What are the challenges or obstacles facing a person in quest of success in the workplace? Sometimes, a seemingly simple and straightforward question like this would lead to a deep, philosophical thought on the subject of emotional and spriritual intelligence.
In the recent posts, I have told the story of a young IT manager seeking the secrets of a [...]

 

 

 

In the previous post, I told the story of a young IT manager seeking the secrets of a successful IT Leader. His to-the-point question "What does it take …?" has given rise to my pondering about the common association of success with titles and positions in the organization. In this Part 2, I will share with [...]

 

 

 

I think it’s appropriate to start the new Tao of IT blog with something not CIO-related, at least not as directly as I have been writing so far in the former CIO Assistant’s Blog. The subject touches on the Leadership question but from a perspective of a young IT manager in search of fame and success in [...]

 

 

 

This summer, Coca-Cola launches a new product. No, it’s not another new Coke to compete or cannibalize the Coke "Classic". It’s a Coke vending machine. It’s called the Freestyle.

So what’s exciting about that? According to Coca-Cola press release it’s the "next generation fountain beverage dispenser". What is remarkable is that it represents a rare [...]

 

 

 

I was recently attracted to a discussion on LinkedIn’s CIO Network Forum started by Mark Chillingworth, Editor at IDG Communications. He referred to a CIO-UK article entitled "IT-business alignment is still on the CIO agenda", with the sub-title "Align with the IT, not the other way around" and the following teaser:
The debate is switching, the [...]

 

 

 

This is the third post in the recent series on Business-IT Alignment where the issue is examined from both sides of the coin so to speak. The objective is to demonstrate that Business-IT Alignment is possible if there is a level playing field where both Business and IT are accountable for their action, not just [...]

 

 

 

In a previous post, I asked the question: "What Business Would IT Align To?" to highlight the fact that Business is a generic term used indiscriminately for different entities in different contexts. So when a divisional head was not happy with the services provided by the central IT group, it could be called a Business-IT mis-alignment. [...]

 

 

 

This is a quote extracted from an interview by CIO Insight with Holly Morris, CIO at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans (a faith-based, non-profit insurance provider) in the May 2009 issue:
"It’s more a Zen state of mind that you have to constantly be changing and morphing along with the business."
I like this quote very much [...]

 

 

 

"The mass of IT Leaders lead a corporate life of quiet frustration." 
This was the thought that crossed my mind when I read recent press articles on the CIO crisis. This quote is a paraphrase of Henri David Thoreau who has said "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation" more than 150 years ago [...]

 

 

 

This is the third and final post in the series on Staying Relevant to Business. In this post, I will review the types of competency that a CIO needs to develop to ensure predictable IT successes hence positive business perception.
In Part 1, I have highlighted the renewed threat to the survival of the CIO role (and [...]