This article was originally published on http://itpeernetwork.intel.com
How did you like what Ray Noonan, CEO of Cogent, had to say about collaboration and the need to focus on business value?
Did it challenge you?
It probably should have. If I can summarize what Ray shared with us, it would be that we need to:
Break down the walls that separate us and keep us apart and to always put the business value above the needs of IT.
I’m quite sure that some of what he said sent shivers down the spines of IT people everywhere. But Ray wasn’t focused on “IT” – only on what IT can do to deliver value to the organization.
He believes that IT is too important to be segregated in a separate function and so he integrated it into the business units directly. He believes that we should all be technologists and so that we need to trust our people with technology decisions. He believes that the sense of “ownership” – to the degree that it inhibits sharing and collaboration – must be eliminated so that our teams can work together rapidly and fluidly. And he believes that the only thing that matters is the value that is generated for the business – so if an IT process or policy is somehow disrupting the delivery of value, then it should be changed.
If you keep your “IT hat” on, these ideas can seem scary and downright heretical. But if you think like a CEO, they make a lot more sense.
And that was Ray’s big challenge to all of us.
To break down our “ownership walls”.
To focus, instead, on how we create value for the organization.
To understand and embrace that value.
And then to deliver and protect it.
The question for you is how you’re going to start doing that. How will you begin?
Share with us the first step that you’re going to take to begin breaking down your own “ownership walls” and to focus on value. I believe that your ability to understand how value is created for your business and how you, personally, contribute to that value, is perhaps one of the most critical first steps in your own personal transformation to becoming a true digital leader.
So decide what you will do to begin this process and start now. There’s no time to wait!
If you missed Episode 2, you can watch it on-demand here: http://intel.ly/1rrfyg1
Also, make sure you tune in on October 14th when I’ll be talking to Patty Hatter, Sr. VP Operations & CIO at McAfee about “Life at the Intersection of IT and Business.” You can register for a calendar reminder here.
You can join the Transform IT conversation anytime using the Twitter hashtags #TransformITOpens in a new window and #ITChatOpens in a new window.