2017 SIM Master Series: Building the IT Team

transcript

SIM Master Series – April 2017

Building the IT Team

A Leadership Perspective from Douglas HegleyChief Digital Officer@dhegley

Staff Culture & Engagement

Maybe if we ignore it, it will just go away

Um ....

Douglas Hegley, Chief Digital Officer, Minneapolis Institute of Art @dhegley http://www.slideshare.net/dhegley

Image Source: https://i2.wp.com/davidgodot.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/elephant.jpg?resize=636%2C310

Harold Edgerton, .30 Bullet Piercing an Apple, 1964, Minneapolis Institute of Art, 96.149.32.7

Slides available at:http://www.slideshare.net/dhegley

Perspective on: Leadership

Leadership with a Capital L

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“One does not ‘manage’ people. The task is to lead people. And the goal is to make productive the specific strengths and knowledge of every individual.”

- Peter Drucker

Image source: http://54ventures.com/demo-images/fuse-slide-4-11-1800x800.jpg

Adapted from: http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/articles/manager_leader.htm

Case Study:

The Media and Technology Team at Mia

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14Image Source: http://thepaleodiet.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/5YrsLaterLogo3.gif

Evaluating the Team:

Who do I have now?Who do I need to bring in?

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Example:Information Systems 2011

20Adapted from “Great Teams Are About Personalities, Not Just Skills”, by Dave Winsborough and Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Harvard Business Review, January 25, 2017. https://hbr.org/2017/01/great-teams-are-about-personalities-not-just-skills

Example:Hypothetical, different model

Hiring:

Why does it matter?

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Talent Strategy

Source: http://www.slideshare.net/reed2001/culture-1798664/20-Great_Workplace_isStunning_ColleaguesGreat_workplace

The single most important thing that great leaders do for their organizations is hiring.

- Attributed to Eric Schmidt of Google, and also uttered by great leaders everywhere

Image Source: http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1599567/images/o-SCHMIDT-facebook.jpg

… how do you hire someone? In principle, it’s simple. You’re looking for people who are

1. Smart2. Get things done

That’s it. That’s all you’re looking for. Memorize it.

3. Joel Spolsky

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Image Source: https://goinswriter.com/wp-content/uploads/miyagi.jpg

Hire character.Train skill.

Team-Building

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Successful Teams Share 5 Defining Characteristics

Image Source: https://www.eaglesflight.com/hubfs/Blogs/Teamwork_in_the_Workplace-_Enthusiastic_Consistent_and_United_Effort.jpg

Successful Teams Share 5 Defining Characteristics

1. Everyone talks & listens in roughly equal measure

2. Face one another, conversations and gestures are energetic

3. Members connect directly with one another, not just with the team leader

4. Members carry on back-channel or side conversations

5. Periodically break, go explore outside the team, and bring information back

Source: The New Science of Building Great Teams, by Alex "Sandy" Pentland, Harvard Business Review, April 2012.

Engagement and Retention

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Workplace culture, applied

Collaborative work environment

Self-organized teams

Together, toward common goals

Alignment with strategic plan

Empowerment

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Cool Blue

Do a select fewSeek funding & partners

(We wish we could do them all)Risk: Too many at once

(saying yes to everything)

Red Flag

Do only if necessaryStop! (or proceed with extreme caution)

(We wish we could have none)Risk: Bogs down & exhausts resources

Green Light

Do these fastMake a prioritized list, get moving

(We wish there were fewer)Risk: Resources pulled away from Cool Blue

Gray Fog

Do only if there are resources“Busy work” or dreamy distractions

(We wish we had more time)Risk: People fall into it , esp. in times of stress

High(Hard)

Low(Easy)

Importance,Via STRATEGY

Difficulty, via practical

REALITY

Go Ahead, Make the Decision

Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, Accessibility

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GenderCultureRaceEthnicityGenerational / AgeCognitive styleBackgroundAnd more …

No two people are exactly the same …

A diverse & inclusive workplace is more-effective

• Better financial outcomes• Better problem-solving• Easier access to wider array of resources• Better aligned with increasingly diverse customer base

• But: hiring just to fill quotas doesn’t work

Source: http://www.gallup.com/businessjournal/166220/business-benefits-gender-diversity.aspx

When It’s Just Not Working

- Poor performance- Hard choices- Morale

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Does one bad apple spoil the whole bunch?

“The culture of any organization is shaped by the worst behavior the leader is willing to tolerate.”

Steve Gruenert & Todd Whitaker (2015) School Culture Rewired: How to Define, Assess, and Transform It

Image source: https://pickfreshfood.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/miller-john-one-rotten-apple-amongst-other-green-apples-e1422640780350.jpg

Poor performers are not happy, ever

Image Source: http://www.incimages.com/uploaded_files/image/1940x900/vintage-boss-1940x900_34819.jpg

Poor performers aren't happy, ever, no matter what they may say

Do this:● Know the workplace culture.● Know the employee.● Understand the gap between the two.

Poor performers aren't happy, ever, no matter what they may say

Do this:● Know the workplace culture.● Know the employee.● Understand the gap between the two.● Talk honestly and openly about the gap. This is not a confrontation.● Explore solutions, together.

○ The basic choice: make it better here, or find it better elsewhere. ● Make decisions together on how to move forward.

It's possible to achieve a positive outcome for both sides It takes practice to do this effectively, lots of practice.

For a deeper dive on this topic, see Poor Employee Performance: What Exactly is Broken? and 8 Tips for Having Difficult Conversations with Employees

Thank you

@dhegley

http://www.slideshare.net/dhegley/presentations

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2017 SIM Master Series: Building the IT Team

Leadership & Management