Should An IT Leader Follow His/Her Dream Career?

I bumped into one of my longtime friends last week, Mark, and he told me how unhappy he was at his IT job. He was feeling a great deal of guilt over this because his firm had just had yet another round of layoffs and he had been spared. He still had his job, but … Read more

How IT Leaders Can Grow Good Ideas

Innovation, innovation, innovation. Everyone seems to be talking about it, but nobody seems to have any clear guidance for IT Leaders when it comes to telling them HOW to grow good ideas within their IT departments. Well we’re going to change that starting right now. Dr. Jan van den-Ende and Bob Kijuit have spent some … Read more

Managing Trophy Kids: Can’t We All Just Get Along?

A lot has been written recently about the next generation of workers that is in the process of entering IT departments right now (I’ve done my part!) However, what’s been missing is a fundamental understanding of what an IT Leader is supposed to do once they are there. Ron Alsop who writes for the Wall … Read more

An IT Management Nightmare: Managing Trophy Kids

Remember that Jack Nicholson line from the movie that was made from the Steven King book “The Shining”:  “.. Here’s Johnny…“? I seem to recall that he delivers this line as he stands at a door with an axe in his hands trying to break into the bathroom. I suspect that many IT managers feel … Read more

Do You Want To Work With An IT Trophy Kid?

Even though the world currently looks like it is upside down, there is a much larger change going on that will have a much longer impact than this temporary financial crisis: the arrival of the millennial generation into the IT workplace. Are you ready? Just to make sure that we’re all talking about the same … Read more

5 Characteristics Of Hard Core Gamers That IT Managers Need

As yet another generation comes to work in the IT department, IT mangers are being confronted with another management challenge. More and more of the new wave of workers are coming from the world of multi-player online games. These games consist of large, complex, social systems that are constantly evolving. Games like World of Warcraft … Read more

3 Secrets That Every IT Leader Needs To Know

How does one become a good IT Leader? I mean really, are there college classes on this stuff? Do firms pick out a mentor for you once you get promoted to a management position? Or upon receiving a promotion to management are you allowed to view the magical book of management in which all secrets … Read more

Are You A Socially Intelligent IT Leader?

Them thar brain researchers are at it again. This time around they’ve been doing research in the field of social neuroscience. This is where they study what happens in your brain when you interact with other people. Oh oh! They are starting to get a handle on what it takes to make a good IT … Read more

What Can Top Athletes Teach You About Being A Better IT Leader?

So we all know that Tiger Woods is a fantastic golfer. However, do you think that he’d be any good at running an IT department? The answer, somewhat surprisingly, is that yes, he probably would do a good job. The reason is that there is a lot of similarity between being an excellent athlete and … Read more

How To Protect Your IT Career From Sabotage

They really are out to get you, you know. All those schemers who want your job, your promotion, your bonus are even as you read this sitting at their desk scheming how best to make you look bad, take credit for your work, or even how to get you fired. In this down economy, those … Read more