You’ve written a great resume. But what about the cover letter?In my post 9 Highly Effective Habits of Great Technical Resume Writers I shared the approach of the best resume writers in order to create the most effective resume. I also tested automatic ‘resume builders’ to see if they can be used to create great […]
Great Resumes Arrive With Even Greater Cover Letters Read More »
Writing a great resume is a real challenge for most of us, and to get it near perfect we have to learn from the best. In my article ‘ 9 Highly Effective Habits of Great Technical Resume Writers ‘ I shared with you what I consider to be the best traits of the great resume
Do ‘Resume Builders’ Work for Technical People? Read More »
You may have noticed that SimonStapleton.com has been focusing a lot lately on landing that top job. It’s no surprise these posts have received a lot of feedback, as in this global economy, landing a well paying job is something that is highly desired. But how do you perceive your worth? Do your perceptions on
How To Calculate Rates in a Competitive Market Read More »
If somebody gives you feedback that surprises you, how should you respond? Defensively?… dismissively?… aggressively? Of course not. Here’s how.In last week’s installation of this series , I emphasized a key point: Feedback Is A Gift . In order to understand how other people perceive your personality and your behaviors, you need to be told
As A Leader, Your Personality Is Everything (Part Four) Read More »
What makes a great resume – one which you can’t put down? A great resume writer, that’s what. Through my years of IT management and recruiting IT professionals, I’ve seen countless resumes (in the 1,000s), so what makes me keep on reading some and put the rest aside for later reading?To compliment my recent focus
9 Highly Effective Habits of Great Technical Resume Writers Read More »
In Part One of this series we took a look at interview preparation by considering our confidence and nervousness before the event. This time we’re considering the importance of know what we want to get from an interview and we’ll also be looking at how we might dress for an interview.It’s fair to say that
What is the Best Way to Prepare for an Interview? (Part Two) Read More »
Here are 6 Powerful Questions To Ask In Your Performance Review – curated and road-tested over many years. Don’t start your performance appraisal without them!
6 Powerful Questions To Ask In Your Performance Review Read More »
Imagine if you thought you were doing a great job, but your colleagues and boss didn’t (and they don’t tell you). How would you feel?
As A Leader, Your Personality Is Everything (Part Three) Read More »
As a freelancer, you are likely to be in a disadvantaged position as far as personal development and feedback goes. Why? Well permanent employees, as a rule, are nurtured by their employers. You don’t receive the benefit of the development opportunities presented to permies, unless you create them yourself, and out of your own pocket.
As a Freelancer, You’re At A Disadvantage Read More »
Flunking an Interview is so disheartening. Not just because we fail to land the job we’ve banked on getting, but think about all the time and energy we’ve put into even getting in front of the interview panel, particularly if you’ve adopted guerrilla tactics and found a job that didn’t even exist before you created
What is the Best Way to Prepare for an Interview? (Part One) Read More »
Early in August, I asked for your help. I needed a dedicated commentator to beat the talented Chris Mahan (who won in August and September) to the mark of Commentator of the Month, and I would up the ante from the usual $10 to $20. We have a new winner! Enter Mark McClure (yes, the
October Commentator of the Month! Read More »
1. A friend just showed me that the Apple iPhone is the most sophisticated spirit-level on the market! Wow! It just goes to show how inventive and innovative we humans can be. The app I was shown is known as ‘A-Level’ and it’s a spirit-level simulator using the iPhone’s motion detectors to determine whether it is
4 ‘Unusual’ Technology & Computing Uses Read More »
What if I told you that you could exchange 3 hours of your time and just over 40 bucks for all the IT career guidance you’ll need to move from pure techie to IT Leader? You’d think I was nuts, right? Well I wish I had known about Mark McClure’s IT Career Engineer 12 years
A Review of Mark McClure’s IT Career Engineer Read More »
I’ve just released a Special Report on the subject of Why ‘Green’ and Other Niche Causes are Great Career Builders . If you’re an avid reader of this website you’ll know that I’ve discussed the opportunities that supporting niche causes, and being seen to do so, is a powerful means of raising your profile and
Special Report: Why ‘Green’ and Other Niche Causes are Great Career Builders Read More »
Last week I began discussing the subject of Personality , and why it is important to IT leaders. Your personality is your personal brand and it’s how people, particularly your followers, will expect you to behave. Your behaviors are the root of your leadership style, and consistent behavior is what makes that style predictable by
As A Leader, Your Personality Is Everything (Part Two) Read More »
Social Networking has become the main game in town for upwardly mobile professionals. It’s standard to find most of your colleagues on LinkedIn, Facebook or Myspace and involve yourself in a social community – groups and activities you share an interest in. Let’s face it, they save you so much time and energy in tracking
Are Facebook, Myspace and LinkedIn Good For Your Reputation? Read More »
You wouldn’t talk to someone who isn’t paying attention. Nor would you make a movie if you didn’t know who would watch it. So why do projects often deliver to a Business who isn’t ready to receive?Business Readiness is a loose term which can mean the Business’s ability to take on what a project delivers.
