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 …
Be honest, compete on value, not price
Honest and transparent approach will go a long way in customer acquisition and more importantly, customer retention. When it comes to your services and products it is important to be honest, sincere and transparent with respect to your strategy, cost and pricing that they may need to incur. Be honest with your clients and tell them the truth, tell them …
Document what you do and communicate often
Documentation is crucial in knowledge sharing, knowledge transfer, management and the operations as a whole. Additionally, any and all procedural or project changes must be documented and shared with everyone who is or may be impacted by this change. Document, verify and communicate frequently what you do, why you are doing it and how it impacts the mission and vision …
Push your employees over the edge then be there to catch them
Push your employees “off the edge” and be there to help them land safely. Get them out of their comfort zone and enable their growth, advancement and provide them with opportunities. At times, you will come across folks who lack confidence and belief in their abilities and it is on you as a leader to find a way to reinvigorate …
Scope creep will kill your projects
Managing the scope of your projects is an acquired skill, one that should not be taken lightly. If you don’t freeze the scope chances are that you will not deliver a successful project. It is as simple as that, if the requirements keep changing while the resources and timeline remain the same you are quickly approaching a point of no …
One conversation at a time, no side chatter & respect the calendar
Communication is an essential pillar in building successful teams, but at times, it needs to be managed. While in meetings it is essential for everyone to be on the same page and focused on the topic at hand. People must be both physically and mentally present and engaged into what the team is working on. This is something that I …
Say yes to opportunity
Opportunities are frequently unexpected and very commonly show up unannounced. How we react to them is what makes the ultimate difference in how valuable they become to us. I have already emphasized the importance of embracing opportunities and have shared a few examples last year which support the fact that opportunities and new clients don’t come announced which was, once …
Focusing on success and managing project expectations
Project management is an acquired skill, one that doesn’t come over night and is certainly not for everyone. As you are joining new project teams it is essential to do so with an open mind without any prejudices or preconceived notions. Listen to all ideas, think about them and consider them seriously. Learn from past collective experience, but leave any …
Leaders ask questions
As you get an opportunity to meet with people who are tasking you and your team with a project or an operational or strategic need please remember to ask relevant, clarifying questions. Clarify all that isn’t clear and ask questions as soon as you have an opportunity. Don’t make assumptions that someone else sitting around that table will ask the …
Set clear expectations, you are not a puppet
As the (wo)man, the myth, the legend continues to grow and your capabilities, accomplishments and skills become known to a wider audience you will often begin receiving invitations to join projects and tasks outside your current core responsibilities. These are great opportunities to learn new things, meet new people and help others with what you know so please take advantage …