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May 22, 2001

letter image Secret CIO image Your letters to my print column and E-mail forum raise some serious issues about managing information technology in today's world. Since today's world is essentially absurd, my serious responses may sometimes sound a little whimsical, and my occasional whimsical ones, serious. In any case, if you want to participate, or comment, write to me at lovelace@home.com. I reserve the right to edit for size and content. Just sign your E-mail the way you want it to appear online.

Pressing Concerns
Question

Dear Herb,
I just finished an MBA in IT management and have gone to work for a computer hardware manufacturer as a system engineer. I was hired to fill a tech support job, but was lured by the promise of a strategic role in moving some of this business unit's operations onto the Web. The company has all but flamed out an enterprise resource planning implementation and is now empowering the business units to go to the Web on their own.

The problem is that it's been over a month since I started, and the brain trust in our business unit has mumbled their way out of every planned meeting to discuss defining my strategic role and the scope of the project. The business unit manager has asked that I do not begin even an informal functional assessment, citing a propensity for people to get nervous about their jobs when they see a younger guy talking about how the Web can make things easier for them. But in conversations with the manager, I have been assured that there are no planned headcount or cost reductions associated with these efforts.

The senior and junior system engineers seem to be in conflict over what's in and what's out of scope, and may be staking territory. Everybody seems so busy all the time that I (and what my presence represents) keep getting reprioritized downward. It seems as though there is either hesitation to commence with a project that management fears will be disruptive, or a lack of clear vision as to how to use Internet technologies to improve operations.

My desire is to get a "quick hit" on a small-scope project to build some confidence in the business unit and in myself. How long should I wait to press the matter? What can I do to convince management to move on this and how can I avoid alienating the people in the business unit before I get a foothold?

Meantime, I sit in my cube and wait for the tech support line to ring while I put together a project plan with no project.

Benjamin

Dear Benjamin:
I can understand your desire to get started, but let's review the situation. You were hired as a technical support person and told you would work on a project that would Web-enable the business unit. You have been in the job for a month. There is no real agreement yet on objectives for the project, and the business unit head tells you not to talk to people about specifications because it will make them nervous. You want to move forward on at least a small project and are asking how, without alienating people, to convince management to move.

Okay, assuming that I have the story right, take a deep breath and repeat after me, "I will slow down and not try to change the world too quickly."

You were hired to do a technical support job with the understanding that when this Web-enabled business process project got underway, you would be a key person. You have been there a month and you are itching to get started on it. That's understandable, but your business unit manager doesn't want the staff getting unduly nervous. You have no alternative other than to honor that wish. Think about what you were told. Recognize that just because you have heard that no layoffs will occur doesn't mean that people will believe it.

Your boss sounds very smart to want to do some internal selling of the project before moving forward. To put it bluntly, designing specifications before there is real agreement on objectives is a guarantee of disaster--and you are fortunate that your leader is not falling into that trap.

It is normal to want to prove yourself, but if you want to do so without alienating those around you, and probably hurting the project when it is approved, you are best served by doing the job for which you were hired and trust the judgment of the business unit head--at least for a reasonable length of time. Put away those "project plans without a project" and concentrate on providing high-quality technical support. If too much time passes--say, six months--without additional progress on initiating the Web project, then it is probably time for you to re-evaluate your future at the company.

Big League Sales?
Question

Dear Herb:
I recently started my own business offering IT consulting services. I have two employees and a nine-month contract with a large telecommunication firm. As my business begins to grow during the next nine months, I want to learn how to sell our services to other companies.

Most of my professional career has been in developing code and managing projects. Now I want to learn to manage a business and sell IT consulting services. I have read plenty of books on management and leadership, and I have spent some time developing sales techniques, but I'm still having a hard time selling to CIOs and chief operating officers.

I have received some suggestions from peers in other industries, but I wanted to know if a sales technique is the same in the IT world. Since you have experience in these areas, I thought I would ask you how to develop a better selling technique.

I'm new to selling and very eager to learn.

Sincerely,
Jamie

Dear Jamie:
You are not alone. Almost everyone has trouble selling to CIOs and chief operating officers. The problem is that there are a lot of products in the marketplace and neither the CIO nor the COO have the time or the interest to evaluate them all.