Do You Consider Business Readiness as an Afterthought? Read More »
A couple of weeks back I shared with you 35 free tools for IT, developers and business, and asked readers what free tools you like and want to share. Since then I’ve been testing out the entries and I’ve made my choice. The winning reader entry is: Maria, who writes for her blog ‘Never the
The Winning Reader Entry of the Free Tools Contest Is… Read More »
Unless you’ve been living on the moon for 20 years, the subject of outsourcing shouldn’t be new to you. It isn’t a new phenomenon but it has grown, as a business practice, to meteroric proportions over the last 10 years. The Indian economy owes much to the practice. And China has been a location of
When Outsourcing Goes Wrong Read More »
I bet you can’t guess who this is straight away:Age 23: lost a jobAge 23: was defeated in bid for state legislatureAge 24: failed in a business ventureAge 25: was elected to legislature
As A Leader, Your Personality Is Everything (Part One) Read More »
A popular comic strip once showed a soldier diligently watering a lawn in the rain. When a puzzled passer-by questions the need for a hose during a rain the solder answers he is simply following orders that the lawn must to be watered everyday. And then adds that soldiers are forbidden from disagreeing or questioning
The Hidden Advantage of Disagreements Read More »
I can announce that my first eBook The Essence of IT Leadership (Volume 1) is now ready for you to download! To download this eBook, hit the new eBooks page under Essential Reading (or just click here ). You’ll need Adobe Reader to read this eBook (you can download Adobe Reader here if you need
My First eBook Published! The Essence of IT Leadership Read More »
I was lucky enough to go to the Forrester Research IT Forum this summer which I thoroughly enjoyed as it crystallized a lot of my thinking and shone a torch on some important issues. My immediate reaction was to look at the Industrialization of IT , and it’s impact on the workers within the industry.I’ve
Forrester Research: High-Impact Innovation for IT Leaders Read More »
If you’re responsible for developing new leaders, or if you’re an emerging leader yourself, then don’t forget that what we learn and experience in our ‘everyday’ lives act as strong reminders that we’re all Leaders.Leadership isn’t something we tend to switch on and off. A leader in AI integration consulting doesn’t just walk away from
Why Leadership is Inevitable Read More »
The Best jobs aren’t advertised in the newspaper or on the web. Much like real estate, the best of the bunch are snapped up before they ever hit advertisements. If you scour job ad sites or the back pages of a paper, then you’re really looking at the jobs the top people don’t want. You’re
How To Search The Invisible Job Market Read More »
Some of the worst-hit organizations in an economic downturn are Charities. According to analysis performed by consulting group nfpSynergy, there is a direct correlation between economic output of a country (known as Gross Domestic Product, or GDP) and charity income. So until the end of this month November I am going to help Cancer Research
The SimonStapleton.com Cancer Charity Fundraiser Read More »
Most organizations use Microsoft Project as a project management tool. Microsoft have enjoyed many years of domination of the corporate project management tool market. Competitors like Clarity have challenged Microsoft, but MS Project remains dominant. And with recent enhancements its users can web-enable it on their intranet. Then add on Microsoft SharePoint and you have
Ten Web-Based Project Management Tools Read More »
I was in a deep-thought moment and struck upon this analogy!Managing Techies is like driving a car because…You have to steer it, but you shouldn’t try to turn the wheels yourself – techies need direction and guidance, but really don’t want you to do their job for them, so don’t attempt it. A common mistake
8 Reasons Why Managing Techies Is Like Driving A Car Read More »
Are you in need of a confidence boost, or a reassessment of your career path? The Global Financial Crisis is creating turmoil in many industries (e.g. retail, financial services, manufacturing, construction) so we all need to keep our finger on the pulse of employment, the job market and career opportunities.There are a number of positive
Your Career Checklist During The Global Financial Crisis Read More »
The video below is a demo… of something… can you guess what it is? Take a look and see how long it takes you! How long did it take you to guess what the demo was for then? 10 seconds? 30 seconds? 1 minute? Is this the future, today?
