Building Great IT Organizations
Chris Filandro
VP/CIO Meritage
Homes
Is My Organization Great?
Understanding the Mission
• Business
– Business Objective…very specifically
• Revenue Expansion / Profit Expansion
• Merger / Acquisitions
• Customer / Market Expansion
• Raising Capital vs. Preserving Capital
• Information Systems
– Run the Business
– Grow the Business
– Transform the Business
Leadership…In a Combat Zone
• “The roots of leadership…..are expertise and
empathy. A leaders work is not only to apply these
traits but also cultivate them – both on a personal
and organizational level”
• “True leaders create organizations that themselves
cultivate leadership…..this can only be achieved
through rigorous and systematic organizational
development”
William G. Pagonis “Leadership in a Combat Zone”
Sad Facts and Silver Linings
Sad Fact Number 1: Not Enough Choices
– Senior Managers get only one option.
Silver Lining
• The option usually reflects senior leaders’
previously expressed preferences
• Leaders eventually get enough one-option
choices to shape them into a coherent
portfolio
Thomas J. Peters “Leadership – Sad Facts and Silver Linings”
Sad Facts and Silver Linings
Sad Fact Number 2: Not Enough Time
– Time is fragmented; issues arrive late, fully staffed.
Silver Lining
• Each fragment can be used to signal leaders’
preferences and set direction.
• Small, last-minute modifications of current
options strongly signal what future options
should look like
Thomas J. Peters “Leadership – Sad Facts and Silver Linings”
Sad Facts and Silver Linings
• Sad Fact Number 3: Too Many Filters
– Bad news is normally hidden
Silver Lining
• Senior leaders can use their responses to good
news to reinforce the organization’s values
and priorities
Thomas J. Peters “Leadership – Sad Facts and Silver Linings”
Sad Facts and Silver Linings
• Sad Fact Number 4 : Too Much Inertia
– Major choices take months or years to emerge
Silver Lining
• Over time, consistent choices accumulate into
a consensus that requires minimal correction
• With a large number of decisions in the
hopper, decisions will come frequently enough
to spell out leaders’ chosen direction
Thomas J. Peters “Leadership – Sad Facts and Silver Linings”
Assessing the Environment
• Business
– The People
– The Influencers
– The Readiness
• Information Systems
– The People
– The Investments
– The Environment
Measure the Environment
“You get what you inspect not what you expect”
Steve Hilton CEO Meritage Homes
• Measure the Business
– Readiness for Change
– Change Indicators
– Impact Areas
• Information Systems
– Ongoing Operations
– Realized Change Results
– Direct Impacts ($ & %)
Leadership…an Option
• “A tentative approach to a critical decision in an
unfamiliar environment is not a sign of indecision
but of common sense.”
William H. Peace “The Hard Work of Being a Soft Manager”
Time to Assess & Address the Team
• The Good…Human Capital
– Thinkers
– Communicators
– Executors
– Leaders
• ….and the Bad...
– the Wrong People….
• Is it a skill issue…
• A Culture Issue
• A maturity issue
Leadership…Other Zones
• “Soft management does not mean weak
management. It means candor, openness and
vulnerability, but it also means hard choices and
responsible follow-up”
• “…it means taking the heat for difficult decisions
and giving unhappy subordinates a chance to
unburden themselves at your expense.”
William H. Peace “The Hard Work of Being a Soft Manager”
What About the Culture
• Business
– Decision Making Environment
• Authoritative vs. Committee
• Sacred Cows
• Industry Insiders
• Industry Outsiders
– Communicating Failures
• Information Systems
– Operators vs. Innovators
– Collaboration and Ownership vs. Protectionism
Beware of the Mundane
• Regular ordinary operations can become a problem
• Complacency = lack of attention
• Ask the Questions:
– Are we in firefighting mode too often?
– Do we have to assemble task forces often?
– Do not allow basic “blocking and tackling” to erupt into a
crisis….
Time for Change…Getting Great
Change is a Process not an Event!
• The Portfolio
– Business & IS Investments
• People
• Process
• Tools
• The Roadmap
– Long, Intermediate & Short Term
– Change Management
• Roadmap can and will change
• Incorporate the change
Manage Crisis….Effectively
• Being Unprepared is No Excuse
• You Know the Threats – Get Ready for them
• Know What You Want to Say Before They Ask
• Admit That You are “Wing-It” Challenged
• Divide and Conquer
• Get Outside Help
• Every Crisis is an Opportunity
Brian Ellis EVP CRT/tanaka
When Greatness Has Arrived
Now What…
Greatness Can Be Better
• Always consult with others….what are they doing
• Measure yourself…often and honestly
• Solicit feedback from your harshest critics
• Challenge organization to do better
– Be very specific
• Development Plans….one size does not fit all
• Investment:
– People / Business / Technology / Process
Let’s Review the Toolbox
• The Mission
– Business & IS
• Assess the
Environment
– Business & IS
• Measure the
Environment
• Leadership
– Style vs. Substance
• The Team
– Good and Bad
• The Culture
– Business & IS
• Time for Change!
• Lead the Basics and
the Change
• Greatness Can Get
Better
Greatness Can Be Better
“The price of greatness is responsibility”
Winston Churchill
“Some are born great, some achieve greatness and
some have greatness thrust upon them”
William Shakespeare