- 1
- 2
- < previous
To Get Focused, Get Together
My experience at Burlington Northern Santa Fe taught me the most about the importance of staying focused. I was CIO at Burlington Northern in September 1995 when the merger with Santa Fe was announced. We decided to combine our systems, processes and facilities, and become one railroad in 24 months. This decision didn't allow much time to lay out our combined IT infrastructure and integrated application plan. Within this environment, we faced a never-ending stream of surprises and crises that threatened to derail us.
Not long after we started, my infrastructure vice president — one of the few leaders liked by employees from both companies — had a fatal stroke. We needed to let people mourn but also keep them focused on the merger. We stopped work for a couple of days so everyone could go to the funeral. Then, word got around that our CEO was arranging to provide financially for the late vice president's family. This gave people confidence in the company and brought us together as an IT team. Meanwhile, the late vice president had built a good team, and the team members understood he would have wanted them to move forward. Soon the team had rededicated itself to the merger.
Later, we ran into frustrating technical problems, and we needed to keep our troubles in perspective. Apollo 13 - the movie about the aborted 1970 moon mission that required the rescues of three astronauts - was playing, so I took the leadership team to see it. The story reinforced my belief that great things are accomplished by people working together. But it also brought us back to reality. NASA and the astronauts were dealing with life and death; we were merely dealing with a railroad merger. We finished the integration three months early because we stayed focused on the big picture.
The competencies I have discussed in this column — and in columns past — are all required of great leaders. However, leaders also need good values if they are to inspire achievement and help others to grow. The legacy of a leader is not just what he or she accomplishes, but how it gets done. Employing your values to inspire your team will be the subject of my next column
Charlie Feld is the former CEO of the Feld Group, a CIO consultancy that was acquired by EDS in January. He is now executive vice president of portfolio management for EDS. He can be reached at charlie.feld@eds.com
- 1
- 2
- < previous
Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. - White PaperWhat you don’t know can destroy your business. It’s hard to imagine modern business without the internet but in the last few years it has become fraught with danger. Read on to discover how internet security can give your business a competitive advantage.
- White PaperView this webcast and discover the drivers for changing network design practices, why many organisations are changing their approach to network architecture and how enterprises should be moving forward with open architecture multi-vendor network solutions. Register now and learn how your business can maximize the business value of the enterprise network.
- White PaperJoin Lee Benjamin, a Microsoft Exchange MVP and Ryan Shipkowski, network administrator for Matthews, to discuss the process and ROI of implementing an email archiving solution, with emphasis on a case study from Matthews International.
Discover how SOA can create smarter outcomes for your business.
Attend and learn:
- How SOA is helping leading companies to become more agile
- Where you should be applying SOA processes in your company
- The top SOA implementation mistakes to avoid
Click here for more information.
