business and technical explanations of cloud computing. - Turn Left at the Last Traffic Light
Some classic crazy statements, and how to deal with them
January, 2011
- IT isn’t about Analysis and Programming Anymore
Information technology has changed in the same way that food production has changed. - IT is Moving toward Property Management
The role of the IT person is changing, and real estate property management offers some clues on what the future may hold. - 8 Attributes of an Ideal Boss
How does your own boss rate? How does that rating affect your job performance?
December, 2010
- Are You a Manager or a Leader? Who Cares! Just Do What’s Needed!
Management and leadership are behaviors that are both required by all manager and leader jobs. - IT is a lot like Gift Giving
What’s the appropriate gift for your business? The same rules apply. - 5 Reasons Why IT People Love Lists
Lists are a great tool, but not for every situation.
November, 2010
- A Manager’s Biggest Burden, and 5 Ways to Deal with It
Make the best use of your organization’s burn rate. - Two Questions to Ask After Each Project is Completed
Improve project success by asking these questions after every project. - Creating Wildly Successful Projects
Are your projects removing business limitations? Or are they just fluff?
October, 2010
- Why IT Magic is Never Good
Why the perception of IT magic is bad for an IT organization, and why transparency is better. - One Situation Where IT Magic Can Be Valuable: Requirements Definition
Hypothetical use of magic can help you better envision business requirements. - Why CIO’s Have to Work Harder Than Other Executives
A dinner conversation reveals some fundamental truths about IT.
September, 2010
- A Model of Job Performance
A simple model of employee job performance gives us some insight into ways to improve that performance. - Why Cloud Computing is Good for Your Financials
Financial graphs show why Cloud Computing offers a financial advantage over traditional process automation. - Logic isn’t always the Logical Choice
The style you use for persuasion should depend on how someone wants to be persuaded.
August, 2010
- IT Governance is Like Pushing a Rope
Businesses which focus on IT governance instead of IT strategy are going to fail. - Why We’re in this BP Gulf Oil Mess, and What We Should Do About It
If there’s any one single cause for the BP Gulf oil disaster, it’s human nature. - Top 10 Reasons Why Men and CIO’s Don’t Ask for Directions
Avoid the stereotype, but learn from it
- Should You Use a Business/IT Liaison Person? No!
A business/IT liaison position is a really bad idea. Here’s why, and what you should do instead. - Which Do You Have? A Job, a Profession, a Career, or a Passion?
Happiness and success come from following your passion. - How to Organize IT
The best answer for your company or organization depends on these factors. - Join Me August 23rd in Kansas City, Missouri
I’ll be giving the keynote at the 2010 Boomer Technology Circle Summit
- The Difference between Success and Happiness
Success doesn’t lead to happiness. It’s the other way around. - Julia Roberts, Training Wheels, and Bureaucracy
What do these three things have in common? They all point to a problem in our organizations. - How to Become a CIO
Eight skills you’ll need, and some practical advice
- How to Deal with Complaints — 7 Steps
7 ways to deal with a complaint, and when you shouldn’t try. - How to Deal with Complainers — 2 Approaches
There are two types of complainers; you deal with each in a different way. - Get Off the Train, and Join the Fleet
A different approach for motivating employees. It’s simple, and it works exceptionally well.
- How to Create Misleading Statistics in 6 Easy Steps
Here are six ways to mislead other people with statistics. Learn them so you can avoid being fooled yourself. - What does Folding a Suit have to do with IT?
Learn the secret of folding a suit, and how it applies to IT. - 3 Keys to Service Success
Capability, motivation, expectations. Simple to say, but much harder to do.
- The Information Technology Merry-Go-Round
Stay in IT long enough, and you’ll find yourself repeating things like centralization and decentralization. - Why Middle Managers are Important
The four roles of a middle manager, and where they often go wrong. - User Training is Like a Joke
Humor can be based on misdirection. But it’s not funny when we misdirect our system users.
- There are Only Two Reasons for Strategy
Focus and Communication are the only reasons you need strategy. Both are critical to business success. - How to Get People to Change—the human side of IT projects
What three things are necessary to get people to change? Failure to provide these three things is one of the leading causes of project failure. - The Opposite of “Project Risk” isn’t “No Risk”
It’s not enough to plan a project so that it will be on time and on budget; you have to plan for superior performance if you’re going to achieve it.
