Peer to Peer Magazine

ASKTHE EXPERT L Leaders of Our Pack: Wisdom from Our Peers eaders, both good and bad, have directly affected all of us. With this in mind, we decided to poll some key ILTA leaders and well-known members of the IT community for examples or quotes exemplifying their most memorable (good as well as bad!) leadership qualities. There was a resounding consensus among our leaders that a team-spirit approach to leadership is best, as the ability to effectively work well with others is essential. Scott Christensen, the IS Director at Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon, LLP, believes that a “leader has two important characteristics: First, he knows where he is going; second, he is able to persuade others to go there with him.” Michael Sooley, Chief Information Officer at Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold LLP, believes managers really need to be leaders in order to be effective. “It is not enough to keep track of assignments and hand out new ones,” he says. “Leaders demonstrate by example how to get the job done. They do not need to be the subject matter expert and do the actual work as much as they need to set the example by conducting themselves in a manner in which they want their staff to work.” FINDING YOUR PEOPLE Leaders need followers, so the first question becomes how does one form an effective team? Scott Christensen once saw a panelist on the topic of hiring and retaining IT staff state that “the only criterion that I use when filling IT staff roles is to hire the best technical candidate for the position, without regard for other attributes.” Scott disagrees with that advice, stating: Technical skills are certainly an important criterion in a hiring decision –– they answer the question ‘can they do the job?’ The other half of the equation is ‘will they successfully do the job?’ I submit that the personality attributes of a candidate are equally, if not more, important when making a hiring decision. Are they self-motivated, do they demonstrate leadership qualities, do they work well with a team, are they 28 www.iltanet.org Peer to Peer customer-service oriented? Can you say with no hesitation that the candidate in front of you will be a good fit with the rest of your team? Scott highly recommends the book “Hiring Smart!: How to Predict Winners and Losers in the Incredibly Expensive People-Reading Game” by Pierre Mornell, which has revolutionized his hiring practices for the past decade. Dean Leung, Director of Information Technology at Davis LLP, concurs with the approach, saying, “It’s better to leave a position empty until you find the right person. A mediocre person will negatively affect the morale, and by extension, the productivity of the entire team.” A good leader knows the unique skills and experience each member of the team brings to the table. Peggy Wechsler, Program Director at ILTA, sums this up best when she says, “For me to be successful as a leader, each member of my team needs to excel in their areas of responsibilities. It is my job to give them the tools, guidance and support to succeed in their roles. Look for the areas of strength of an employee and give them opportunities to expand in that area.” Good leaders nurture their teams. Randi Mayes, ILTA’s Executive Director, says that the actions of those she admires have guided her. “I admire those who give selflessly of their expertise and talent for the betterment of others -- not just for themselves. That is leadership at its finest.” Jim McCue, Executive Vice President of ILTA’s Board of Directors and IS Manager at the Rodey Law Firm, recommends that you “know who does what on your team and let them take ownership.” WINNING THE LOYALTY OF YOUR PEOPLE But how does a leader solicit the dedication and loyalty of their team members? Michael Donnelly, CIO at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, provides an excellent example. “Many years ago I worked at Deloitte Consulting managing financial systems implementations,” he says. “I remember being introduced to a client by a very senior Deloitte partner. He said, ‘Mike and I work together in D & T’s consulting practice.’

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