Whether you’re a trader/investor or have no interest in the market, this book has some interesting insights into ‘process’ and ‘solutions’. While the author is writing for traders, some of what he says can be applied to all areas of life. The one passage that really hit home for me was this one:

There are no external solutions to your internal problems.

Seems pretty basic…but think about it.

How many times have you noticed a problem, then immediately set out to find a solution via the internet and/or via asking your friends / family? Many times that approach has worked fine.

Its easy to find solutions for problems that have been solved before. But…not every problem is the same. And…not every problem is one that can be solved with ‘stuff’ or by someone else.

Sometimes…there are no ‘external’ solutions. Sometimes, the solutions to your problems lie within.

Oftentimes, you are the problem and the only way to solve your ‘problem’ is to look within yourself and work through whatever issues you need to work through.

But…the majority of the time, we don’t want to look at ourselves. We want to blame others. We want to find that ‘perfect’ solution that ‘must exist’.   We look high and low for the solution but never find it…because we fail to look inside and see that the solution is an internal one.

This happens all time in life and business.  How many times has your organization spent millions of dollars to solve a problem…only to see that problem remain (or get worse)?  Happens all the time.

Remember…there are no external solutions to your internal problems. Before going outside to find a solution, take a look at yourself (or your team / organization).  You might find a solution staring back at you.

Image Credit: Introspective By KaosBrutal (Retorn) on flickr

• The Fallacy of Information Overload by Brian Solis

  Quote: Information overload is a real phenomenon, but it is I believe, by design. It either works for us or against us and it is our choice as to which way the stream flows. To be clear, information overload is a symptom of over consumption and the inability to refine online experiences based on interest and importance.

• The Inexperience Advantage by Daniel Gulati on Harvard Business Review

  Quote: Inexperience doesn’t equal ineptitude, and we need to stop treating young professionals like second-class citizens. To those of you who think that your inexperience is a chronic disadvantage, stop. Don’t let anyone confuse your inexperience in performing a task with an inability to perform it. Instead, be encouraged and seize the opportunity to remain humble, play to your advantages, and show the world you can do better.

• Smart people don’t think others are stupid by Derek Sivers

  Quote: So when someone says “They are so stupid!” – it means they’ve stopped thinking. They say it to feel finished with that subject, because there’s nothing they can do about that. It’s appealing and satisfying to jump to that conclusion.

• How We Become What We Are Not by Geoff Snyder

  Quote: We are not born with an innate sense of distrust of others. We do not enter life with the belief that the Divine is external to us, watching us, judging us, loving us, or simply being indifferent to our plight. We do not suckle at the breast with shame about our bodies or with racial prejudice already brewing in our hearts. We do not emerge from our mothers’ wombs believing that competition and domination are essential to survival. Nor are we born believing that somehow we must validate whatever our parents consider to be right and true.

• The CIO & The Board – How to make this marriage work by Art Langer on WSJ

  Quote: One thing seems to be certain—CIOs are needed more and more at the board level. The value they bring as a driver of value is apparent; the question will be whether the CIO is ready to step up and provide it.

• Two Words That Kill Innovation and Creativity by Lindsey Caplan on LeaderLab

  Quote: It’s possible these two little words are killing the innovation and creativity of your team: “Yes, But”.

Taken with a Canon 5D and Canon 400mm 5.6 L handheld.

EXIF: 1/125 sec, f/8.0, 400ISO, 400mm. 0EV

Taken with a Canon 5D and Canon 400 5.6 L USM at f/8.0 and 1/125. I did a slight bit of PP (levels, very slight sharpening).

I spend a lot of time talking to IT professionals, managers and CIO’s as part of my job and as part of my ongoing networking activities. During our conversations, we talk about various topics but the most discussed topic seems to be around ‘value’ of the IT group and how IT professionals can demonstrate true value to their organizations.

Now…value is a very subjective term.  Every person and oganization thinks about ‘value’ differently, but I think the basic tenet of ‘value’ is this: “how can I / my team help the organization succeed”.   Of course…’succeed’ can be defined many different ways as well, but let’s save that discussed for another day.

