SIDEBAR: Management To-Do List
by Lauren Gibbons PaulHere are some action items for CIOs - taken from experts, IT staffers and CIOs themselves - to make you a better manager
- Get in front of your staff on a regular basis. Ask for questions and concerns. Solicit ideas. Then listen. And respond with the truth.
- Get to know your direct reports. Find out what makes them successful as individuals.
- Put together a team to collect employee ideas and input on a monthly or regular basis. Employees resent not being able to contribute. Install a suggestion box if you don't already have one.
- Invest in professional development for your staff. "You absolutely must preserve some of your training money. You have to send them to training at least twice a year or they'll leave the first chance they get," says Beverly Lieberman, president of executive search firm Halbrecht Lieberman Associates. But don't dole out training opportunities to only the choice few, as sometimes happens when money is tight. That will just create worse morale among the have-nots.
- Remove the obstacles to getting training. With people spread so thin, it can be difficult, if not impossible, for them to take advantage of training. Use creative scheduling or get in some temporary help to ensure people can take courses.
- Have senior management speak to your group about the business and its goals. "Even if there's nothing really great to say, you have to tell them how you're trying to keep the ship afloat," says Lieberman. Put a cap on negative water cooler chat by formalising the discussion.
- Enlist help from human resources. Spend time with a senior HR person and brainstorm ways to bolster morale.
- Go for executive training. This may be impractical with both time and money tight. But if there's any way you can do it, take an executive development course at a premier institution such as the Australian Graduate School of Management.
- Get yourself a coach. Ask an HR professional to help you find a personal coach who can help boost morale. If the company can't or won't sponsor coaching services, pay for it yourself.
- Get communication help. Cecil Smith, CIO of Duke Energy, has a dedicated communication professional, Andy Thompson, to help him disseminate information both inside and outside his organisation. Smith was surprised to hear there was an IT communication role when he first joined Duke in 1995. Now he finds Thompson indispensable. "He's been at my side since then," says Smith.
SIDEBAR: Morale-Boosting Moves
by Lauren Gibbons Paul
Low morale among IT staff may be at an all-time low. Improving employee spirits should be a priority. Here's where you can start
Spend a few dollars on a team-building exercise. It doesn't have to be coal-walking or a week at a resort. Have a one-day session led by a facilitator.
Seek advice from everyone - at all levels of the organisation - as to how to improve their work environment. Put a task team in place and follow up with in-person meetings no less than once a month. Even if you're in a funk yourself, take a deep breath and just do it.
Show employees how and why they matter. "You have to communicate that what they're doing is contributing to the betterment of the company. Let people know times are tough but you do appreciate their efforts," says Beverly Lieberman, president of executive search firm Halbrecht Lieberman Associates. This is the time for town hall meetings, brown-bag lunches, morning doughnuts, evening pizzas, and formal and informal pats on the back.
Talk about the extra burdens tight budgets have placed on them. Ask what would help them balance work and family demands. Their answers might surprise you. Time, not money, is a more precious resource for many people, says Maria Schafer, program director for Meta Group.
Arrange to have senior managers visit when staff members are working extra hours. It means a lot to IT people to see that someone senior knows and appreciates what they're doing.
Be honest and clear about the tough things. If more retrenchments are a possibility, say so. Don't make your staff read about looming cuts in The Fin. For those who remain, let them know exactly what is expected of them. Offer benefits such as comp time to assuage hard feelings and frayed nerves.
Don't let community involvement slide. Duke Energy is extensively involved in its local schools, helping high school students learn key skills in a program called Tech Connect and getting computer access for economically disadvantaged children in a program called Neighbourhood Connection. People find it rewarding in tough economic times to work on these programs, says Cecil Smith, CIO of Duke Energy.
Let senior staff take a hit. At Duke Energy, raises and bonuses for the most senior managers have been frozen since last year, while more junior people are still eligible to receive them.
Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.