I.T. Strategic Plan's Can't Solve One Problem…Office Politics!
Every organization has politics that shapes the culture of an office, this culture also determines whether you’re satisfied with the role you fill and or find the work you do is meaningful. Now I’m generalizing of course, there are many organizations that have healthy environments, they allow those they hire to do what they do best. They foster creativity and the opportunity to improve and actually keep the organization inline with business objectives. There’s also many that don’t, and there are many good and very smart people trying to shine there too.
One thing an I.T. Strategic Plan can’t solve is the politics of an organization. Great strategies never see the light of day due to the political climate of an organization, right or wrong it happens everyday. Some of the brightest minds in an organization won’t be fully utilized, or worse yet, a business could go out of business if the political culture doesn’t change. I don’t have the answer for this and there is no silver bullet, but each office has it’s dynamics to deal with.
Don’t give up, there is hope. As head of I.T. you have a way to ensure your strategy get’s a fighting chance, start with developing a departmental Vision / Mission statement that aligns with the organizations business plan. Pull your team together, brainstorm and start building your purpose statement that makes the political field in your firm take notice. A solid I.T. Strategic Plan germinates from a great Vision / Mission statement, you and your team is the one that has to get it done. Deliver a message that shows everyone how you are committed to the organizations overall vision and then tell them how you are going to help them achieve the goals laid before each department. Every person on the team has to be committed, has to read it, memorize it, learn it and above all believe it or you won’t be able to sell it.
Once you have a strong Vision and Mission you must deliver the message by doing exactly what you said you would do in your strategy. It’s the first step in your I.T. Strategy, taking inventory and paying attention to what the organization is trying to accomplish at a high level. Fly at 50,000 Feet and look for the patterns no one else sees. Look for ways to tie technology to business objectives and you will be golden when you deliver.
Once you have a purpose, you can then focus on the services your team will deliver, these services will be tied to the objectives and Key Result Areas (KRA’s) in your plan. Those are the next two steps and I’ll touch on those another time, for now, sit down and get familiar with your organizations business plan, fly at 50,000 ft. and look for the patterns, then pull the team together to build a MANTRA, a war cry and then get to work. This is just one way to manage the politics in your office, but it’s just one way to proceed. There are many ways to skin a cat my Father used to say but at least do something positive to help the organization win, you and your team will be viewed as a solution provider.
Social Media Jargon – STOP IT!
Hi, This is my very 1st attempt at doing Video on my Blog, I hope it makes sense to you 🙂
Here’s the Link to Amber’s Article: Amber Naslund
Be sure to follow Amber & Olivier on Twitter, here are the links: @thebrandbuilder and @ambercadabra
Owen's ROCK STARS
I’ve been around the NET a while and I find myself gravitating to a chosen few time and time again, I like you tend to go back to places I find useful. I spend at least 6 – 8 hours of my day online, probably more, and I just love connecting with people, having great debates on topics I’m passionate about, if you’re like me, you tend to mix it up with those who are just as passionate.
I like to surround myself with quality people, online as well, and I have no idea if these folks respect me but I thought I would share some of my favorite online ROCKSTAR’S with you, here are a few people you should connect with and follow to enhance your time on the NET:
1.) Olivier Blanchard – Olivier is very smart and has a sense of humor that knocks you on your butt, he is the go to guy when you want the best advice on Social Media ROI. What I love most about Olivier, his willingness to help others and he has the most unique point of view that makes you have those Ah-Ha moments. I have come to admire Olivier for his heart, but he’ll deny it if you ask him about his soft side 🙂 Oh, and watch-out for Chico!
Twitter: @thebrandbuilder
Website: http://thebrandbuilder.wordpress.com
2.) Trey Pennington – A true professional, you will enjoy his interviews with leaders of Social Media and Marketing. Most of all, he’s a great guy who loves to help others. He’s an encourager and a supporter, those are qualities that I admire & respect. He hangs his hat on Blog Talk Radio where he broadcasts his powerful interviews, follow him and his show.