- What Penguins Know about ERP Success
Successful ERP requires a solid base of support from executive management. - The Bad Economy is an Excuse for Layoffs, But They Should Have Happened Earlier
Increases in employee productivity often aren’t realized until the economy forces a company to cut the number of employees.
- The 7 Biggest Challenges of a Manager
To be an effective manager, you have to respond to each of these seven challenges - Getting Ready to Move using Push and Pull
Using a Push or Pull approach to cutting back - 6 Things I’d Like to Tell Your Boss about IT
A list of the technical topics your CEO ought to understand - How to Deal with a Bad Boss — 3 Approaches
You’ve only got three ways to go. Each has advantages and disadvantages.
- Who’s Better at IT? Younger Digital Natives or Older Digital Immigrants?
Comparing the IT skills of younger people who grew up with computers to older people who had to learn computers as adults. - We’re All Biased — Learn from It
We’re all biased, and that bias colors our response to information. Becoming aware of our bias helps us to overcome it. - Have You “Pulled Your Goalie” in IT?
In bad economic times, many IT organizations are making budget cuts that put the business in jeopardy. - 8 Reasons Businesses Can’t Connect Business Strategy and IT Strategy
A connection between business strategy and IT strategy can be difficult, but it’s very worthwhile.
- What is Cloud Computing? And Why Should You Care?
Using Cloud Computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) lets you pay for the results you need — not for the cost of the technology it requires. Includes both business and technical explanations of cloud computing. - In with the New — Out with the Old. A Conservation Approach to IT
Keeping old things around may be “safe” but it hurts us in the long run. - What Ever Happened to the “Truth”?
There is no absolute truth — only the truth that we’ve developed based on the opinions of others. - 10 Ways to Find the Truth
Finding the truth is difficult. Here are some tips that can help you.
- Irreconcilable Differences and Runaway Projects
Runaway projects have a lot in common with a couple on the brink of divorce. And some of the same solutions can be used. - IT Marriage Counseling
The partnership between IT and the business is like a marriage, and subject to many of the same issues that affect marriage. Sometimes marriage counseling is a good way to solve those issues. - 13 Ways to Spot Lies and Omissions in Due Diligence
Due diligence is the research you do to make sure that what you buy is what you think you’re buying. Here’s how to spot seller deception during due diligence. - 12 More Ways to Spot IT Lies and Omissions in Due Diligence
Part 2. Here’s an additional list that’s specific to Information Technology, although you can probably see parallels in other types of due diligence.
- First-Time Manager Stories of Failure and Success
A couple of actual experiences with first-time managers, one a success and one a failure - 18 Things I Believe about Business — a Manifesto
I believe in the fundamental goodness of people. And I believe that we can have fundamentally good businesses as well. We just have to say no to inappropriate short-cuts. - 4 Reasons We Disagree, and What to Do About It
There are four reasons why people disagree, and to get their agreement you have to deal with every one of them. - The World’s Economic Problems are Like 2 Cross-Wired Thermostats
Consumers and business depend on each other, but right now we’re hurting each other more than we’re helping. How to restore a normal economy.
- Why Do You Want to Be a Manager?
The two advantages of being a manager, with a frank discussion of some of the disadvantages as well. - How to Justify Security Investment
How do you justify continued investment in security infrastructure when your business customers don’t see any security problems? - How to Become a Manager — 13 Skills You’ll Need
13 skills required by a successful manager - What’s the Opposite of ROI? — How to Compare Cost-Cutting Opportunities
If you use ROI (Return on Investment) during a good economy to compare project possibilities, then what do you use during a bad economy to compare various alternatives for cutting costs? This article talks about one possibility. - The Meaning of “Scalable” Needs to Change
Upward scalability used to be the only important aspect of scalability. But in a bad economy downward scalability is probably more important.
- Don’t Let the Notes Get in the Way of the Music
The notes can get in the way of the music, and the urgent can get in the way of the important. - Organization Transplant Claims Another Victim
What do you do when you get a new boss? Will you be replaced? - See People for Who They Are — Not for the Roles They Play
When we use stereotypes to determine how we relate to people, we miss most of their value as individuals. - Words and Phrases I’m Sick Of
We overuse a few words and phrases to the point that they don’t mean the same thing anymore.