What Is This Video Demonstrating? Read More »
You might be interested in looking at this FREE White Paper from Oracle on this subject. Their blurb says: Strengthening internal controls for regulations, enforcing industry best practices, and guarding against insider threats are just a few of the challenges facing organizations in today’s global economy. While problems such as the insider threat are certainly
FREE Oracle White Paper: How To Automate Audit Collection and Analysis Read More »
The Open Source movement continues strongly, and with it comes a greater number of more powerful free tools and applications. After a long week of scouring the web for the best free programs, I’ve compiles a list below where you will find a great selection of tools and applications for those in the IT/Development and
35 FREE Tools for IT/Developers And Business Read More »
I was researching a subject when I found something on YouTube. Just take a look at this load of crap (below). I’ve not seen such self-important, head-in-the-clouds nonsense since watching Oprah. I just don’t buy this ‘Enterprise Architecture Solves World Hunger’ angle at all. I’m wearing one of De Bono’s Black Hats for this. Maybe
What A Load Of Tosh! Do You Buy This? Read More »
Are workaholics the saviors of an organization? Do they add more value because they work more hours? A CEO of a reputed organization once said he has been working more than 90 to 100 hours a week for many years, and jokingly adds he should have done more. And in another reputed car manufacturing company
Workaholics Are Not Role Models Read More »
According to this latest Microsoft commercial, everyone is a PC. Hmmmm… interesting angle. But I am standing firm. I am NOT a PC. Here’s why: When I upgrade something in my life (like a car), I really upgrade it, not just stick bling on what I had before. I won’t be told to upgrade until
I AM NOT A PC. Are You? Read More »
Twitter is the ‘micro-blogging’ service that has grown to 3m users wordwide in less than 3 years because it provides the simplest social communication platform around. It’s used by kids, pensioners, young adults, well – everyone. It’s being used by business as well. Here’s how.The beauty of Twitter is that it is simple. You can
Using Twitter As A Business Communication Tool Read More »
My new eBook ‘The Essence of IT Leadership (Volume 1)’ will be launched next week, which gives readers insights into the essential ingredients of building and leading IT teams. It’s written of the back of many years of experience and lessons learned from myself and a number of colleagues and friends in the industry, worldwide.
Subscribe to my Newsletters to Receive My New eBook Read More »
How should we measure the value of the Business Analyst?
How Do Business Analysts Measure Their Value? Read More »
He has done it again! Congratulations to Chris Mahan (http://chrismahan.blogspot.com/ ) for winning ten bucks – he is September commentator of the month! (Retaining his August commentator of the month title too) Chris, this is now $20 I’ve awarded you in total. If you’re spending it on burgers, watch your cholesterol.
