Another year over and what have you done?
December 21, 2022
Driving back home after a meeting I was listening to Radio Two and following a news article featuring Rishi Sunak discussing UK productivity, on came The John Lennon classic featuring the line “another year over and what have you done?”
I was immediately struck by the symmetry of this happy confluence of ideas and wondered if I could answer it? The answer was ...not very much on one measure and ...quite a bit on another. I managed to find jobs for some people and people for jobs in most cases. Those people in turn will hopefully deliver more for their employers and should also be able to answer John Lennon positively. Why then is there so much difficulty in abstracting impact evidence from CIO’s and IT leaders in the main throughout the year?
The answer lies in the way our minds work. Many (clearly not all) IT leaders get fixated on detail. They have to in order to get to really understand the context of what they do, especially “on the way up”. They often have a mathematical and scientific orientation which promotes “if x then y” linear thinking. Time horizons are short and the process is highly logical and stepped. The consequences are that achievements are measured in quite discrete units. The big picture is often pushed away into the future and the detail takes over as the end game. This is entirely logical and understandable.
In contrast I was forcefully reminded about another mindset – the creative one, by watching both Portrait and Landscape Artists of the year on the wonderfully free Sky Arts channel. (BTW I have no artistic skill at all). Whilst each artist appears to have their own idiosyncratic methods there is a commonality in knowing what they want to achieve and then managing the details into it. Rather than concentrate on a single detail – they mostly work the big picture as a focus. Then they go back to singular details and work them more finely into the whole. They often stand back to get the bigger picture. Its more difficult to do this as a CIO or CTO. That’s partially why architects exist.
In a leadership team therefore it seems to be advantageous to have both mindsets on board. Balance is important and someone needs to be neutral to “keep the score” and ensure the big pictures are delivered and yet all the details have been neatly dealt with.
In short it might be a truism but the best CIO’s can identify the key skills needed in a role and balance that with the overall mindset of the IT leadership team, recruiting accordingly. The team has to function as a true team and the role of the CIO becomes the visible communicator and leader. He/she needs to assess what strengths are weak or missing in the overall team dynamic. Then attract them into the team with well defined job descriptions and clear guidance and a real understanding of people dynamics. This is not something the average CIO gets to exercise with impunity. HR will no doubt have a view as will peers of the role and key customers. Where possible, and with true understanding of team natures the CIO should attempt to prevail. Again building mutually trusting relationships with the business is at the top of the CIO’s outcomes list. I am not afraid to admit it, but this was my principal failure as a CIO, a real understanding of the people dimensions. I have also only ever met one combined HR and IT director. I guess there might be a reason for that.
In summary therefore what might one reply to John Lennon?
How about “Built and managed a team to successfully deliver business objectives of X, Y and Z yielding benefits of 1, 2 and 3.”
I think John would be happy. Have a great holiday.