- The Quest for a Quest
How to achieve your IT objectives and make the process fun for your employees
- IT in a Bad Economy is like Playing the Game Jenga
4 things IT should do in bad economic times
- Why CIO’s Have to Work Harder Than Other Executives
A dinner conversation reveals some fundamental truths about IT.
- How to Buy an IT Product
There’s a good chance your product decision process is flawed. Here’s how to fix it.
- IT Alignment is Simple, Part 2
Part 2 of a two-part solution to your business/IT alignment problems. Focuses on budget transparency and IT Alignment FAQs.
- IT Alignment is Simple
Part 1 of a two-part solution to your business/IT alignment problems. Defines IT Alignment and tells you how to achieve it.
- Turn Left at the Last Traffic Light
Some classic crazy statements, and how to deal with them
- No Programmer Left Behind?
What’s the price of oversimplification and measurement of the wrong things?
- How Does Outsourcing Affect Span of Control?
If you outsource a lot of projects, then your span of control is heavily influenced by the outsourced projects you manage.
- 9 Ways to Reduce Business IT Expense
Reducing IT expense is a big problem these days. Here are some ways to cut expenses while enhancing your career.
- The Right Span of Control Isn’t a Number
When cost-cutting consultants attack your managers for having too low a span of control, here’s how to fight back.
- 3 Things Your CEO Wants to Know
Ever wonder what a CEO asks a CIO? Here’s the answer.
- 15 Career Mistakes
Here are fifteen popular ways to screw up your career in IT. How many of them have you tried?
- Questioning IT Realignment
Centralizing IT is often done as a cost-saving measure. Here’s an answer to a reader question about consequences.
- How to Help Your Help Desk
In the battle for better IT, your Help Desk is fighting on the front lines. Here’s how you can help them.
- Information Technology is Like the Stock Market
The stock market is in the news a lot lately. Here are some lessons from the stock market that we can apply to IT.
- 8 Ways to Find IT Talent for an Undesirable Location
It’s hard enough to find good IT people these days, but even harder when it’s for an undesirable location. Here are some ideas to help you.
- How to Stop a Runaway Project
A runaway project is like a runaway car on a mountain road – both require drastic action if they’re going to be stopped.
- Thrasher’s Hierarchy of Business IT Needs
Businesses have a hierarchy of needs just like human beings, and what’s “strategic” for one business isn’t necessarily what’s strategic for another.
- 10 Reasons You Need an IT Architect
You wouldn’t construct a major office building without an architect, so why do you think that putting together a major system is any different?
- How Do you Talk to a CIO?
It’s an interesting question, partly because of the answer and partly because of the question itself.
- Advice for New Managers on How to Avoid Harwell’s Laws
New managers will fail unless they heed this advice.
- You’ve Got to Specialize
Being well-rounded is a sure path to mediocrity. That’s not what you want, is it?
- How to Organize IT
The best answer for your company or organization depends on these factors.
- Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Firing People
Firing an employee is a last resort, but you still have to know how to do it.
- To Succeed in Corporate IT, Play Hard to Get
Many corporate IT organizations are hated by employees outside of corporate. Here’s how to turn that around.
- How to Fail as a CIO
The awful truth about being a CIO is that there are a lot more ways to fail than to succeed.
- 5 Approaches to Software Strategy
Which approach are you using? Is it the best one for your situation?
- 8 Attributes of an Ideal Boss
How does your own boss rate? How does that rating affect your job performance?
- The Best IT Organization in the Country?
How do you answer the CEO’s question, “Is our IT organization the best in the country?”
- The Politics of Information Technology
You can’t avoid politics, but here’s how to deal with the associated problems.
- IT Lessons from a Manufacturing Shop Floor
Multitasking isn’t the best approach.
- Achievement is Not the Absence of Failure
You have to make things better for your business.
- 10 Rules for IT Job Success
Career advice for lower- and mid-level IT people (although the advice applies to executives as well).
- 5 Reasons Why IT People Love Lists
Lists are a great tool, but not for every situation.
- Heroes Don’t Scale
Heroism is great, unless it’s required on a day-to-day basis.
- Are You Wasting Your Resources on “Honey Projects”?
A children’s rhyme teaches a valuable lesson.
- You Don’t Have to Measure It to Lead It
I’m sick of people telling me, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” This article explains why.
- The Blind Men and Information Technology
When opposing voices disagree, sometimes all of them are wrong.