September Commentator of the Month! Read More »
The last quarter century has seen the rise of the Super Geek. This recent CIO.com article features 11 Super Geeks that have transformed society by disruptive technologies. This collection of individuals, if together, might be confused with the cantina in Star Wars, but their combined wealth is a hundred squillion dollars (roughly). Who are they? Alan
Who Are The Super Geeks? Read More »
Are you considering moving job? Is your current job at risk? I can share with you Six Expert Tips for negotiating your salary, should you need them. But once you have read them, can you do any better? Then let us know.1. Fully grasp what you want, and what you don’t want. Make sure you’re
Can You Do Better Than These Seven Ways To Negotiate Salary? Read More »
My Grandmother might not know it, but Web2.0 has created a social revolution. It has changed the way people interact, network, learn and organize forever more. But were businesses ready for it?I recently contributed to the ‘Silicon.com CIO Jury ‘ who asked whether organizations were ready for the Facebook generation , and it seems that
Were Businesses Ready for Web2.0? Read More »
CIOs don’t become c-level through luck – so why put your career to chance?Silicon.com have just run this story to highlight the important of having a career plan. CIOs don’t let their career become a game of wait-and-see, but they actively plan for it. But many people don’t do this, but instead meander their way
Punch Above Your Weight! Drop Some Business Steroids – Get Your CIO Career Plan Read More »
#$%% INFORMATION OVERLOAD !!)>%% If you’re anything like me, you’ve got far too much to read and not enough time to read it. Papers, emails, forms, magazines, books, websites and blogs. Loads of stuff to read. It’s always helpful to have a way of sorting the wheat from the chaffe! Merlin Mann on his blog
How To Decide If A Book’s Worth Opening, in 90 Seconds Read More »
In a recent post on her blog, Elizabeth Harrin shares with us some research from Forrester which (in her words) reminds us that projects are about people, not technology. Elizabeth Harrin is a blogger (a girl’s guide to project management) who won the ComputerWeekly 2008 IT Blog Awards in the Project Management category. Her post
Projects Are About People, Not Technology (According To Elizabeth Harrin) Read More »
Many of us are nervous about the future – are there job cuts around the corner? Well here are seven ways to appear busier! Don’t be at the top of the list of people in for the chop. Roll your sleeves up. And I mean this literally. Sleeves rolled up sends a message that ‘I am busy
Seven Ways to Look Busier and Keep the Axe from Falling On Your Head Read More »
Check out this tiny keyboard featured on Gizmodo . Smaller than the size of your hand, and it connects up to your PC via USB. How sweet. But what’s the point in it? It’s a little bit smaller than most laptop keyboards, but then laptops come with keyboards so no use there. I doubt many
Will You Get One Of These Tiny Keyboards? Read More »
One of the most difficult tasks as a Technical Professional is helping non-technical people to understand technical subjects. Do you struggle to get your point across sometimes? Probably, Yes. Is in an art form? Yes I think it is. So is there an approach which can help us? Yes, and I will share it with
How To Successfully Articulate the Meaning of Technology Read More »
No amount of preparation is too much preparation if your short-term employment prospects look bleak – there’s a big buzz on the ‘doom ahead’ in the blogosphere and here is a link to a post on Mark McClure’s website markmccluretoday.com I thought I’d share. This post can be used as a sort of ‘blog carnival’ for
Credit Crunch: Two Great Tips On Preparing For The Elbow Read More »
IT Sales is a tough job. IT buyers don’t suffer fools gladly, and they aren’t tricked by the usual methods employed by door-to-door vacuum cleaner salespeople. IT Sales has developed into an artform, so it’s vital you stand out from your bustling crowd. Here are five FREE ways to do this: Call your prospects at
Five FREE Ways to Stand Out From Other IT Salespeople Read More »
A general dictionary defines escalation in many ways like, "Increase in intensity, magnitude, bypassing the immediate person, and so on." Applied to workplaces escalation is usually a formal process in many IT and non-IT projects. For example, if certain employees are unable or unwilling to do a certain activity they are accountable for, then it
Don’t Underestimate the Dicey Art of Escalation! Read More »
Right now, every business will be looking at its finances. With volatility in financial markets, it’s time to take another look at budgets and expenditure to insulate your business from the downturn. What should IT leaders do? Cut, cut some more, but don’t cut deep.If you control budget and expense it’s likely you’re already involved
How To Respond To The Current Financial Markets Crisis Read More »
Why do IT Projects fail? There are 10 reasons why failed projects end up that way
Ten REAL Reasons Why IT Projects Fail Read More »
Being a freelance web developer, I rely very heavily on my personal and business connections and relationships, and odds are that you do too. Having a lot of connections and/or references and friends “in the business” can be extremely helpful to anyone, but it’s really what and how you interact with these people that makes
