passion

Bill Gates retires from day-to-day role at Microsoft

Paul Mah — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:11:47 -0400

Today marks Bill Gate's last day at Microsoft; he has vowed to take a step back from his position as the icon of the most successful software company in history. Though Gates will remain the chairman of the board, he will only spend a day a week on company matters. Instead, he will shift the bulk of his time and energies over to philanthropy at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. One of the chief tenets of the foundation has been the eradication of diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis. Reflecting the couple's passion, Gates was quoted as saying, "Once you improve health in a country, it really changes everything."

For more on Bill Gates:
- check out this article from Telegraph

You can be an IT rock star

Mon, 05 May 2008 06:59:56 -0400

Getting ahead in the IT world is not always easy. Like any work environment, there are internal politics, changing conditions and sometimes few opportunities for advancement. CIOs and IT recruiters say that the basic requirements include technical proficiency, energy, enthusiasm and passion. But there is more to becoming an IT standout. CIO Magazine offers some common sense tips: Be good to your end users, don't make them feel stupid; become business-savvy by understanding how IT fits the end users' work processes; know what the top management values are and what to prioritize; and build trust with your boss by sharing both good news and bad.

For more on succeeding at the workplace:
- Check out this CIO Magazine article

Looking for innovation within the IT department

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 20:01:36 -0400

Conventional wisdom says that innovation comes from the top, but that's not always the case. Innovative leadership can come from the middle of the organization, and proactive CIOs look for these future leaders to move up through the ranks over time. Attributes of innovate mid-level workers include passion, the ability to see potential, leadership, creativity, fearlessness of authority, experience, energy, and, most of all, a penchant for thinking outside of the box.

Learn more about what makes a mid-level employee an innovator:
- read the article at CIO Insight

ALSO:
- read this on listening to junior employees about innovation
- this on creating processes for innovation
- this on what innovation is all about
- this on the impact of the business model on innovation
- and this on spearheading innovation through IT

Data retention isn't something to ignore

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 20:01:38 -0400

A huge part of today's compliance and regulatory body of law focuses on keeping data and records from company information to email communications. As experts relate, record retention is a thankless job that few tech leaders embrace with passion or enthusiasm, but it can be financially dangerous to ignore the task. There are some good steps to getting retention programs in place that won't sap resources. One is mapping out a definition of "record" as it applies to regulations you need to meet and investigating what the storage requirements are for your organization. Then you have to figure out how to retrieve data if it does come under scrutiny, as regulatory agencies typically aren't too patient once they subpoena files. And, as with any IT effort, you need to build a strong and comprehensive policy that doesn't get shoved into a drawer when it's completed.

For more on good data-record retention:
- read this article at CSOonline

SPOTLIGHT: The four building blocks for teamwork

Tue, 16 May 2006 20:01:37 -0400

A primary responsibility for any tech leader is unifying staff and pushing team collaboration. There are lots of ways to do it--from taking retreats to bringing in motivational speakers to rally the troops. But as one CEO explains, there are four key elements to team building, and it's not rocket science. There has to be a strong team captain in place, lots of passion by team members and optimism galore. Article

How to build a 'resilient' enterprise

Mon, 27 Feb 2006 19:01:37 -0500

In light of all the recent natural disasters and unexpected terrorist events, the goal for CIOs should be a "resilient" enterprise that can immediately respond and stay up and running no matter what negative force hits operations. As one expert explains, it's not only technology that has to be able to withstand a disaster event, but so must an organization's culture. Recovery in the aftermath of destruction, says Yossi Sheffi, MIT's director for transportation and logistics, not only demands redundant systems, but empowered employees who know how to react and what to do and have a passion for facing adversity.

For more on building a resilient enterprise:
- read this article at CIO

The battle to get a security platform in place

Tue, 21 Feb 2006 19:01:37 -0500

There's at least one thing that Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers share--a passion for using the word 'ecosphere' to illustrate why security vendors must collaborate and vow to support a common framework around security policy. The problem lies in the fact that the two tech titans don't agree on the platform or framework that should be put in place. While they initially said they'd work together, it's pretty clear they've forgotten that promise and that has customers and clients a tad worried.

For more on the quest for a standard security platform:
- read this NetworkWorld article