Myles Suer with HP writes a nice piece that touches on the ‘value’ discussion in an article titled Real IT managers speak out about management and measurement on the Enterprise CIO Forum.  In this article, Myles relates some interesting questions that he’s recently heard from IT Managers. A few examples are:

• Several folks discussed the need to better demonstrate the value of IT—both for running the business and changing the business
• How do we achieve best practice, and then how do we measure and demonstrate that it to the business?
• How do we make sure that we are delivering the right services?

Sounds like questions/discussions I’ve had as well.

Myles responds with the following as a means to solve these issues and show ‘value’:

These questions point to something we talk a lot about at HP: the need to create a service-cost model for IT as well as the need to evaluate IT services through a business lens. A performance management system provides the fact-based evidence of how IT supports the business. It can also – when combined with financial planning and analysis – provide the numbers that enable IT to partner with the business to make decisions on service delivery and prioritization. With a performance system in place, IT leaders have a picture of how and when IT is adding value to the business and begin to optimize, managing assets across their full lifecycle.

Emphasis mine.

I would agree with Myles. Some form of performance management system should be able to tell the business what type of value they are getting from their IT group and investments.  But…what about the more ‘ethereal’ value that is much tougher to measure?  You know… the softer side of things (people, etc)?

I’ve not seen an IT / Technology performance management system that incorporates these softer  value ideas into it…have you?  Can you even really measure many of these soft values?

At the end of the, at least for the people I speak with, what most IT professionals want is the ability to point to measures that the organization has said are important and say ‘look…we are delivering what you need’.  A good governance and measurement system is necessary…but many times the act of measuring and managing measurement takes precedence over delivering.

That’s the difficult part of working in IT and leading IT.  Showing value  while also delivering on that value.

Image credit: Measured Currency by By Brooks Elliott on flickr

This post sponsored by the Enterprise CIO Forum and HP.

A new video over on the Enterprise CIO Forum with Bill Laberis in apost titled Are we setting CIOs up for failure?.

Bill’s video is embedded below for your viewing. Its short but asks a good question – Are we setting the CIO up for failure?

So…are we setting CIOs up for failure?

Bill thinks the answer is “Yes”. He points to all the things that a CIO is now being asked to do as proof…and says that the future CIO (and IT) must step away from a good portion of IT operations and put more focus on the ‘strategic’ activities.

Sound familiar? It should (if you are a regular reader).

That said…I believe operations is important.  Just as important as every other part of the organization. But…should the CIO be focused on operations?  Or…a stronger question…should IT operations go the route of rest of the operational staff within organizations (you know…the electricians, janitors, plumbers, facilities, etc)?

I don’t think so…but with the focus of most CIO’s on governance, processes and metrics, how do these CIO’s move away from operations and into the “C Suite” to talk about strategy and tactics instead of their focus on operations?

Do we see that split between operations and business technology that I’ve written about before? Or…do we see CIO’s stepping out of the operational mindset and allowing their staff to focus on operations?  I know many CIO’s who would have a hard time ignoring IT operations, budgets and the minutea of ‘running IT’ but I think they’ll have to do it.  That…or allow the business technology functions to run away without them.

What do you think? Are we setting CIO’s and the IT group up for failure by asking too much? Or…are we assuming that the IT professional / CIO cannot change their mindset and focus to  adapt and deliver what the organization needs them to deliver?

This post sponsored by the Enterprise CIO Forum and HP.

• Don’t Underestimate the Quiet Ones by Mary Jo Asmus on Aspire-CS

  Quote: In the end, we need all kinds of people in leadership. Don’t overlook those who are quieter than the rest. Get to know them, understand their strengths and determine whether your assumptions are correct. You might be pleasantly surprised at what the quiet can do for your organization when they are encouraged to lead.

