by Mark P. McDonald | September 28, 2010 | 4 Comments
This question came up in a discussion with a CIO and their IT strategist. They raised the point after we talked about the impact of new ‘lightweight’ technologies on IT such s virtualization, cloud computing and social media. These and other technologies can have a profound impact on IT services, economics, resources and strategy, Their [...]
Category: Strategy Uncategorized Tags: 2011 Planning, Business Strategy, IT strategy, Strategy, Strategy and Planning, Technology Leadership
by Mark P. McDonald | September 23, 2010 | 1 Comment
Royal Dutch Shell was founded more than 100 years ago from the combination of two companies. One of these companies the “Shell” transportation company was based on a simple premise. 5%. That was what Marcus and Samuel Samuel wanted for transporting oil on one of eight ships that were named after different types of seashells. [...]
Category: Leadership Tools Tags: CIO Leadership, Operational Leadership, Tools
by Mark P. McDonald | September 21, 2010 | 4 Comments
The question revolves around the role of the CIO on the executive team. Leading from the front describes a CIO that is proposing, encouraging and challenging their enterprise to take advantage of new opportunities, often ones created by technology innovation. Leading from the front is in contrast to leading from the back where CIOs contribute [...]
Category: CIO Leadership Strategic planning Strategy Technology Tags: 2011 Planning, Business Strategy, CIO Leadership, CIO strategy, IT and Business, Strategy and Planning
by Mark P. McDonald | September 20, 2010 | 2 Comments
No I have not read my calendar wrong, its just that today represents the first Monday of 2011. How can that be? Well a while ago on Memorial Day I posted a blog that pointed out that any solution implemented after Friday September 16th would not have sufficient time to deliver significant results in 2010. [...]
Category: Leadership Strategy Tags: 2011 Planning, Business Strategy, CIO Leadership, IT Leadership
by Mark P. McDonald | September 16, 2010 | Submit a Comment
Building business skills in IT is a consistent requirement for CIOs and IT leaders. The term business skills is broad ranging including specifics about your company as well as broader management concepts that shape the executive discussion. The challenge is one of time and money, as you cannot afford to send IT teams to get [...]
Category: Book Review Change on the cheap Leadership Strategy Tags: Business, Business Strategy, Management
by Mark P. McDonald | September 15, 2010 | 2 Comments
The consumerization of IT is something that Gartner had been writing about for some time. The idea that individuals will have access to more powerful technology in their personal rather than professional lives is certainly true. The focus of consumerization has been largely on its impact on the traditional IT organization and how they support [...]
Category: Personal Observation Technology Tags: iPad, IT Leadership, IT management, Management, Personal Observation, Powershift!, Technology, Technology Leadership
by Mark P. McDonald | September 14, 2010 | 2 Comments
The future of the economy is on many people’s minds and for good reason. While we cannot know if the future, one thing appears certain. We are living in a multi-speed world. I first heard of the term different economic speeds when I was in Australia. They point to two speeds: a top speed and [...]
Category: Strategy Tags: 2011 Planning, Economic conditions, Economic Recovery, Strategy
by Mark P. McDonald | September 10, 2010 | 2 Comments
Risk is a persistent issue in IT and it is based on the premise that you need to manage risk down, reducing it via various decisions, polices and investments. CIOs and IT executives see lower risk as a good thing, particular as it comes to operational systems and investments. That view defines risk as the [...]
Category: Innovation Leadership Strategic planning Strategy Tags: 2011 Planning, Business Leadership, Business Management, Business Strategy, Strategy and Planning
by Mark P. McDonald | September 8, 2010 | Submit a Comment
According to Gartner’s 2010 CIO Mid year survey, IT budgets remain tight and CIOs report having to move resources around to meet increasing operational and infrastructure upgrades in the face of tight budget and economic environment. CIOs face a year of leading in times of transition with continued economic challenges combining with changes in enterprise [...]
Category: Economy Strategy Tags: cost cutting, Economic conditions, Economic Recovery, Finance
by Mark P. McDonald | September 7, 2010 | 1 Comment
Buy In by John Kotter and Lorne Whitehead is a modern day version of how to influence people. The books basic premise is that having a good idea alone is not enough to create value. You need buy-in and a buy in that come from using spill, clear and commonsense responses delivered to both supporters [...]
Category: Book Review IT Governance Leadership Tags: 2011 Planning, Book Review, Change leadership, Change Management, Change on the cheap
