New Day is Dawning...

Ran across another article that was speaking to IT Professionalism, once again. I'll include the text that hit home with me....

“Years ago, IT professionals took pride in their own oddball culture. We were different than the rest of the business professionals. The business needed us and was willing to overlook our quirks if we just continued to make things work and fix them when they were broken. It was good to be the IT king because we owned the data; we could afford to live in our world and occasionally treat the business and our customers irreverently. But this also caused a negative perception of our function---deservedly so.

But times have changed, and for the better. The business is now driving the bus and taking IT with it, to more cost-effective, greater fiscal knowledge and accountability, and crating business value from IT-enabled initiatives and innovations. Now we need to bring professionalism to the forefront of the IT makeover.”

A couple things about the text: 1) It confirms the thinking of many people and how IT employees were viewed in the past,; 2) It speaks to how things have changed and, 3) It mentions my favorite mode of transportation....the ever present "Bus." While the author likely isn't speaking about the "bus" in the same context as Jim Collins does...we can still use the analogy to help us focus on where our future lies.

If indeed, the business (Conservation) is now driving the bus and if we want to be passengers (employees) on the bus, we certainly had better be paying attention to the wants, needs, and direction of the business. We cannot introduce technology just for technology's sake. We cannot expect funding for technology, because "it's the latest,"...we need to be able to make the case for how it moves the business forward. What value does the technology add to Conservation...how does it help people do their job faster or better...does it raise more quail or does it grow more trees, etc.

I believe the entire workforce has become much more educated on technology and the days are gone when the IT person was the absolute sole information source and idea harbinger for technology solutions. We need to adjust our posturing, be nimble, be creative, and be fully prepared to move the business forward by adding value in the ways that the majority can understand and embrace. Cost effective technologies that are not overly complex will be embraced by the masses long before more costly things that are difficult to use. ....seems so common sense-ish....

So how do we become the "new breed" of IT employee? (...for those of us who may not be just yet...) We need to pay attention to business needs, developments and trends. We must be better fiscal agents...we must understand ROI and be able to demonstrate in a manner that is easily understood. We must be well rounded--educationally--have an understanding of the business drivers within Conservation. We must understand the business fully in order to recommend/secure/provide the best technical solutions. Bottom line, we need to grow in every aspect.

To borrow a term being used extensively in our org---the "Next Gen" of IT employee will have the skill sets of many: business training, management training, resource training and of course solid technical training...and the ability to see the big picture. Are you positioning yourself today to become that type of value added employee? I sure hope so! Not sure if you are or where you are short...let's talk about it...

TAFN...