• The Diffusion of the Consumerization of IT by Jim Harris on OCDQ Blog

  Quote: From my perspective, traditional IT departments are just now crossing the chasm of the diffusion of the consumerization of IT, and are conflicting with the business units that crossed the chasm long ago with their direct adoption of cloud computing, SaaS, and mobility solutions not provided by the IT department.  This divergence caused by the IT department and some business units being on different sides of the chasm has damaged, and potentially irreparably, some aspects of the IT-Business partnership.

• Why Authenticity Works In Social Media by Ali Goldfield on ADR Social Media

  Quote: So I’m here to stress that while it is important, as a Brand or business, to create an air of authority in your field, it is just as critical to really interact with your audience on their level. If that means asking questions on Facebook to create engagement or allowing comments on your blog in order to generate  a healthy discussion of your customers’ needs and wants, then so be it.

• Honing Twitter’s Power to Improve Healthcare Communication by Brian S. McGowan, PhD on Social Media Explorer

  Quote: If you ask physicians what they like best about the continuing education courses they take, they’ll tell you that they enjoy engaging with other doctors in the hallways; they love the interactivity of the sessions. If you followed those same physicians back to their workplaces and asked how they answer the questions that are raised over the course of a normal workday, they’d tell you that they consult with a colleague. What they won’t say, probably because they lack the perspective, is that the majority of learning that occurs over a medical career is social learning. My proposition is that social media applications, like Twitter, are the natural evolution of the social learning that takes place in hallways and lecture halls throughout the country. The added benefit is that social media can extend learning across time and space so questions can be posed, and answered, by broader audiences of healthcare professionals.

• Understanding Which Investments Should go to the Cloud by Mike Walker

  Quote: The truth is, most companies significantly underestimate the scope of change required to establish cloud services until it’s too late. In the traditional model, companies buy technology from a vendor as a capital investment, and continue to invest in maintaining and servicing it over time. With the cloud being a service, however, the financial model should be treated more like a utility, requiring the reallocation of budget from capital expenses into operating expenses.

I shot the heck out of old-faithful erupting and got lucky with this shot and got the rainbow I was hoping for. Captured with Canon 5D and Canon 24-105 L.

See more photos in my flickr photostream and/or my Zenfolio portfolio (where you can buy images). If you like my photography, feel free to support my addiction habit by visiting Adorama (affiliate link) to purchase new or used photographic gear. Or, if you are interested in renting gear before buying, try out my favorite camera, lens and gear rental site -  Borrowlenses.com (affiliate link) - the folks at Borrowlenses are awesome.  All proceeds from clicking the above affiliate links go to more photographs. 

EXIF: 1/1000sec, f/4.5, 45mm, 100ISO, 0EV

This post sponsored by the Enterprise CIO Forum and HP.

Martin Davis wrote a nice piece titled Is Consumerization of IT” really “Shadow IT” in disguise? where he asks a really great question….Is Consumerization of IT (which is something many people are talking about today) just another version of Shadow IT?

I’ve written about Shadow IT many times in the past and will most likely continue to write about it in the future.

In this article, Martin writes:

CIOs have long battled against Shadow IT and how to prevent, control, deal with or remove it. The arguments for doing this have usually revolved around security, compliance, supportability and business risk. Although IT’s fear of losing control has been an underlying theme.

Martin continues with:

The bottom line is that it is becoming easier than ever for the business to procure cloud based services without IT involvement and more worryingly without IT even knowing about it. Unless IT adopts a different approach to servicing the business they risk being sidelined.

Emphasis mine.

Most people believe that IT’s command/control focus (via processes, procedures, frameworks, etc) has been put into place for the simple fact that IT likes to ‘own’ things and ‘say no’ to any request. While its fun to joke around that IT is the place that pessimists go to work, its an important aspect of organizational life.   IT IS a place where NO is staid more than Yes in most organizations.  Not because its fun to do but because its necessary.

But…a ‘no’ can be delivered in many ways. Rather than say ‘no’ and nothing else, a ‘no…you can’t do that but you can do this’ could go a long way to soothing the ruffled feathers of those who’s requests were denied. Control isn’t a bad thing. But approaching control with a ‘no’ attitude rather than a ‘no…but…’ attitude would help go a long way toward helping keep IT away from the sidelines.