Twitter: @treypennington
Website: http://treypennington.com
3.) Kris Colvin – One word comes to mind when I think of Kris, ALIVE! Every time I have an exchange with her, I think, the force is strong with this one. Kris is a sensitive, loving, caring person, I have never met her in person but that’s what I get from her when we chat online. Did I mention she specializes in Design, visit her site and be sure to use Twitterface.com while your at it. I should mention she & Olivier are Nutella addicts.
Twitter: @KrisColvin
Website: http://www.Kriscolvin.com
4.) Chris Penner – Chris is local to me here in Abbotsford, B.C., Canada. We met online via Twitter, I invited him for coffee and the rest is now history, he comes to every TweetUp I hold at the Bat Cave. Chris is an avid Water Ski Freak, it’s his passion for sure because he can go on for hours on the topic and never get tired of it. Chris is also in Real Estate, he is doing some very interesting things that will put him at the top of his game soon.
Twitter: @chrispenner
Website: http://www.askchris.ca
5.) Louis Gray & Mike Fruchter – I was pleasantly surprised to find one day that me & my Blog were recognized by these two notables this past summer. Louis listed my Blog as one of the Top 5 Blogs Under The Radar, Louis is in Silicon Valley and works for an unnamed company in Silicon Valley. Mike was kind enough to list me as one of the Top 10 People To Follow on FriendFeed, Mike is with Pierson Grant Public Relations in Florida. I am forever grateful, be sure to keep an eye on them as well.
Twitter: @louisgray @fruchter
6.) Chris Brogan – Chris is everyone’s Rock Star it seems, recently I’ve found myself going back to his Blog regularly, and I have quoted him often, plus, enjoyed his book Trust Agents so much I am promoting it on my Blog. Get your copy and make Chris rise to the top of the best seller charts. Chris was kind enough to participate on an older post called Your Best Social Media Tips. I still haven’t found the right words to describe him so I’ll just say you need to invest some time in his Blog.
Twitter: @chrisbrogan
Website: http://www.chrisbrogan.com
7.) Scott Stratten – A fellow Canadian, I love his boldness and directness when he speaks, if you want it candy coated he’s not your man. His company name is frankly brilliant, Un-Marketing, don’t you love it? His slogan – Stop Marketing and Start Engaging! With a mantra like that you can’t help but like him, be sure to follow him on Twitter he’s a riot.Â
Twitter: @unmarketing
Website: http://www.un-marketing.com
8.) Robert Scoble – If you haven’t heard of him, you must be living under a rock! He is very popular online and was raised in Silicon Valley, well connected and has a very interesting point of view when it comes to everything technology. I have tried more software I would have never heard of since following, interacting and chatting with Robert, he’s in the know in the land of Silicon. A very likable man but I’m not sure why he like’s Mike Arrington 🙂
Twitter: @scobleizer
Website: http://scobleizer.com/
9.) Mack Collier – He holds the #blogchat, a very active person when it comes to discussing Social Media & Blogging, just to name a few. Mack is clever and is know as a thinking man, always deep in thought and asks very poignant questions all the time. Another great person for profound, timely information, visit his site and follow him around for awhile on Twitter. A very engaging fellow.
Twitter: @mackcollier
Website: http://www.mackcollier.com
10.) Ken Peters, Ronda Payne, Marty McPadden, Bill Mitchell, Rob Cairns, John Lusher, Sharon Hayes, Lisa Johnson, (Twitter Links) and so many more, these are the people I spend time with here online. Forgive me for not listing everyone but I think you’re getting the idea, it’s about relationships and engagement. You can’t possibly manage thousands of relationships in these Social Media Networks, but you can over time. I so appreciate everyone of you that thinks enough of me to spend time chatting, debating things that matter, and to just hang out shooting the breeze.
These are just few people I consider Rock Stars in my online world, people I learn from, have fun with and truly value their friendship. I thank you and hope that I can be of service to all those that visit me here on my Blog.
One Thing Social Media Can't Change
I woke up this morning with the question running through my brain, I wonder what he’ll say? He is the Doctor, a Specialist or a Sports Doctor. I broke my left shoulder back on July 5th, my physician was concerned that the break wasn’t healing so he shipped me off to see this guru of bones for athletes.
Anyway, I had to drive to the next community to see him as wasn’t local to where I lived. The drive was beautiful, the sky was clear and I was taking my time enjoying the journey I was on. I found his office relatively easy and pulled into the parking lot wondering if I had to pay to park there, I didn’t…SWEET! I mean how often do you find free parking?
