InformationWeek

Dear Herb:
Thank you for your great insights and thoughtful sharing of a very long life of experiences in your "Simple Secrets of Success" column (InformationWeek, Dec. 15, 1997, p. 182). I thought it was great!

However, when I thoughtfully forwarded a copy (without your permission, I admit) to our new CIO, I was threatened with termination. What should I do now?

Thanks,

Dave F.

Dear David:
First of all, you should decide whether to send mail to me or Cindy. You might not recognize it from my columns, but occasionally she and I disagree on solutions. Of course, I am always correct, unless things turn out the way she predicted, in which case, she was either lucky or simply was able to anticipate that she would agree with me after I changed my mind.

Cindy's opinion on resolving your dilemma is that you should stop sending articles to people who are basically insecure. She feels that anything you say to them will only increase their individual level of paranoia and that they will react to it by blaming the poor souls who are unable to harm them -- namely you and your peers.

I, on the other hand, view your situation differently. It seems to me that if you have to deal with someone who has no sense of humor, it will be hard to advance in your job. So, no matter what happens, you have little to lose. Having some familiarity with the problems that your employer is having in manufacturing enough of its products to fill orders in a booming market, I think it important that you be supportive of your warm and wonderful new leader. Consider distributing the columns to your colleagues over the company E-mail system with the header, "Aren't you glad we have a great boss who, unless there was a good reason, couldn't possibly ever act this way?"

Should drive your CIO nuts.

Those of us at Gallo await your answer.

Jay

Dear Jay:
It's always a pleasure to address a question that raises the level of the column above the mundane technical and managerial aspects of our respective daily endeavors. The Kendall-Jackson chardonnay has just the right amount of aroma and body, coupled with a long, smooth oak finish to it. Besides, it has a great-looking label.

Secret CIO, come, join us on the dark side. The force (or at least the Gallo family) will be with you.

Thanks,

Dear S.:
Little did I know when I wrote the column and happened to mention what wine was being imbibed during that delightful dinner that I would be causing a furor. It is heartening to know that you and your colleagues take so seriously the art practiced by your employer. In the interest of fairness, I have to say that Gallo produces some serious wines, including an excellent Zinfandel, which I enjoy very much. I also like many of your other varietals, including those that you produce under labels other than Gallo.

Having said all of that, I am still a little concerned about joining you on the dark side of the force. Unless you can figure out a way to use your Luke Skywalker light saber to remove the cork without damaging the bottle, I am afraid that I will have to stick to being independent in the intergalactic wine wars.

In short, give your staff more reason to support you than to dislike you. This doesn't mean you should run a popularity contest, just foster a working environment that will pay you back in loyalty, successful work, and commitments met and (as always) on the bottom line. Ken

Dear Ken:
Your points are well-taken and good common sense. However, as someone once told me, if common sense were all that common, we would see more of it used.

It is unfortunate that more managers, not just CIOs, don't realize that 90% of being a good leader consists of having a clearly articulated vision, sharing credit for success, and providing the resources (training or otherwise) and moral support so that people can implement the future.

Listen to your people. Ask their opinions and then really listen to them. Employees don't vote for unions, they vote against management. The feeling is, if management won't listen, then I'll join the union and make them listen.

Try to avoid saying stupid things in their presence. Don't refer to them as "head count." Boeing president Harry Stonecipher didn't win any loyalty with his recent comment, "When we get to an efficient position, we ought to be able to lay off people."

John M.

Dear John:
Don't you just love it when you wind up being referred to as "a head count" or "a resource" -- as in "We need another resource on the project?" Drives me up a wall. Those who do that should think about how they would feel if they were in the hospital and a doctor spoke about them as "the gall bladder in room 304." Maybe that would make them think twice.

I was in the Air Force as a communication technician, focusing on the physical interconnection side of this business. I left the AF for a job with a large telco's government arm, and now do network engineering and design work as well as break-fix on the equipment and network. I'm well-versed in network communications, but have no certifications -- just 12 years of experience and a B.S. in CIS. I don't intend to do break-fix for the rest of my life. I want to change, but I don't know which direction to take.

The way I see it, I could go two ways: systems analyst or network manager-engineer. I want to make the move to systems analyst right out of the chute (I enjoy solving business problems), but I would walk in as an untested rookie just out of college. An IS manager from another local company said to consider coming onboard as a network type, and then moving into systems analysis. I think the initial compensation would be better if I took that road, but I would like to jump into the systems analysis business right away.

While salary is important, so long as it's in the general ballpark, it's not what drives me. I'm looking to make a long-term career decision. I believe the money will be there in the end no matter which road I travel. What would you recommend?

Respectfully,

Air Force Man

Dear Air Force Man:
With your background, I am sure that you recognize that it will not be easy for you to be hired as a systems analyst, except at a junior level. Even if you are, don't be surprised if you find yourself in a role where you are analyzing the network requirements for a project. In the event that you are put into a pure systems analysis job, it would be unusual for a person just out of college -- the untested rookie to use your words -- to be given the level of freedom you're probably accustomed to as a network engineer.

I think the local IS manager is giving you good advice. If you go with his or her company, or another business in the network role, you can become part of project teams where you can demonstrate your overall systems analysis skills. By working with different groups of people, you can then make a logical transition to systems analysis from a position of strength, since you will be a known commodity.