How To Use Your Connections to Increase Your Productivity and Overall Success Read More »
I was recently invited to join the Silicon.com CIO Jury , and I’ve had my first opinion posted. In this article, I comment on whether Businesses are ready for Facebook generation. Simon
I am making a bold claim: this book will inspire and surprise you. Originally published in 1966, the book remains essentially the same amazing content, although many examples shared by Drucker are updated.Peter Ferdinand Drucker (1909-2005) was a prolific writer and management consultant who today is considered to be the father of ‘modern management’. He
The Most Inspiring Book I Have Read! Peter Drucker’s ‘The Effective Executive’ Read More »
If you have read any of Dan Brown’s books, you’ll know he writes ripping yarns of action and suspense. He is the master of the edge of the seat. His books have become very popular and has seen the Da Vinci Code told as a blockbusting movie starring Tom ‘Forrest Gump’ Hanks , and Angels
Get This! The Author of Da Vinci Code Clearly Doesn’t Understand Succession Planning Read More »
Building a public profile nowadays, it seems, is an essential part of developing a career. Even when you’re in a job that is predominantly inward looking (such as support or facilities) your external profile remains important to be competitive, as the reality of today is that potential business partners, employers and investors are increasingly looking
Building a Public Profile: A Success Story Read More »
Finally! RIM comes out with a version of their ubiquitous Blackberry device that doesn’t look like those mobile label printers that warehouse clerks and IT quartermasters use! So you don’t need to be embarrassed again for holding one up to your ear in front of your esteemed business colleagues. Up until now, using my Blackberry
Organizations who want to successfully take advantage of the opportunities of doing business with India must first understand the complex kaleidoscope of this country and the way Indian people think, act, see, hear and believe. Doing business with India is more than just technology, contracts, quarterly earnings, leadership, customer satisfaction, business value and other jargon.
Learn India in 12 Easy Steps Read More »
Email is no more just another way of communication in this Web2.0 generation. Our dependence on robust email has increased significantly, and every time we open our Outlook, it can sometimes remind us how careless we have been in organizing our emails and contacts. When we deal with 100s of email every day, it often
Review: Inbox, Xobni spelled correctly Read More »
Barack Obama has publicly stated (I assume in his Government, should he get in) that organizations who outsource overseas won’t get tax breaks. What tax breaks though? In the US, organizations don’t get tax breaks specifically for this. And what has an organization’s choice of outsourcing got to do with politics, I would add –
Barack Obama Makes His (Pointless?) Play on Outsourcing Read More »
I can look back on my career now and laugh at some of the things I did, and in some cases I cringe like crazy to the point my toes curl up and I look like I am wearing Turkish slippers. Naivety provides great learning . In this article I am looking back at five
5 Major Gaffes I’ve Made as an IT Manager Read More »
I was surfing around YouTube and found this TV commercial for the Intellivision from Mattel Electronics – my first ever electronic gadget. I had one of these back in 1984 before I had my first home computer. I loved it at first, but became bored of it because I couldn’t program it and make my
A Blast Of Nostalgia! Read More »
It is not even 10:00 am on Monday morning and it is already time to rush into one of those dreadful weekly status report meetings, a ritual that started sometime in your previous birth. You know for sure that no one will have anything substantial to report, or a few trumpeters will hype up their
Unusual Cures For Boring Meetings Read More »
BPM, or Business Process Management, is a growing sector of Business Technology. Forrester Research forecast growth over the next five years to be between 17.5% and 35.5% (why do they have to use fractions in these figures? We get the picture – Lots!) So if it ain’t happened to you yet, then there is a
How To Build Your Vision for BPM Read More »
In Google’s usual style, there was a bit of a fanfare yesterday (September 2 2008) for the launch of their new ‘killer’ browser, Chrome. Google’s brand and penetration will make it an overnight success and I am confident that it will displace Internet Explorer (further) and Firefox (less so) in the consumer PC market. But
If you have the habit of reading business magazines, management books or articles you will definitely encounter countless references about various super performers (or hyper efficient employees) that exist in various organizations, departments, teams, etc. Of course, the definition of a super performer is a subjective term that can vary from manager to manager or
Beware of Your Super Performers Read More »
Congratulations to Chris Mahan (http://chrismahan.blogspot.com/ ) for winning ten bucks – he is August commentator of the month! Don’t spend the money on candy – it will rot your teeth!
