Tag: Mitch Joel

Fresh Links Sundae – September 22, 2013 Edition

Fresh Links Sundae encapsulates information I have come across during the past week. Often they are from the people whose work I admire or resonate with me. More importantly, I picked these articles to help my fellow IT professionals be more successful. I hope you will find these ideas thought-provoking at the minimum. Even better, I hope these ideas will, over time, help my fellow IT pros make better decisions, be awesome, and kick ass!

Working in IT organization often involves working with consultants, and conflicting dynamics can emerge between management, consultants, and practitioner employees. Tobias Nyberg provides suggestions on how to deal with those situations when one of those conflicting dynamic surfaces. Practitioners: Do you feel unwelcome in your hometown? (The ITSM Review)

Defining IT services should always be done from a business perspective. Ryan Ogilvie explains what elements are necessary when working with customers in defining and implementing IT services. Baking Up IT Services – Swedish Chef Style (Service Management Journey)

According to Patrick Gray, enterprises are losing their emphasis on the bread and butter of IT, and the need for server technicians and systems administrators seems to be diminishing. He advises how IT professionals can plan around this trend. Make a plan as enterprises hollow out IT (TechRepublic)

As a data scientist, Cathy O’Neil receives lots of attention and emails just for her my job title and Ph.D. in math. While it is flattering, she also points out that some serious headwinds are forming in the sea of big data. The bursting of the big data bubble (mathbabe)

As a new business analyst, it can be a challenge to figure out how to learn everything you need to know to be successful. Laura Brandenburg articulates the type of knowledge you need and how to document and synthesize the information you pull together. How to Learn About a New Business Domain (Bridging the Gap)

There are a number of writings that talk about and define leadership. Peter Saddington presents his definitions of leadership using the Agile perspective and outlines questions that can help you evaluate your leadership strengths and weaknesses. Agile Coach Leadership Traits (Agile Scout)

Andrew Dlugan believes that poor speakers often fail to understand the concept of the ladder of abstraction. He proceeds to define the ladder concept and explains why it is essential for all speakers to know. The Ladder of Abstraction and the Public Speaker (Six Minutes)

We may work with some people who, for one reason or another, choose not to be committed, to their work and also to the full experience and the team that they are a part of. Mitch Joel explains why it is necessary to periodically examine our own perspectives with the question “Why are you doing the work that you’re doing?” Opt In To Your Work (Six Pixels of Separation)

According to Jeff Haden, being stuck on measuring yourself against the entrepreneurial greats like Steve Jobs is only self-defeating. He suggests striving for a much better goal. The Best Kind of Entrepreneur to Be (Inc.com)

Referring to his book Linchpin, Seth Godin talks about what will the quality jobs of tomorrow look like. Q&A: Linchpin: Will they miss you? In another similar discussion, he talks about whether the war for talent is real or merely perceived. The truth about the war for talent (Seth’s Blog)

Fresh Links Sundae – September 15, 2013 Edition

With so many data sources available to us, it is easy to analyze the data but still not getting the required results. That can happen when we analyze data without truly understand the business questions behind the analysis. Brian Barnier outlines four potential collaboration opportunities where IT and business can work together. Dangers of big lazy data / opportunities for IT leaders (ISACA Now)

When it comes to initiating an IT service improvement plan, a number of considerations should go into the planning. Over a three-part series, Michelle Major-Goldsmith presents a list of suggested starting points for your service improvement planning effort. A Trilogy – The One-Hour Service Improvement Plan (Part 2) (Part 3) (SHIFT)

With excellent customer service being one of the key goals of IT Service Management, Ryan Ogilvie reminds us that the ability to measure the quality provided is just as essential as the ability to provide services faster and cheaply. Request Fulfillment – How Good Are You? (Service Management Journey)

With today’s quick business pace, businesses are asking their IT organization to be more efficient and agile in providing the technology services the businesses require. Robert Stroud advocates that delivering business values, maybe on a smaller scale but quickly and efficiently, is the way to go. Can DevOps Get You Out of “Technical Debt”? (HDIConnect)

IT organizations manage a number of third party and off-the-shelf software assets on the regular basis. Rory Canavan presents a detailed asset management process model for managing changes to the software owned by an organization. Process of the Month – Software Change Management Process (The ITAM Review)

While teams bring many positive contributions to collaboration, they also can be a significant source of indecision. Patrick Gray makes recommendations on how we can do to stop this reactive behavior from taking hold in our organization. Eradicate a culture of indecision (TechRepublic)

In our lives, we probably know someone who seems to have a solid future ahead but somehow screws up life on a major scale. Susan Cramm explains how we can continually reflect and keep the worst in us from getting the best of us. Keeping the Stupid Out of Your Life (strategy+business)

