Lessons in IT Transformation: Technology Expert to Business Leader

Partnering with Your Team

Although there are many important partnerships required for success, none is more important than the bond you develop with your team. It is important for you to market and communicate your visions and your progress, but your words will fall on deaf ears if your own people are not espousing the same values and messages when they are in the field touching your client community day in and day out.

As a leader, nothing gets done unless you have the support of the members of your team. You can probably beat and cajole people to adhering to some principles in the short term, but if they feel that they “work for the man” they will undermine you every chance they get when you are not looking. We talked a little about shared accountability and vision. We talked about empowering people and getting their buy-in for your program. Your team has to have the same sense of urgency, commitment, and passion about the vision you do if you hope to move the chains in any meaningful way. Do your people feel a part of your team? Do they feel that you are even on the same team they are? Do they think of themselves as offensive linemen and you as the general manager sitting in a cozy, glass-enclosed corporate box, or do they see you as the quarterback in the huddle with them, setting up for the next play?