Australian Not-for-Profit CIO Forum March 2011 - Presentation on The Importance of Mentoring to CIOs and IT Managers - Supporting sustained, positive transformational change in IT and Organisations

1. The Importance of Mentoring to CIOs and IT Managers Supporting sustained, positive transformational change in IT and Organisations Rob Livingstone Principal Not for profit CIO Forum 16th March 2011, Sydney, Australia Copyright Rob Livingstone Advisory Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.

2. Agenda Something about my practice RLA Mentoring: Stats, Framework IT Trends and career perspectives Some emerging questions and trends from RLA Mentor program thus far… Can mentoring drive sustainable transformational change? Internal mentoring Multiplier effect RLA mentor program in 2011 and beyond Wrap-up and Q&A

6. First mentee enrolled November 2010

9. ~60% on RLA Extended program, and

11. Driving shifts in business – IT engagement / alignment model

12. Organisations are expecting more, quicker, and at lower cost

13. The trend in the ‘democratisation’ of IT. ….

14. Driven in part by easy access to IT systems (eg: Cloud)

15. Personal experiences in using apps ‘on demand’

16. Usability differential?

17. eg using an iPadvs Company IT systems?

19. 8. Questions and trends arising from RLA Mentor program thus far Sharing some emerging trends and thoughts arising from the RLA mentor program thus far: Can you recognise change in the business environment, before it impacts your career? Can you promote an idea to non IT stakeholders? Can you differentiate Transactional skills vs. Transformational skills: What’s your mix? What’s got you this far may not work for you in the future. Seek objective, trusted opinions to help steer you towards an outcome that YOU want. Who is responsible for your career? Let’s expand on each of these briefly …..

21. Read widely in your industry, watch for technology and business trends

22. Sort the dross from respected sources for opinions

23. Subscribe to relevant eNewsletters, feeds

24. Become informed about world events, read trusted business commentaries

25. Develop a strong peer network OUTSIDE of your employer, or current network

26. Self confidence and personal resilience will grow with knowledge, exposure ,etc

28. Promote ideas, concepts and desired outcomes without compromising your own integrity.

29. Focus on the contribution to the overall organisation

30. Do not waste emotional or intellectual energy on trivial points.

31. Don’t push the idea too hard.

32. Present a realistic cost / benefit for all ideas, or the costs will be presented to you.

33. Objection handling and managing implied criticism: Never speak or send emails when angry or out of control!

35. Efficiency = lowest cost , or highest output for lowest input is where you don’t want to be (for too long).

36. Each IT career professional should be continually re-investing in their supplemental skills, but NOT just reinforcing skills in their area of specialty.

37. Exceptions to this may be a firefighter, medical specialist or airline pilot where continual ‘deep-dive’ skill refresh on a regular basis is very important.

39. Just repeating these behaviours are no guarantee of future success

40. Working hard and achieving results will (or should) automatically result in recognition. Myth??

41. Achieve visibility - Be responsible for your own marketing? Some IT professionals are uncomfortable about displaying their own strengths in a positive way. Not innate to some individuals

43. If they don’t, then it’s all theory – just like someone sitting in the lodge describing how you can climb the mountain having never done it themselves.

45. Your life and career is more important that that of the organisation

46. Consciously take some time to actively set your own goals, then

47. put some time and effort into managing your career.

48. Realise the power of ‘personal branding’ – after all you ‘run your own business’, that is …..‘your business is deciding who you wish to work for!’

50. more able to professionally handle objections from non IT stakeholders

51. confidence and capacity to thrive in stressful situations;

52. improved ability to cope in ambiguous or uncertain environments;

53. being able to work more collaboratively with stakeholders outside their own area of expertise ;

54. being able to communicate more effectively in a range of unfamiliar situations; as well as

56. 12. Internal Mentoring of key staff Internal mentoring can be effective in certain situations, however some of the common difficulties are: The manager does not always have the time to devote to the mentoring process The manager may not have the contextual experience outside of their current industry / employer The power relationship is not conducive to open honest communications by either the manager or the employee There is not always a clear delineation between a mentor session, and a ‘meeting with the boss’ The employee’s confidentiality is not always assured Internal mentoring tends to be informal, and does not always have a clearly articulated framework There may be no objective measures of success

57. 14. Wrap-up, Q&A

58. Thankyou Contact: Rob Livingstone, Principal Phone: +61 2 8005 1972 Mobile: +61 419 632 673 Fax: +61 2 9879 5004 Email:rob@rob-livingstone.com Website:www.rob-livingstone.com Address: PO Box 842, Gladesville, NSW 1675 Twitter:rladvisory Skype:rladvisory ABN: 41 146 643 165