Each industry has a number of organizations that unify professionals and enable them to network, collaborate, communicate and exchange ideas and knowledge. For me, one of such organizations, is certainly Educause. Educause is an association that unifies all of us who are in higher education (higher ed) information technology (IT) and provides opportunities for collaboration with colleagues and vendors. When …
Why leaders are not experts
As a leader one must motivate, inspire, set standards, coordinate, improve, communicate, collaborate and so on, but they should never mistakenly believe and act as if they know everything. There is a multitude of reasons why teams are built with people of diverse backgrounds, experiences, knowledge and education in order for them to complement each other and cover all responsibilities. …
Be passionate, yet remain cool, calm and collected
Passion is one of the most important attributes that influences what we do and act on each day. Loss of your passion and your drive will unavoidably result in a decrease in commitment, attention and quality of output. Once you stop caring about a project, process, job, organization…you check out mentally and it is noticeable to those who are observant …
CIO: one of the most rewarding positions
In my humble and somewhat biased opinion, one of the most rewarding positions is that of a CIO (Chief Information Officer). I say this based on their potential to influence positive transformation, change and growth within organizations. CIOs are uniquely positioned and have exposure and partnership opportunities with all business areas (finance, legal, marketing, operations…you name it, technology is involved …
Leaders think and speak clearly
Leaders listen to ideas, consider them, and then make their own decisions based on collective experience, knowledge and available information. While you should always be considerate, professional and respectful to your colleagues you should not agree with ideas and courses of action that you don’t believe in. If your experience, education and knowledge advise you against a particular idea then …
Best leaders are approachable and welcoming
If you were to take a moment and think about some of the great leaders you have worked with (hopefully you were fortunate enough to work for a few) what are some of their characteristics that were common across the board? One that comes to my mind, without a doubt, was their approach-ability and willingness to be there for staff. …
CIOs are joining Boards of Directors
Technology is a the core of nearly everything we do in modern business and as such it needs to be considered as one of the greatest opportunity and difference makers around. With this in mind, it is natural to see more and more technology executives, most frequently Chief Information Officers (CIOs) joining both boards and top management teams. These teams …
It’s simple: treat people how you want to be treated
When working with others, always do your best to be professional, respectful and courteous. Provide them respect, attention and dignity. No matter where they may work, above it all, they are people, just like you and your leadership role makes you even more accountable to ensure fair treatment of all employees. This extends across everyone you meet and work with …
Solutions first, rewards later
Focus on solutions for others, not benefits for yourself. This statement is based on a simple fact that if you provide solutions to others, benefits and rewards will come on their own in due time. Be proactive, step up and fill that void and focus on the opportunity of providing value to your coworkers, clients, partners and your success is …
Be a leader, not a decision maker
Leadership is earned, not given and as such you need to justify your privilege to lead others. Your title alone is not enough to make you a leader. Your position as a CEO, CIO, CFO, CMO, President, Vice President…gives you an opportunity to make decisions, not necessarily lead people forward. To lead others you must win their hearts and minds, …