August Commentator of the Month! Read More »
I’m reviewing Amazon.com in this post…… er yes it might seem strange to review a business that almost everyone knows and uses. Having said that, it’s a great reason to review it.By the way. This is NOT a Paid Review!
A Review of Amazon.com Read More »
If I had a few cents for every mistake and/or error I made during my time as a freelancer, then quite frankly, I wouldn’t be developing websites.
Mistakes I Made as a Freelance Web Developer and How To Avoid Them Read More »
Although it is very true that the best innovation comes from inside your organization, sometimes it is preferable to seek outside help from unusual sources. Innovation is about doing things better. It’s also about challenging one-self and the status-quo we find ourselves in, and it can result in major step-change as well as continuous improvement.
Outer-vation – How To Get Innovation From the Outside Read More »
I’ve just seen an article on CIO.COM which suggests 24 alternative careers for IT professionals. The article is off the back of the belief in the disappearance of tech jobs from the US, but this is true of Canada and Western Europe also. The article, written by Meredith Levinson, looks at the skills and experience of common IT vocations
Alternative non-IT Careers for Tech Workers Read More »
Meetingwave.com is a fast-growing networking site that aims to connect business people (predominantly) offline. It helps you arrange meetings in the flesh with people in the areas you’ll be visiting. I found this to be an interesting concept, so I thought I’d review the site for my readers. This is not a paid review! Meetingwave.com
A Review of meetingwave.com Read More »
Have you used mindmapping as a communication tool? Mindmapping is not new (in fact it has been used for centuries), but it is becoming increasingly popular in business as a tool for organizing thoughts and ideas for personal use and more increasingly in teams over the enterprise. What’s more, the output of mindmapping tools are
The Penetration of Enterprise Mindmapping Tools & Technology Read More »
Last week I wrote an article about the really embarrassing issue of not knowing when your website is down – particularly before your boss does. Does this still happen to you?Have you got a story along these lines? And how did you solve it?
Web Outages – What is Your Story? Read More »
As soon as the word bad boss is mentioned most people start imagining pictures of a wicked person, a crook, a tyrant, a scheming backstabbing individual, a selfish ogre, etc. And typical textbook definitions of a bad boss is one who screams, threatens, intimidates, grabs credit, fires people, throttles people’s necks and so on. While
Brilliant Basics: When Good People Become Bad Bosses Read More »
One of my more popular articles recently has been ‘12 Behaviors Most Disliked by IT Professionals ‘ in which I shared the 12 things IT professionals hated the most about their leaders. In this article, I will be addressing one of these – when the objectives of different leaders are misaligned.
How to Piss Off IT Professionals: Misalignment of Objectives Read More »
Only last week I wrote that asking questions is one of the most powerful leadership tools there is. Since then I’ve connected with an aspiring IT Manager and Author, Thejendra BS. Thejendra is based out of Bangalore, India. Thejendra wrote a great article that compliments my recent post – so I am sharing it with you.“HOW TO ASK
UPDATE: How To Ask Questions to get Great Results Read More »
I’ve just read an excellent article, written by Ann All, on the IT Business Edge website that discusses the working environment that IT professionals prefer to work in.What I like about it is Ann’s honest view about the conclusion that IT people like to work in a positive, challenging environment. I’m pleased that IT people see
Money Isn’t Everything, According to IT Professionals (who responded) Read More »
I have been a developer myself, and I know many developers. The nature of these beasts, in general terms, tends to be outside of the ‘corporate norm’, as quite frankly, development requires abnormal skills (I mean that in the nice way!) However, customers and colleagues of developers who fit in with the norm can sometimes
8 Easy Tips on How To Create a Professional Image as a Freelance Developer Read More »
One of the most embarrassing events to happen to me is when my boss has asked me why our company website is down. I didn’t know it was down – and it was. Yellow Pages down the pants-time. One easy way I found to get to know first is to use a website monitoring tool.
