Lessons in IT Transformation: Technology Expert to Business Leader

Creating an Empowered, Team-oriented Environment

One of the most important things you can do to develop a partnership with your team is to empower team members to drive the outcomes you need to accomplish. If they are simply following orders, they will not have the emotional investment needed to accomplish great things. They need to feel that the decisions that are being made are their decisions and that any success or failure that occurs is a direct reflection on them.

One of the mistakes leaders make is inadvertently pitting their people against each other. They have to vie for dollars, resources, and attention. They are taught that they win and are rewarded as individuals, not as a team. It's easy for groups of people to point fingers. It's much more difficult for teammates to take that tack. One example (yes, I like football!) helps bring that point home.

I remember years ago the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were coached by Tony Dungy, had the best defense in the NFL. Unfortunately, they also had one of the worst offenses in the league. With a Super Bowl–caliber defense, they should have had more success. It was a credit to their coach's leadership that you never heard a peep from the defense about how badly the offense stunk or the fact that if these guys ever got their act together, they would win a Super Bowl. They functioned as a single unit with no finger pointing or blame. This is a direct result of excellent leadership and a shared vision.

In the case of the Bucs, the best ...