I suppose there are as many sales techniques as there are dandelions in a meadow, but the same basic principles exist in all of them, to my knowledge:

You have to get the attention of the potential customer so that he or she will listen to you;
The customer has to believe that there is benefit in utilizing your product or service over those of others who compete with you;
The purchase from you has to be a priority to the customer.

Too many salespeople bombard potential purchasers with meaningless literature and endless platitudes (What Is It That You're Selling?) either via mailings or in person. Avoid this pitfall at all costs. Some selling techniques suggest that you use peer pressure (Selling Around The CIO) to get a CIO to buy from you. It is really a poor idea to try this approach, unless you want to ensure that you will wind up on the wrong kind of list in the IT department.

I think that the most effective way of convincing an IT organization to buy from you is to have good reference accounts, spend time with the people far enough down in the organization to care about what you are selling, and do your best to convince them that you will do exactly what you promise, when you said you would, and for the cost you quoted. If they trust you, they will be the strongest advocates for your services within the organization that you could imagine.

The Old College Try
Question

Herb:
I have been a successful IS professional for over 33 years and have held a variety of line and management positions for some very large companies. At the same time, I have been involved in adult education for over 15 years.

I took off four years from the rat race to do training and become involved in school administration (academic dean) on a full-time basis. Since then, I have found it almost impossible to get back into the "real world" of information technology in any capacity.

I did some Y2K work and management consulting for two years before giving up and returning to academia. Recruiters tell me it involves the old adage, "Those who can, do--and those who can't, teach".

As a CIO, how do you feel about my situation? I know several other people in the same boat that are looking for a good answer and an approach to getting back into the mainstream.

Thanks for your input.

Jon

Dear Jon:
How do I feel about your situation? I think it is a waste of potentially good talent by some unimaginative corporate recruiters. And I don't think that George Bernard Shaw's old adage is applicable to your situation.

There is a burning need in industry to train people continuously to understand and take advantage of new business tools and opportunities. That means that smart companies have a place for professionals who can intelligently evaluate, for example, such things as when to use distance-learning methods and when they are not appropriate. Further, to remain competitive, these organizations have to communicate and demonstrate their commitment to lifelong learning for their employees. In other words, if companies are going to use their human resources effectively, they have to implement programs that quickly and efficiently transfer knowledge.

It sounds as if you need to repackage yourself. Think about the problems that both major and small corporations have in meeting the challenges of a world that changes as rapidly as ours. Then, consider how you can add value by using your experience in academia and industry. It isn't by trying to be a better project manager than someone else; it's by leveraging the unique background that you can bring to bear on the problems that are faced by modern companies. Don't try to get back into the mainstream. Help create the new one.

Saying Thanks
Question

Dear Mr. Lovelace:
So often, in information technology, we find ourselves underappreciated. If our systems run smoothly, our users never know we went to such lengths to make our work invisible to them; if we make a mistake it is highly visible and we suffer for it.

Perhaps you do not suffer in the same manner. But I do not want to take the chance. I want you to know that your articles are appreciated.

Sincerely,
Janet

Dear Janet:
Thank you for your kind letter. I certainly get a lot of satisfaction when someone is thoughtful enough to write. Your larger point, about people in information technology frequently being underappreciated, is one to which I can relate.

Probably the most frustrating times in my professional career have been those moments when the people with whom I work have pulled off a major accomplishment--a big implementation goes smoothly, or a business unit is moved from one office building to another with no disruption--only for everyone outside of IT to take it for granted.

Once, when I came home complaining about the team being underappreciated, Cindy told me that the prime mistake of any IT shop is to make it look easy when it isn't. On the other hand, when was the last time that any of us ever called up the telephone company to thank them for making sure that the dial tone is always there?

So, I suppose the condition you describe--people never knowing the lengths we go to make the systems run smoothly, but being well aware when we make a mistake--is one that we have to accept. It comes with the territory.

Herbert W. Lovelace shares his experiences (changing most names, including his own, to protect the guilty) as CIO of a multibillion-dollar international company. Send him E-mail at lovelace@home.com.

NOTE TO READERS: As I've mentioned, I am planning to put my InformationWeek columns together into a book with a little bit of additional commentary around the events and people about whom I write. If any reader would like to be notified of such an event, please drop me an E-mail. Just use the word BOOK as the subject line.