recruit

Tech dodges H1-B visa limits by moving to Canada

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 20:01:39 -0400

Microsoft is setting an interesting precedent by opening a new center near Vancouver, British Columbia that will allow the company to "recruit and retain highly skilled people affected by immigration issues in the U.S." and station them near its Redmond, WA headquarters. After sending Bill Gates across the country to lobby for an increase in the number of workers that can enter the country using the H1-B visa--and losing--Microsoft is executing its own work-around strategy. InformationWeek reports that the company will open a new software development center in Canada this fall. The facility will initially house 200 workers, "with room to grow," and the new facility will develop software for the full range of Microsoft's products. The Vancouver center will be staffed with "a mix" of Canadian-born workers and workers from other countries.

For more on Microsoft's H1-B workaround:
- read more in InformationWeek. Article

Moving up the corporate ladder

Sun, 08 Apr 2007 20:01:39 -0400

Climbing from CIO to COO can be accomplished if you follow some tried and true advice. First, make sure you have the skills to do everything a Chief Operating Officer does before trying to reach your goal and make it obvious to the CEO that you have what it takes. To do that, provide leadership beyond IT, learn to talk finance, demonstrate your knowledge of the business, let your boss know you're ambitious and recruit and build an IT team (because if you can build an organization that the rest of the company can admire, you will build credibility for the COO role). And finally, choose the right company and ensure your goal is actually attainable. For example, if you work for a company where IT is core to the business, you have better chance of growing beyond the CIO role.

Learn more about moving from CIO to COO:
- read the column at CIO

ALSO:
- read this on reaching the next level
- this about clawing your way to the top
- this about climbing the corporate ladder
- and this on climbing the executive ladder

Getting to the next level

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 20:01:39 -0400

Reaching the top rung isn't easy, but it's doable. Promote yourself by getting people's attention and demonstrating the benefits of your projects and plans to the business. Move out of your comfort zone by taking charge of a project in another areas of the company, or transferring temporarily to another division. Improve your visibility by sitting on the board of the company. Become more decisive and be confident. Think strategy, not support, by focusing on the business benefits of IT and improving communication between IT and other departments. Sharpen up your office politics by observing the "power map" of office relations and embrace networking. Also, be proactive, talk about benefits rather than IT, and recruit business-minded people.

Learn more about going for the top spot:
- read the article at ComputerWeekly

ALSO:
- read this about clawing your way to the top
- and this on climbing the corporate ladder
- and this on climbing the executive ladder

Shortage of CIOs on the horizon

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 20:01:39 -0400

The demand for CIOs is growing fast, thanks in part to large companies now requiring CIOs at the strategic business unit level as well as the enterprise level. What's more, at some smaller firms, first CIOs are being appointed, and there is an increased demand for people with CIO-type expertise among IT service vendors. All of that adds up to a looming CIO shortage. Although it's certainly possible to recruit a CIO from outside of the company, it's far more effective for the corporation if companies must groom future leaders from within. To develop the next generation of technology leaders, it's important to first understand that the CIO role is changing, with an increasing focus on business knowledge and skills, the ability to manage relationships, and overall leadership capability. Companies must proactively develop the attributes they need in their CIO candidates. When grooming from within, make sure to focus on these skills, all of which will be part of the 2010 CIO: strategist, relationship architect, leader, information steward, integrator, educator and utility provider.

To learn more about the role of the 2010 CIO and how to groom from within:
- read the CIO Insight article

Baseball and IT: more alike than you think

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 20:01:39 -0400

Baseball has more in common with IT than you might think. As Yogi Berra says, "Sometimes you can observe a lot by just watching." In many ways, baseball is the original testbed for management theory and ideas. Like baseball, IT faces a host of often conflicting requirements. It's also important in both disciplines to establish and apply meaningful metrics, acquire and maintain a highly skilled staff, and produce immediately while building for an unpredictable future. Baseball management, like IT management, must measure and analyze performance and master a competitive field where the talent is the product. IT managers must also possess the right skills, recruit the right people and maintain their knowledge. They need to adapt not only to the constant, often subtle changes that happen every day, but also to big changes that occur irregularly. But America's Pastime sometimes does it better: baseball goes by a set of guidelines called "The Book," while many IT organizations operate in a more rigid manner.

Learn more about the that lessons baseball offers to IT:
- read the article at Redmond Magazine