- Top 10 Reasons Why Men and CIO’s Don’t Ask for Directions
Avoid the stereotype, but learn from it
- Interview Performance Doesn’t Equate to Job Performance
Unless you’re hiring actors, you should try to see through the act
- How to Become a CIO
Eight skills you’ll need, and some practical advice
- Creating Wildly Successful Projects
Are your projects removing business limitations? Or are they just fluff?
- Information Overload: Why You Won’t Read This Newsletter
Are you being selective with your time? Or are you drowning in the incoming waves of information?
- Preparing for your own Hurricane Katrina
How prepared are you for an unexpected emergency? Do you know the difference between Risk and Hazard?
- Hiring like a Jigsaw Puzzle
It’s not the way most companies hire, but it gives you a much better result.
- IT Lessons from a Waitress
A bad experience in a restaurant can teach us a few things about the way that IT organizations relate to their customers.
- The Information Technology Merry-Go-Round
Stay in IT long enough, and you’ll find yourself repeating things like centralization and decentralization.
- Fixing Broken Windows (not the Microsoft kind)
The same approach that cleaned up New York City can be used to improve the relationship between IT and its end-users.
- User Training is Like a Joke
Humor can be based on misdirection. But it’s not funny when we misdirect our system users.
- If you’re stuck, get a Jiggler
If you’ve never heard the term, then you probably need one.
- Logic isn’t always the Logical Choice
The style you use for persuasion should depend on how someone wants to be persuaded.
- Why Middle Managers are Important
The four roles of a middle manager, and where they often go wrong.
- Don’t get stuck in a learning stage
There are four stages of learning, but you can get stuck at any one of them.
- Use their terminology – not yours
Your communication ability can be more important to your career than your technical ability.
- Julia Roberts, Training Wheels, and Bureaucracy
What do these three things have in common? They all point to a problem in our organizations.
- Acquisitions 101: Why Companies Acquire Other Companies
Only by understanding why acquisitions occur can you begin to anticipate the effects that an acquisition will have on you.
- How to Improve ROI and your Project Selection Process
How to solve the problems listed in the July newsletter.
- Why ROI Isn’t Working
Return on Investment (ROI) is probably the best known project ranking tool, but it’s a poor basis for project decisions.
- Hidden Consultants within your Organization
Your employees and customers know far more about your business than an external consultant. Here’s how to use that knowledge.
- IT is Moving toward Property Management
The role of the IT person is changing, and real estate property management offers some clues on what the future may hold.
- The world is non-linear—use it to your advantage
Many IT mistakes are caused by people thinking things have linear relationships. But there’s an up-side to non-linearity.
- Experience, Knowledge, Wisdom, and Better
Making things better is what it’s all about.
- The Opposite of “Project Risk” isn’t “No Risk”
It’s not enough to plan a project so that it will be on time and on budget; you have to plan for superior performance if you’re going to achieve it.
- When to Outsource and When to Offshore
What criteria should you use for making the outsourcing or offshoring decision?
- IT is a lot like Gift Giving
What’s the appropriate gift for your business? The same rules apply.
- On Time at the Wrong Restaurant
Are your IT decisions like those of a six-year-old kid?
- 3 Keys to Service Success
Capability, motivation, expectations. Simple to say, but much harder to do.
- Get Off the Train, and Join the Fleet
A different approach for motivating employees. It’s simple, and it works exceptionally well.
- Web Services aren’t the Answer…but use them anyway
The industry press loves to talk about Web Services. Learn what they’re good for, why you should use them, and why they’ll uncover hidden problems in your systems.
- What does folding a suit have to do with IT?
Learn the secret of folding a suit, and how it applies to IT.
- IT Doesn’t Matter?
If you believe a recent Harvard Business Review article, “IT Doesn’t Matter.” Here’s an alternate view on the subject.
- Driving Information Technology — Is the CIO Just a Chauffeur?
Is the CIO in your company just a high-priced chauffeur? Or is the CIO leading strategic use of IT within the business?
- How to Get People to Change—the human side of IT projects
What three things are necessary to get people to change? Failure to provide these three things is one of the leading causes of project failure.
Additional ways to find what you’re looking for
For a list of blog posts by a category, click on a category listed in the sidebar. Or click on a keyword in the “Tags” listing. Or you can find what you’re looking for by using the Google search box at the top of the sidebar.
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