Know When Your Website is Down Before Your Boss Does! Read More »
Management science couldn’t warn Churchill of the strong link between the Leader, Followers and Situation. This is called the Leader Follower Situation Model.
See the Leader Follower Situation Model in Action Read More »
I’ve often written about Lightworkers and Darkworkers. There are similarities between the boy-hero and Lightworkers I thought might be fun. He trusted his instinct and acted upon it:Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: A New Hope switched off his targetting computer and trusts his instinct when firing that bomb thing into the Death Star. What a guy. Lightworkers
5 Reasons Why Lightworkers (in IT) are like Luke Skywalker Read More »
Asking questions is one of the most powerful tools a leader can use. Young children use questions from an early age to find out how the world, and people, works. The great thing about questions is that they enable a leader to direct and instruct without actually giving directions or instructions, and the result of
How To Ask Questions to get Great Results Read More »
Opinion isn’t one-sided! In response to my recent article on the 11 behaviors most disliked by IT leaders, here are the 12 behaviors most disliked by IT workers of their managers/leaders. This list was created from surveying some of the IT professionals I know and connect with from a number of countries and industries (56
12 Behaviors Most Disliked by IT Professionals Read More »
I’ve just seen this article on CIO.COM which lists the top 10 annoying aspects of social networking, according to PCWORLD. Number 8 in their list is a comment about LinkedIn being ‘uptight’ – the article goes to say:
LinkedIn isn’t for Lovesick Teenagers Read More »
I’d like to point you to a brief but useful article by Loraine Lawson I found on ITBusinessEdge which discusses cost saving on integration projects. Loraine gives three tips for ensuring your integration project delivers value and isn’t pumped up with hype. Vendors are aggressive in their sales tactics as the prize is high, and particularly
SOA and Integration – Buyer (Be/A)ware…? Read More »
A couple of weeks back I wrote about the most disliked behaviors in IT departments, and one that 80% of IT leaders felt strongly about was the rise of the Merit-Whore. A Merit-Whore is someone who persistently and unfairly takes credit for the work of a team or a subordinate. Why does this happen?In most
It’s Leaders Who Create Merit-Whores Read More »
I Have A Tenuous Link With Bill Gates Because… … I once bought a pizza (although I didn’t eat it) from a Seattle restaurant that Bill Gates frequently used in his teenage years!
My Tenuous Link To…. Bill Gates Read More »
Do you still sense a big gap between the IT and Business?What do you think should be done about it?There is still quite a big gap in my opinion, and although it is reducing over time, there is still a perception of IT that it is all about tape-reels, basement rooms and fan-fold print outs!
The IT-Business Divide – Still Wide and Still Alive? Read More »
I recently wrote about the 11 Behaviors most disliked by IT Leaders, and #9 in that list was: Email-itis – in other words, staff using emails rather than interacting with each other in person. The added hatred was the use of blind copy and the overuse of copy to a wide audience
Leaders Must Exorcise The Curse of Email Read More »
Following my recent article, I’ve found an excellent article on the HBS Working Knowledge website which discusses the tendencies of women who are finding it easier to move jobs and maintain their star profile.This article shares the results of research that shows that females are generally more apt at switching jobs and preserving their ‘shine’, when compared
Update: How To Find a Much Better IT Job, Even in Recession Read More »
To most people outside of IT, SOA is really dull. I hear business people talk about it as ‘hype’ and an ‘excuse’ to delay work. Well that might be true in some cases. But I think it is more likely because of a lack of understanding and appreciation of the potential upside.I recently wrote about
How To Sell SOA to Your Business Read More »
These two people are the most powerful in your organization…
The Two Most Powerful People in an Organization Read More »
It wasn’t long ago that I advised you to feel confident in moving jobs, if you’re a master at your subject . I thought it would be interesting to think about more than moving IT jobs, but getting a better IT job. How could you do that? I’m going to caveat this by saying the
How To Find a Much Better IT Job, Even in Recession Read More »
Good leaders know what they value and what their values are, and they recognize the importance of ethical behavior. The great leaders consistently and recognizably exhibit their values and ethics in their leadership style and actions. But what about the values that your organization declares it honors in corporate brochures, office posters and standard desktop
Do You Know If You Live Your Organization’s Values? Read More »
Congratulations to DigitalMind (Jason) from TechieNation.com for winning ten bucks – he is July commentator of the month! Don’t spend all the money at once now!
