The message I focused on was that data is an asset that when not managed properly becomes a millstone rather than something of value. I had to make it clear to those in the business units that unmanaged data rapidly spirals into something that everyone has to spend all their time translating and administrating, which means that there isn't time for anyone to focus on delivering shareholder value. That was something they could take in.

My job has been to make sure that everybody on the business side understands the value of the project and why we're investing in it. People have to know how this project affects their corner of the company, because that makes it personal. But they also have to see how it affects the bottom line, so that they fully grasp how the IT strategy plays into the health of the business. In this case the message has been that putting in place a single ERP is not just about having something as amorphous as "better technology"; it's about the central leaders having transparency across units and being agile and flexible in using our resources across the enterprise.

Once you've started along the path of a strategic vision, you can't become complacent. Development and execution of strategy is about not taking your foot off the gas. You have to keep pushing, even when you find yourself thinking that a tactical opportunity seems preferable to a long-term initiative.

At the end of the day, if you believe in your strategy, you've got to stick to it and even take the flack that goes with it. This will mean getting into disagreements over business priorities and compromising with business leaders.

Instilling a strategic central viewpoint at Galderma is a work in process, but while it's taken eight years, understanding is taking hold. The money for a single ERP implementation finally became available in the last year and that project kicked off in January of this year. The fact that this project is going forward is, for me, the final tick in the box to say that our strategy is right, and that people now understand the value of data, the value of consistent information, and how the IT strategy -enables that vision.