Its this denial and lack of alternatives that make people think they need to go ‘outside’ to find other solutions. Hence, Shadow IT’s growth in organizations. The consumerization of IT is just another fancy name for Shadow IT.

Martin ends his piece with:

CIOs must accept that IT cannot control everything and need to embrace the Consumerisation of IT given the massive benefits it can provide. They must find a way to help the organisation whilst still preventing it from doing something stupid.

Well said.

This post sponsored by the Enterprise CIO Forum and HP.

How do they know they are important?

Did someone tell them? Or…do they just “know” they are? Maybe a combo of both perhaps?

Regardless of how, if you /your team / your coworkers feel important to your organization, someone is doing something right.

Take a look at this ‘welcome’ letter that’s reportedly given to Apple employees on their first day:

HT: http://www.rescuemarketing.com/blog/2012/05/08/swim-in-the-deep-end/

Whether that is a real letter or not is beside the point.  What’s important is some of the content within that letter.

Take a look at the line that states “They want their work to add up to something.” That’s big.

Imagine getting a letter like this on your first day at work.  Heck…imagine getting it after you’ve been working at your job for 10 years.  When you get this message isn’t as important as getting it.

Messaging like this tells you that you are important.  It tells you that you haven’t already been marginalized by the ‘organization’.  It tells you that someone, somewhere cares.

Most organizations don’t take this approach.

Most places on-board employees using a process designed to get that employee into the ‘system’ and get all the proper paperwork signed.  Then…they put them in a cube and start throwing work at them.

The really good managers / organizations then take time to understand their employees needs and aspirations. They try to help their employees grow. They care about their people.

Others…don’t.

The poor managers / organizations marginalize their employees by forgetting that these people have aspirations beyond doing the job they are stuck in today. These poor managers / organizations use their employees without really giving any thought to whether their happy and/or whether they could do more for the organization.

I’m not asking for utopia here. I’m not saying put your employees above profits or performance of the company. But…spend a few minutes thinking about how you can improve your team’s (or your own) opportunities.

By ignoring the aspirations you are marginalizing your team. You create an environment where people feel stuck and unappreciated.  You are marginalizing your team.

Stop doing that.

• The Simplicity Thesis by Aaron Levie on Fast Company

  Quote: When technology was inherently and unavoidably complex, it was forgivable that solutions weren’t elegant and simple. It was at one time understandable that finding and visiting a new doctor could take weeks, or searching for enterprise information wasn’t successful. But with a myriad of elegant and simple solutions entering the market, users are learning to expect far more from their products. Simplicity has become a virus that will either destroy you or catapult you to the front of the market.

• The Social Power of Sharing Mistakes by Daniel Coyle on The Talent Code

  Quote: Mistakes are good.  Struggle makes you smarter.

• Is Social Media Leadership Critical for a CIO? by Chris Curran on CIO Dashboard

  Quote: In an ideal world, corporate CIOs would blog compelling content consistently, tweet numerous times a day and chime into a few well-chosen LinkedIn discussions on a regular basis.  This would serve multiple purposes: help to engage his employees in the public forums, build corporate brand, build personal brand and increase the firm’s attractiveness to new recruits. However, that’s not realistic for most corporate CIOs. They are simply too busy. Just because a CIO doesn’t engage in social media we shouldn’t discount her opinions or direction on how to orchestrate social media initiatives in the firm.  You don’t need to be an avid ERP user to lead an ERP-driven transformation.

• Reconsidering decisions by Seth Godin

  Quote: …failure to reconsider long-held decisions is just as wasteful. Should you really be in that business? Should this person still be working here? Is that really the best policy?

• Barriers to Change: The Real Reason Behind the Kodak Downfall by John Kotter on Forbes

  Quote: As Kodak became more successful, complacency grew, leaders listened less to these voices, which made complacency grow some more. It can be a vicious cycle. It certainly was at Kodak. And if you don’t address it first… good luck.