July Commentator of the Month! Read More »
What if bricklayers worldwide all upgraded their trowels for more ergonomic versions with gold-plated handles, but they weren’t compatible with some brands of mortar and were slower to use? The economy would slow down further as the brickies couldn’t complete their work, or on time. Well this is analogous to what Windows Vista could bring,
Would You Back Your Business on Windows Vista? Read More »
Last week I met with 20 CIOs and other senior IT leaders over dinner and we approached the subject of behavior in their departments. We went around the table sharing the behaviors we would most like to see the back of. So I noted them down to share with you.I should first say that, of
11 Behaviors Most Disliked by IT Leaders Read More »
This is my first article aimed at IT Sales. Selling technology is not easy, particularly in this Web2.0-fuelled, open-source aware, web-enabled environment. There is always a competitive product, and sometimes the competition might be available for free. Sales calls are a wonderful bevy of pleasantries and good intentions. Sales, though, are not won or lost
How to Avoid Wasting Time When Selling Technology Read More »
Successfully sharing your vision for technology in your business is a constant challenge. If there was a silver bullet to this, it would be worth more than its weight in gold (nice metaphor, eh?) The IT vision isn’t something owned only by the CIO, it is a product of many people in the organization. Once
How to Successfully Share Your Vision for IT Read More »
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The last six weeks have been an interesting time in the world of virtualization. In late June Microsoft released their final version of Hyper-V, their new virtualization platform built into Windows Server 2008. Hyper-V has been widely anticipated, as Microsoft’s absence from the enterprise virtual market has left VMWare and some smaller players free to
Is Virtualization a Buyer’s Market? Why it is a Real Opportunity for IT Read More »
I found this great article on CIO.COM , which discusses ways to raising the awareness of the value you create. I strongly recommend you take a look at it. What I like is the tips are simple and straightforward, and anyone can implement them – you don’t have to be top brass. And they’re fun!
Putting Your Value in the Spotlight Read More »
Ring-tone… A few years ago when cellphones had taken off commercially I turned up at my friends place and the door was answered by his wife – my friend had gone out. She said I should wait, so I followed her into the kitchen where she started to pick up the body of a wired
A Funny Story I Was Just Reminded Of! Read More »
The average tenure of an IT professional in an organization is still around two years on average, but there are exceptions where workers stay around what seems forever. Why?I know of several dedicated, experienced IT professionals in the US, UK and South Africa that are in a ‘trap’ – i.e. they feel stuck in a
Why IT People Don’t Move Jobs Read More »
It’s so easy to be alerted to new articles on this website every day by Subscribing to my RSS Feed. It’s simple, and you can use your favorite RSS reader by adding the feed address below or simply view it using the Free RSS viewer with Feedburner – just click on the link! What’s more I’ll be giving
Be Enlightened Each Day! Read More »
When you’re headlong into a programme of work which requires significant process change, it is so easy to forget about the people the processes have an effect on. I’ve just realized this to my dispeasure!Right now I am involved in a programme of working changing IT delivery processes, that covers the standard ITIL approach of Release
A Painful Reminder About Change Management Read More »
Lightworkers and Darkworkers are rare(ish) people who are polarized around a deeply ingrained intent. Lightworkers live and breathe to service humankind, whilst Darkworkers live and breathe to serve only themselves. The remainder of people on this earth could be described as Greyworkers, who tend not to know who they serve.I’ve written about Lightworkers and Darkworkers
Why I Prefer to Work with Darkworkers than ‘Greyworkers’ Read More »
The majority of freelancers in IT have their head in the sand, as far as their personal performance goes.IT leaders from across several industries have commented to me that freelancers tend to move from appointments without seeking feedback on their performance. It’s estimated that over 60% of freelancers do not receive regular feedback on their
Freelancers Tend to Have Their Head In The Sand (and Nine Free Course places available!) Read More »
