Blog
How do we avoid making things worse with the solution? In the last post, I talked about IT, finance, and sourcing managers not wanting to admit they have a problem. But even those who know they need help don’t always get it. Why? IT solution – The last barrier to cross is trust in being … Continued
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After 15 years of running a consultancy for the world’s most powerful firms, there is one thing that still irks me. Every day we propose ways to make the lives of people we work with better and give them the tools data and methodology to make their companies more efficient. But whether it’s reduced cost, … Continued
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Vendor Negotiation Original Posted on CIO From IDG Negotiating deals with IT vendors is never easy, but it is a skill you can learn. Experts in the art of negotiating say it’s important to understand the vendor’s pain points, look out for hidden costs and keep your emotions in check. The basic tenets of successful … Continued
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CEO
One of the benefits of working with many buyers and sellers of IT services is seeing the many different cultures of IT functions. Some are hierarchical and some are horizontal. Some are open and collegial, and some secretive and political. One person didn’t make them, and one person can’t fix them. But if you are … Continued
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Top X lists are generally clickbait tripe. But we need people, I need to interview them, so “Top 5 Interview Questions” sounds worth clicking. And then I read this: When I asked “tell me about something you’ve led,” one of the candidates paused and then answered, “I once led a revolt against management in a … Continued
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Migrating to a new provider or new architecture too often is not accompanied by a rationalization of resources to what the business truly needs – with 8 distinct layers of waste compounding to convert a seemingly well-managed IT budget into a wasteful one. But while we’re on that subject, why wait for a migration? I … Continued
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CIO Vacancy: Must Bring Own Crystal Ball If a time machine that takes you back a year is invented, the most profitable use is probably gambling – Leicester City at 5000-1, some powerball tickets, etc. But selling it to CIOs planning shared services IT budgets could be a close second. Each year, technology leaders try … Continued
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100% job satisfaction in IT is rare – each day brings new headaches. At best you get the usual suspects: excessive demands from business that recall the old Queen song, ornery suppliers, understaffed teams, budget cuts, etc. At worst you have delayed deployments, outages, failed upgrades, and contentious internal politics. So why, in a world … Continued
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