I went in and filled out the paperwork, then I waited, I waited and waited some more before finally getting into wait a little longer. The door opens, at last I’m thinking, and then he asks me why I was there! I said pardon, don’t you have my file on hand? Nope! I told him what happened and then he said, I want you to go a block and half and get some X-Rays done. It was like he wasn’t even listening! Feeling a little frustrated and annoyed at the same time I agreed to go. He gave me the paper and the address, he then gave me directions and off I went. Guess what? The directions were bogus, he sent me the wrong way and I was gone for almost 40 minutes before I came back with X-Rays in hand. Enough about that.
The good news is, the shoulder is healing but very slowly, and the break was actually a shatter but everything was pulling together just fine and he said I would be as good as new in about 6 more weeks of waiting. I said, I want to play sports again…when can I play soccer again? He felt the shoulder couldn’t take a hit or a fall just yet and preferred that I waited another 6 weeks. I asked why 6 weeks, I want you to come back and see me then and we can discuss it then. I thanked him even though I felt cheated, off home I went. Doctor’s are you listening?
While driving home I got to thinking, how would Social Media change the experience I just went through. Again, taking my time going home, I hammered on this thought and I just couldn’t find an answer. Maybe you have some thoughts on the topic, if so, leave your thoughts in the comments. I’m just not convinced that Social Media would have made the Doctor listen better, actually pay attention to what I was saying and or how I was feeling. You have to keep in mind, in Canada our medical system is unique at best and the Doctors are pretty safe from public pressure when it comes to the customer service expectation. How could Doctors learn from these communities, could these communities make these kinds of changes in Doctors? As you can see my head was racing with questions and very few conclusions.
I would love to hear from communities on this particular topic, and hear some great ideas on how we or I could proceed so we could make this experience more positive. Or is this One Thing Social Media Can’t Change?
What's Your Best Social Media Tip?
This past weekend I asked the question on Twitter & FriendFeed, What’s Your Best Social Media Tip? Now it was the Labour Day Long Weekend so I didn’t expect to be deluged with responses, I was wrong, there are too many to list so I’ll share just a few with you. Most have the same thought process. What I found through this request for input, is that there’s lot’s of smart people out there that like to help and share.
I promised that I would give those I posted here Credit and a link to their website if they had one. So here is the list, I hope you find helpful and I hope it is an affirmation of what you may have already felt and thought.
What’s your best Social Media TIP?
1.) Expect to put in time before you see results; social currency –Twitter:Â jodie_nodes Website: http://injodiesbrain.com/
2.) Listen — Twitter: @orangejack Website: http://www.orangejack.com
3.) Have Fun — Twitter: @eric_su Website: http://internetmlmunderground.com/blog/
4.) Give tho the community and build relationships first — Twitter — @robcairns Website: http://www.the-techshop.com/
5.) Be yourself, engage in interactive conversation, don’t be a bot — Twitter — @critter_TV Website: Unable to Confirm
6.) Try and talk with someone new each day, and don’t forget those you already have contact with — Twitter — @nhangen Website: http://nathanhangen.com/blog/
7.) Be Real — Twitter — @mdurwin Website: http://www.mdurwin.com/
8.) Be real. Be responsive. Be engaging. Be helpful. — Twitter — @CathyBrowne Website: http://cathybrowne.com/
9.) Make a plan and work the plan. Pay close attention to your time; don’t spend too much. Use a tool like
http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.Posterous.com to achieve time efficiencies.” — Twitter — @RickShatto Website: http://rshatto.wordpress.com/
10.) “Give who you are, don’t just sell what you do.” — Twitter — @BarkingUnicorn Website: http://barkingunicorn.com/
11.) “Integrate. Offer your help even if no one replies or takes you up on it and integrate the people who would benefit from
connecting.” — Twitter — @RondaPayne Website: http://renovatorswife.wordpress.com/
12.) Be helpful, be everywhere, share everything. — Twitter — @ChrisBrogan Website: http://www.chrisbrogan.com/
If you have a tip, leave it in the comments so all can see your wisdom.