How to Speak “Manager”

Nicole Forsgren Velasquez, PhDProfessor of Accounting and MIS

@nicolefv

Jon M. Huntsman School of BusinessUtah State University

The Gap

Business is here

IT is here

IT focuses on technology (micro)

Business focuses at a higher level (macro)

We Are Here to Bridge The Gap

• We are the bridge• Act as translator and interface between

communities

• Understanding this role is important• Navigating business• Addressing tensions

IT Professionals are Technical Brokers

• As a technical broker, a large part of your role

is communication• Technical audiences• Business audiences

IT Professionals are Technical Brokers

Technical Professional BusinessTechnical

Communities

Challenges: Visibility and Content

The business usually sees: Desktop Support

What you do is often beyond visibility of business: Maintenance Infrastructure Innovation and automation The really hard stuff The stuff that matters most to the business

Talking to Tech

• Who is your audience?• What language is

appropriate?• e.g., security, desktop support, senior

/ junior

• How do you communicate

something to each?• Technical• Expertise

Talking to Business

• Who is your audience?• How should this be

communicated?• What language is appropriate?

Who is Business?

• Common ground:• Need for funding• Success measures• Demonstrated value

Is IT Operations a Business?

• Delivering value to customers• Internally focused: IT operations

• Business unit within a business

• Externally focused: technology firm• IT operations might be the core business

Connecting the Two Sides

The Trusted Advisor• Organizational leaders relying on IT advisors• No surprises because IT is a player at the table• IT can provide strategic direction at high levels• IT as a service: Consultant? Custodial?

Positioning of IT Operations

• How are IT decisions made and

who makes them?• Who else influences?• What is the role of CIO in your organization?

• Who are your customers?• How do they impact service delivery?

• What are your core competencies?• How do they align with organizational needs?

Key: How Can IT Help

• What do you think organizational

leaders need from IT to make your

organization stronger?• Regulation compliance• Improved competitiveness in your industry

Increased research funding Making and keeping customers Increased sales

• Increased internal efficiency• Better use of technology to further mission

Building Bridges

• Professional connections• Who in your organization• How to develop the trusted

advisor relationship• Trust• Business value

Trust

• Trust comes from• Perception of value• Good communication• Collaborative relationship

How to Create Trust• Put connection before technical concepts• Don’t pretend• Focus on the customer’s perspective (who is your

audience)• Face problems and unhappy customers head-on• Listen• Don’t pull your punches• Document when it matters• Nothing is too small if it’s important to the customer• It isn’t a competition

Business Value

• Depend upon IT and type of business• Internal – Organizational efficiency

• Productivity enhancements• e.g., reducing complexity• Complexity often takes 90% of internal

resources leaving little headroom for innovation• Cost reduction

• Streamlining internal business practices

Business Value (cont.)

• External – Increases competitiveness in your

marketplace• Increased profits• Competitive advantage

• e.g., streamlined customer management

• Both internal and external

Value is Perception

Metrics

• Quantitative• Throughput, turnover time, SLAs

• Qualitative• Customer feedback surveys

Organizational Culture Matters

• Keep cultural differences in mind• Corporate vs. government vs. university• Different teams: Windows / Unix / Mac• Different world view, depending where you “live”

Know Your Audience

• Put yourself in their shoes• Communicate at the right level• How much to communicate

Written Communication

• Email• Basics: subject, structure• Outage management• Communication to customers• Emails to organizational leaders

• Texting, social media• Think professional, not Facebook

Face-to-Face

• Meetings• Fixed duration• Have a purpose• State goals• Stay on message• Summarize

• Presentations• Training• Persuasive

The Elevator Pitch

“Very concise presentation of an idea covering all of its critical aspects, and delivered within a few minutes”

Useful even if you don’t have an

elevator• Describe the value proposition in clear

language• Written, verbal

The Collaborative Relationship

• Trusted advisor• Being responsive to requests from above• Being a solutions provider• Be there when needed

Professional Maturity

Reactive Proactive• Early in your career• Not being able to forecast due to

lack of experience or vision• Increases technical debt, or

cannot see it

• Comes with vision and maturity• Solving issues before they

become bigger problems• Thinking with an enterprise

mindset• Reducing or eliminating

technical debt through good practices and agility

How Do You Know When You’ve Arrived?• Organizational leaders ask your opinion before

spending $$ on IT solutions• Leaders ask others to go through you for approval

before investing in IT• You’re invited to be part of the organization’s

management team• When you speak, leaders listen and respect your

opinions

Where to Begin

• Look at specifics of your organization• Who are your core customers?• What impact can IT operations have?• What does business need from you?

• At what level can you personally make a

difference?• Is there a point-person to connect with

organizational leaders?• You• Your boss?

Action Items

• Assess your organization before beginning• Look for opportunities to increase visibility• Sell these concepts to the rest of your team• IT operations should look for opportunities to

engage organizational leaders on issues

impacted by IT

Thank you

Questions?

nicolefv@gmail.com

@nicolefv