- +
CIO Live Podcast #79: Brent D Taylor, author of The Outsider's Edge: The Making of Self-Made Billionaires Part II 05 October, 2007 06:00:00
For his new book, The Outsider's Edge: The Making of Self-Made Billionaires, social researcher Brent D Taylor spent four years of intensive research investigating the psychological make-up and backgrounds of some of the world's richest men and women, including IT luminaries Bill Gates, Larry Ellison and Steve Jobs. Taylor discovered that, despite working in different industries and coming from different upbringings, they all have one thing in common -- they are all outsiders. - +
CIO Live Podcast #78: Brent D Taylor, author of The Outsider's Edge: The Making of Self-Made Billionaires 28 September, 2007 17:34:25
For his new book, The Outsider's Edge: The Making of Self-Made Billionaires, social researcher Brent D Taylor spent four years of intensive research investigating the psychological make-up and backgrounds of some of the world's richest men and women, including IT luminaries Bill Gates, Larry Ellison and Steve Jobs. Taylor discovered that, despite working in different industries and coming from different upbringings, they all have one thing in common -- they are all outsiders. - +
CIO Live Podcast #77: Panasonic Speeds Up Trans-Pacific File Transfers, Part III 21 September, 2007 07:00:00
Part three in our three-part special report from CIO's sister publication Network World in the US, as Paul Desmond reports from the Network World IT Roadmap Conference in Santa Clara, California. With development teams in the US and Japan, Panasonic needed a more efficient way to move very large files between the two locations. Iben Rodriguez, IT consultant for Panasonic Research and Development, explains how a storage-area network and virtual server technology helped speed up WAN performance. - +
CIO Live Podcast #76: Panasonic Speeds Up Trans-Pacific File Transfers, Part II 14 September, 2007 07:00:00
Part two in our three-part special report from CIO's sister publication Network World in the US, as Paul Desmond reports from the Network World IT Roadmap Conference in Santa Clara, California. With development teams in the US and Japan, Panasonic needed a more efficient way to move very large files between the two locations. Iben Rodriguez, IT consultant for Panasonic Research and Development, explains how a storage-area network and virtual server technology helped speed up WAN performance. - +
CIO Live Podcast #75: Panasonic Speeds Up Trans-Pacific File Transfers, Part I 07 September, 2007 07:00:05
Part one in our three-part special report from CIO's sister publication Network World in the US, as Paul Desmond reports from the Network World IT Roadmap Conference in Santa Clara, California. With development teams in the US and Japan, Panasonic needed a more efficient way to move very large files between the two locations. Iben Rodriguez, IT consultant for Panasonic Research and Development, explains how a storage-area network and virtual server technology helped speed up WAN performance.
- +
SOA What? Why You Need SOA Governance Framework 04 December, 2008 08:32:00
Adopting services oriented architecture (SOA) in your enterprise without thinking through IT governance can cause something like the Gold Rush in the 1800s; extreme rates of growth and minimal law and order which produce unexpected outcomes. - +
The Myth of Cloud Computing 04 December, 2008 08:25:00
Why the rapid spread of virtual technology is becoming a security riskWhy the rapid spread of virtual technology is becoming a security risk. - +
Who Pushed Vendors Toward Better Security? 04 December, 2008 09:38:00
Hint: It had something to do with pressure from customers and government agencies, writes Oracle CSO Mary Ann DavidsonHint: It had something to do with pressure from customers and government agencies, writes Oracle CSO Mary Ann Davidson. - +
CPO & CISO: A Comprehensive Approach to Information 04 December, 2008 08:42:00
GE CPO Nuala O'Connor Kelly advocates greater CPO/CISO cooperation to place the right value on information assets.GE CPO Nuala O'Connor Kelly advocates greater CPO/CISO cooperation to place the right value on information assets. - +
Virtually every Windows PC at risk, says Secunia 04 December, 2008 08:00:00
Almost all PCs scanned by patch tool have an unpatched app; 46% have 11-plus.More than 98% of Windows computers harbor at least one unpatched application, and nearly half contain 11 or more programs at risk from attack, a Danish security company said Wednesday.
F-Secure: Growth In Internet Crime Calls For Growth In Punishment 05 December, 2008 13:00:00
International researchers gather in Sydney to preview the clever web 05 December, 2008 09:48:00
Borderless corporate networks to shift focus to secure content management in Australia in 2009 04 December, 2008 16:06:00
IDC Says Asia/Pacific Excluding Japan IT Market Will Remain The Bright Spot... 04 December, 2008 15:04:00
MySpot SOS "Panic Button" Smartphone Application could save lone worker lives 04 December, 2008 13:34:00
|
||
|
||
|
|
||
|
Best Practice in Building an Integrated Information Management Strategy
Discover the business value that creating an integrated information platform can bring. Learn how to provide consistent, accurate information to all stakeholders within your business network. Integrate vital data from disparate sources and deliver a trusted information foundation. Read on to uncover the stepping-stones to your new information management strategy.
Buying Guides
Latest Products
Buying Guides