With today’s globally distributed teams, having clear, timely communication amongst the teams is more crucial than ever. Over a three-part series, Peter Saddington presents his suggestions for managing a distributed Agile-based team. Ideas on Managing Distributed Teams Using Agile [1/3] – Introduction and Ceremonies (Part 2 – The Retrospective) (Part 3 – Review and Conclusion) (Agile Scout)

Some leaders try hard to win all the time, and they inadvertently try to add value to everything his team comes across. The behavior often adds incremental value while substantially diminishes employment involvement and commitment. Marshall Goldsmith advises us on what we can do stop this ineffective behavior. Adding Value — But at What Cost? (Marshall Goldsmith Personal Blog)

Successes in career are rarely achieved without struggle and rejections along the way. When you have one of those dip/valley moments, Mitch Joel reminds us how we can confront those negative experiences on our own. If You Have Ever Been Rejected… Be Like Bono (Six Pixels of Separation)

Something else you might be interested in…

Jim Taggart has released an updated version of his May 2011 e-book. The e-book begins with a brief overview of the global context within which organizations will operate in the years ahead. He also highlights the key trends that will have noticeable impacts follow. Workforce of the Future: Building Change Adaptability, 2nd Edition – NEW E-BOOK! (ChangingWinds)

Fresh Links Sundae – September 8, 2013 Edition

With IT being essential to the execution of nearly every job, Brad Power believes that business executives will need to continue to build their comfort level with managing IT more directly. Yes, Managing IT Is Your Job (Harvard Business Review)

Drawing from his own dieting experience, Earl Begley explains how building and following a plan are a must for an ITSM initiative to work. The ITSM Diet (The ITSM Review)

With the constant changes in business, many organizations are using IT in a much more sophisticated manner than they are used to be. Stewart Buchanan explains how organizations need better IT asset management controls to prevent unexpected costs from outweighing the benefits of new ways of using IT. Improve Your IT Asset Management Controls or Face Unbudgeted Costs (The ITAM Review)

Motivated by the interest in social-enablement and self-service, many organizations are looking at how best to manage and make knowledge accessible to their people. Barclay Rae gives some planning tips for your knowledge management effort . Knowledge Management Is More Than Just Buying A Tool (The ITSM Review)

Many IT organizations use popular metrics such as first contact resolution (FCR) or mean time to repair/resolve (MTTR) as a primary input into measuring service excellence. Dan Kane argues that well intended metrics don’t necessarily tell the whole story, and we can do better. First Contact Resolution is the last refuge of a scoundrel (Hazy ITSM)

In an effort to maximize his/her own productivity, some developers produce more extra code than the organization can test or make use of them. Dennis Stevens suggests six things that developers can work on that are better economic investments than writing the extra, untested code. Stop Writing Code You Can’t Yet Test (LeadingAgile)

With machines getting more proficient at doing many of the things people traditionally do on the job, this means people need to become smarter at things machines are not quite yet ready to take over. Michael Schrage suggests six different skills that can be useful in today’s workplace and should be taught in school. Six Classes Your Employer Wishes You Could Take (Harvard Business Review)

We live in a world where we want things to happen fast, faster and fastest. Mitch Joel suggests we focus on spending the time you need to get better at your craft. 10,000 Hours And 20% Of Your Work Time (Six Pixels of Separation)

When it comes to finding and leading like-minded people to make real and powerful change that matters, Seth Godin explains why it is vital to build the tribe around the experience that the tribe members already want to have. Q&A: Tribes and the reality of worldview (Seth’s Blog)

Our flaws at work usually don’t vanish when we go home. Marshall Goldsmith advises us on whom we can approach to learn more about ourselves. How to Learn the Truth About Yourself (Marshall Goldsmith Personal Blog)

Fresh Links Sundae – August 11, 2013 Edition

Fresh Links Sundae encapsulates information I have come across during the past week. Often they are from the people whose work I admire or resonate with me. More importantly, I picked these articles to help my fellow IT Professionals be more successful. With these ideas, I hope they can help my fellow IT pros make better decisions, be awesome, and kick ass! I hope you will find them thought-provoking or something of value.

