Peer to Peer Magazine

SMART MOVES of politics, technical savvy (and when to let it lapse), work/ life balance and business alignment. While not a complete list, these had a direct impact on my ability to begin understanding where the operational aspects merged into the strategic. It is amazing how much more significant these concepts became now that I was in direct need of their influence. To succeed in this transition, I knew I’d have to undergo some changes to my personality. The political atmosphere of any organization can be difficult to navigate, which means, unfortunately, a strategic leader must be something of a politician. Establishing relationships and building professional capital are instrumental in driving progress and initiatives. As an operational leader, office politics are more of a frustration than a skill to be mastered. However, the ability to effect change or establish a following in a technology initiative is a significant instrument in winning wider professional acceptance. Having informal champions on your side brings significant benefits, and establishing small “wins” with key players suddenly becomes a sought-after prize that establishes the credibility needed to sell the more difficult projects. Developing a taste for the political environment turns out to be relevant to aligning with the business and its goals and objectives. This means you must know more than just what an attorney does. Instead, you must comprehend the nature of the business and what it is trying to achieve. In order to do this, find a mentor who can be a resource and a means to get a better view of the big picture, which is something that can be difficult if you have an operational mindset. My mentor, the COO of the firm, has helped me see a wider view of an application’s effect on the attorneys and their clients –– beyond just the technological impact of an outage or work disruption. My strategic view evolved to see not only how to deploy the tool, but how that tool would be used, what the attorney would gain from that tool and the satisfaction level of the attorney using the tool. STAYING FOCUSED UNDER PRESSURE The importance of balancing a professional life with a private life added to the challenges of this transition. Aside from the work, you need to make time for yourself. For me, with a three-year-old and an eighteen-month-old, I needed to keep work at the office and family at home. As an operational manager, it was a given that long hours and weekend support would interfere with a personal life. I certainly did not believe that the accessibility and availability would change with these new aspects of my position; however, the increased stress required a firm separation in order for me to keep the appropriate focus on both areas of my life. The complexities of my new 40 www.iltanet.org Peer to Peer responsibilities were stressful enough without adding the drama of my home life and vice versa. One of the more difficult aspects of moving from an operational to a strategic role is your involvement in the day-to-day operations of the firm. As a strategic leader at the 50,000 foot level, you are not able to be involved with every aspect of what is occurring. For me, it was important to maintain my technical skills, as that was a comfort zone for me. It quickly became obvious, however, that this was not realistic. In order to focus on driving new programs and establishing a new culture in the firm, I would need to let go of the 1,000 foot level. Though you must maintain technical prowess, you can let the operations team keep the day-to- day projects moving forward and allow yourself to focus where needed, while always maintaining a finger on the pulse of the firm. BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE Overall, these challenges have been an incredible learning experience and excellent preparation for the next stage of my career. Identifying what skills and perspectives an operational manager must adapt to and adopt to be successful as a strategic leader has already proved valuable. Whether in a strategic or an operational role, the significance of understanding the business and its people provides tremendous insight into where the road will lead, along with how to navigate it. Having a deeper appreciation for the qualities of the strategic leader, I am incorporating these newfound traits into my skill set and management style. By performing in a dual role (admittedly not in a true strategic role, but enough to feel the pain), it has become obvious that an organization cannot support itself with one and not the other. Without a strategy, there is no process to run tomorrow. Without the process, there is no road to drive toward the future. ILTA Andrew Collier is a 20 year veteran in the information technology industry. As Director of Information Technology at Polsinelli Shughart, Drew leads the IT staff in strategic technology initiatives to improve the productivity of the firm. Additionally, he oversees the operations of technology solutions and data center facilities for 16 offices throughout the United States. His focus on improving customer service and ensuring a consistent positive experience for end users lends to his roles as an advocate for marketing technology as a service to both the firm and the client. He can be reached at acollier@polsinelli.com.

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