Your job just changed, effective immediately. No longer are you just responsible for your organization’s technology needs and policies. That just isn’t good enough anymore because shackled with those blinders on, you cannot exercise effective leadership. You can only respond to requirements and requests, not anticipate them.
Leadership is a generic term embodying a myriad of concepts and personalities. To some, it conjures images of Patten, or Rudolph Giuliani, or Jack Welch. Someone leading the charge, who can motivate masses to achievements they might never imagine.
It’s more than that.
For technology leaders, it is the ability to understand the industry and the business model of the organization of which they are in the employ, from a macro level down to the minutia of day-to-day execution; and then formulate and execute on technology plans that further the goals of the organization in the most efficient way possible.
It means understanding ROI and ROA as well as TCP/IP and DNS. It means regular interaction with, and response to, users (consumers) of your services. It means attempting to anticipate corporate or departmental direction and design efficient systems and processes that meet those needs.
But it’s more than this, too.
Leadership requires ownership mentality. You cannot lead effectively if you do not feel invested in the process, department, or organization. Don’t wait for someone else to bestow ownership mentality upon you. You may never hear your CEO challenge you this way. Leadership starts with leading yourself into this frame of mind. Consider everything through the eye of an owner. How would you make it better? Start with your own department and its processes. Put it on like a cloak. Improve it, optimize it, own it.
Admit it: Sometimes your baby is indeed ugly.
When you personally invest heavily it’s sometimes hard to recognize that your baby is ugly. Good leaders can detach themselves when necessary, step back, and take an objective look at their latest project. Will you be defensive, look for ways to optimize, or recognize the need to pull the ejection handle?
I’ve met far more aggressively defensive administrators than open-minded ones. The former are not assets to their organizations and are not good leaders. They will not admit to the ugliness and will be impotent or hesitant to take necessary corrective action. Take a moment to honestly assess your demeanor and resolve to work on the rough spots.
Sound like hard work? You bet it is. Leadership isn’t easy, and isn’t always fun. Understanding technology is already a full-time job and it doesn’t seem fair to heap business acumen on the pile. But you couldn’t be a good administrator if you couldn’t multi-task, right? So pickup a good business journal at Barnes and Noble this weekend and spin through it. Spend some time in industry journals or grab lunch with the CEO and pick her brain. CEO’s love to wax eloquent about their business dreams because they own them. And you should too.