After completing a recent web application project, Bob Lewis shares with us the lessons he learned and how those best practices can also be applicable when it comes managing data and application architecture projects. Lessons learned from code diving (IS Survivor Publishing)

Together with CSI, Paul Wilkinson believes that problem management is one of the core capabilities that IT organizations needs to develop. He explains why problem management is also an excellent risk management capability. Problem management: Especially Now! (ITSM Portal)

As the workplace becomes more collaborative and knowledge-intensive, Andrew Horne believes that IT should interact more directly with individual employees to identify their needs and to generate innovations. He outlines five questions to ask in order to determine whether your IT organization is on the right track. Do You Have A C-Suite Problem? (CEB’s IT Blog)

Based on a recently published report from HDI and Robert Half Technology, many technology leaders believe that user demand for anytime, anywhere IT service/support is one of three major trends driving how IT provides services. Stephen Mann adds his observation that how IT services are perceived and consumed by business users/consumers/customers is just as essential as how IT delivers the services. The Future of the IT Service Desk…or whatever it becomes (HDIConnect)

When it comes to the concept of DevOps, there are a number of definitions of what DevOps is or should be. Phil Whelan interviewed John Arundel for his thoughts on DevOps, and I thought John’s candid perspective was very educational. John Arundel on DevOps (ActiveBlog)

Leveraging the findings from the recently published 2013 State of DevOps survey, Aliza Earnshaw gives us five measurements to consider if you are just starting to implement DevOps. 5 KPIs that Make the Case for DevOps (DevOps Blog)

While there are foundational characteristics that every mentor possesses, Len Lagestee recalls four outstanding traits from the mentors who have made a difference in his life. Four Characteristics of Memorable Mentors (Illustrated Agile)

Inspired by George Saunders’ recent graduation remarks to a group of students at Syracuse University, Mitch Joel believes that, in business, we can still be kind. Random Acts Of Business Kindness (Six Pixels of Separation)

While good bosses care about getting important things done, Jeff Haden also believes that exceptional bosses care about their people. 10 Things Extraordinary Bosses Give Employees (Inc.com)

How do great leaders encourage leadership development within his/her own team? Marshall Goldsmith recommends that the best ways top executives can get their leaders to improve is to work on improving themselves. To Help Others Develop, Start With Yourself (Marshall Goldsmith Personal Blog)

A bonus download…

Len Lagestee has combined 9 blog posts walking through an Agile Leadership Engagement Model by making them available in one convenient document. Enjoy the reading. Introducing the Agile Leadership Engagement Model E-Book (Illustrated Agile)

Fresh Links Sundae – July 28, 2013 Edition

Fresh Links Sundae encapsulates information I have come across during the past week. Often they are from the people whose work I admire or whose ideas resonate with me. I hope you will find them at least thought-provoking or something of value.

We live in an environment where consumers can display their loyalty for a product or service by switching without much effort. Robert Plant uses a recent personal example to advocates why companies should not squander the hard earned customers by letting customers slip away due to service failures. We Appreciate Your Business. Please Stay on the Line. (Harvard Business Review)

Author Robert Fulghum has inspired us with his famous book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Julie Montgomery reminds us what general IT management lessons we also can take away from implementing ITSM. All I Really Need To Know I Learned From In My Service Management Office (Plexent Blog)

Most of us are familiar with the concept and principles behind Project Management Office. The Service Management Office or SMO concept is also getting attention in the ITSM world. Rob England discusses why he believes the SMO concept is a good idea and what are some potential deliverables from a SMO. The Service Management Office (The IT Skeptic)

There is a saying that we are our own worst enemy. Part of personal growth is to expose our own blind spots, so we can at least be aware of them and adjust our behaviors if needed. Bob Lewis outlines his WPAM (Ways People Annoy Me) personality indicators and what they can do for us. What Myers-Briggs is good for … and what it isn’t (IS Survivor Publishing)

A number of organizations have implemented service catalogs solely for the purpose of speedy provisioning of IT services and equipment; however, we must also pay attention to the IT backend process. Melanie Karunaratne reminds us why planning a Service Catalogue project require holistic thinking. Service Catalogues: Don’t Build a Vending Machine (LANDesk Blog)

According to a CEB research, network performance is a valuable behavior that CIOs should encourage in their teams. Andrew Horne explains what network performance is and approaches for improving employee’s network performance. Network Performance – The Most Important Behavior in IT? (CEB’s IT Blog)

The Fast Track blog recently posted an article about overcoming resistance to change. Jason Little added his practical suggestions on how to handle change resistance effectively. Practical Advice for Managing Change Resistance (Jason Little)

The recent financial crisis and the following sluggish economy may have left a less-than-favorable impression on large corporations and capitalism. Jim Taggart believes that responsible capitalism is still doable and explains how it can be achieved via the Triple Bottom Line principle. Are You Minding Yours Triple Es and Ps? (ChangingWinds)

Although resume is still an important vehicle for job search, social media also has given us additional opportunities to present ourselves. Mitch Joel challenges us to take the time to craft and share our perspectives and extend ourselves beyond a piece of paper. The New Resume (Six Pixels of Separation)

Many leaders practice openness and inclusiveness, but overdoing them can also create staff dependency. Marshall Goldsmith explains how leaders can improve their effectiveness by minimizing the dependency and letting go. Get-Out-of-My-Face Time (Marshall Goldsmith Personal Blog)