| “There has never been a better time to be a great leader, nor a worse time to be an average one.”
I thought about this quote, from MIT’s George Westerman, as we gathered tech leaders and IT communication leaders for a virtual roundtable discussion to reflect on the last few weeks, the lessons learned, and the silver linings. We know that the digital transformation efforts IT has spearheaded have paid off in a big way. Companies have pivoted to remote work and are seeing firsthand the value that IT is delivering.
But now that much of the “firefighting” is behind us, what comes next?
While so much is still uncertain, one thing is clear: We have to scrub “back to normal” from our vocabulary, as one of the communications leaders put it. This crisis is leapfrogging us into the next generation, which will be more virtual, tech savvy, and collaborative online.
And that’s where great leadership comes into play. This isn’t the time to be retreating. But we also can’t just plow through on the adrenaline of the moment, consumed by the daily whirlwind, with no line of sight to the broader view. Now more than ever, we have to lift our heads up and look beyond today. We have to anticipate, plan, and build on what we’ve learned with intention.
Stepping Up to the Challenge
This crisis has reaffirmed the value of IT and reminded us that there truly is no better time to be a great IT leader—and that it’s up to us to elevate our game and rise to the occasion. It will take courage, steadiness, and the confidence to be transparent, with our employees as well as our customers, while recognizing the challenges everyone is facing in this unprecedented time.
Part of being a great leader is being a dedicated, lifelong learner. Especially at a time like this, when we’re writing the playbook as it happens, we have to continually sharpen our skills and open ourselves up to new insights and ideas.
As a TechLX participant, you’re fortunate to have a ready-made community of peers who are not only connected by purpose but can relate to exactly what you’re going through.
So take advantage of the tools you’ve put in place! Schedule regular Zoom calls, share resources, crowdsource ideas. Above all, keep your subgroups going, and lean on each other for support, problem-solving, connection, and encouragement. Because none of us can afford to wait to become future-ready. |
| Put Your TechLX Learning to Work!
These are just a few of the principles you learned in The TechLX that will help you lead and navigate effectively during this time:
Focus on building and maintaining trust, both with your external clients and internal team: Trust improves collaboration and results.
Always communicate value: Business partners don’t care about DevOps, virtualization, cloud migration, or any other form of “IT-speak.” They care about the benefit. Focus on communicating value in a way that speaks to the business.
Be empathetic: There’s no question that the pressure’s on IT at the moment, but don’t get so focused on the day-to-day that you lose sight of what people are going through. Now more than ever, empathy is essential quality of great leadership.
Stay positive: It’s not easy when the news is overwhelmingly negative right now, but people are looking for steady leadership to guide them through these uncertain times. Be realistic, but also maintain a positive and optimistic outlook, and let that shine through in your communications.
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| | Through my work with and studying the best CIOs across the globe, I’ve identified a set of traits that differentiate the top performing CIOs and technology leaders, traits I call the 7 Cs:
Courage, Customer Centricity, Communication, Culture, Cultivate, Change Leadership, Collaboration
Join me as I unpack these traits through a series of highly engaging conversations featuring top CIOs, industry thought leaders, and bestselling authors. You’ll take away practical tips, action steps, additional reading, and resources to help you shift from defense to offense so you can “Cs” the day! - April 28 at 2 pm EDT: Courageous Leadership, with Bill Treasurer, author of “Courage Goes to Work”
- May 12 at 1 pm EDT: Changing the IT Narrative: The Journey from Good to Great (Customer Centricity), with Bob Solis, CIO, MIT Lincoln Laboratory Register now.
- May 28 at 2 pm EDT: Communication: Telling the Story of Us, with Claus Jensen, Chief Digital Officer and Head of Technology, Memorial Sloan Kettering
- June 9 at 2 pm EDT: Culture: Love ’Em or Lose ’Em – Building a Culture of Engagement and Retention, with bestselling author and thought leader Dr. Beverly Kaye
We’re continually adding sessions to this series, so be sure to check the webinars page for the latest updates and registration links. |
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Now’s the time to develop your skill as an innovative anticipator:
In a crisis, pessimism is natural, but realism is crucial:
Tech leadership for disrupted times:
Newly remote workers need peer coaching:
Different from peer mentoring, peer coaching is about two people helping each other validate and activate their own knowledge about themselves, which can help them in their work and daily lives. Managers should take these 5 steps to ensure peer coaching is successful.
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| Stay Connected: Share Your Thoughts + Insights |
| - How are you navigating this new environment? What concerns do you have, and what insights can you share with the community? We’d love to hear from you, and so would your fellow TechLX participants. Get in touch to share your stories, tips, and ideas, and get social (from a distance!) with the community by following and commenting on The TechLX LinkedIn page.
- Don’t forget: Add your TechLX credentials to your LinkedIn profile: Mentors, graduates, and sponsors, we encourage you to add your TechLX participation to your LInkedIn profile to demonstrate your commitment to your continued growth as an IT leader and your support for strengthening the IT leadership community.
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