In 
To accept and face challenges to succeed has been the foremost mantra for me as I learnt the nuances of IT management all these years. To experiment with innovation and cautions is the next thing close to my heart and I use this effectively under different circumstances. My third-most favourite activity is learning that I have always cherished. A synthesis of the trio of challenge, experiment and learning is transformation or qualitative change, something that I have been imbibing in my quest to do things differently at various stages of my 27-year career.
Opportunities are the foundation of success. Notwithstanding the size, each opportunity, if you have right capabilities to identify the potential of it, provides you a base to perform. You can accept each opportunity as a challenge and learn to excel. In IT, smaller companies may have larger issues than bigger companies. Though at this juncture, some of you might not agree but since I have been with small to large companies I feel that I have learned equally from smaller companies.
Here are some of my experiences to share with the IT community:
Your accent does matter:Avoid technical jargons during your conversation with people in other functions. An effective communication with non-IT people in simple terms will help them understand IT better. Enjoy a good long discussion with other function heads on business/functional issues, for example, strategy, corporate goals business development plans production, costing, finance and sales. Regular meetings and discussions with as many non-IT senior professionals, without discussing much of the technology will nourish your skills to success. Focus on knowing their problems, functional interests and their expectations from IT solutions. Develop yourself as a professional interested in solving organisational problems using IT.
Be customer centric: My firm belief is that every user in your company, regardless of the level, is your customer and is to be treated accordingly. Treat every user in the organisation as if he had the ability to contribute to your development. Believing in this attitude works wonder and that is the most important step (and perhaps the least cared IT management aspect) in shaping yourself as a prospective senior executive, simply because this is scarcely available in IT professionals. They tend to remain merely a technocrat throughout.
Let your customers have a choice:Understanding the problem well and offering alternative solutions brings the best result to get your customers agree to one of your solutions. Though in some cases it may not be feasible but working on this line most of the time creates easier agreements. Having patience and the power to convince them is the key here to make your user agreeable to a single but effective solution proposed by you.
Be service oriented: Not only you must have this attitude but you must also demand the same from your subordinates, with near zero-tolerance principle for bad customer service. Recognise good service instantly through appreciation and rewards. Your involvement with your internal customer brings their involvement, thus leading to a high-value based culture. Please remember you are there not only to manage IT but also to create ethics and values which ultimately form the foundation for you to blossom as a good manager among the managers. Being different and extra prompt in service is the key for your transformation into a strategic team member.
Know weak links in your team: A single unwarranted attitude from your team mates may play havoc with your reputation. Having good counselling habits and moulding them to work for customers works in the best of your as well as your organisations interests. Also, respect for your subordinates will help reduce turnover and show senior management that you are a leader (another rarity among IT people). Use your anger wisely to handle difficult people, if the need be. Converting a weak link into a strong one is the ideal approach. You should take the extreme approach of firing someone as a last option only.
Have acumen to identify wrong early: Your success depends on your ability to identify three wrongs--intention, person and situation--at an early stage of your action/project. This helps you handling them effectively and in time before they become difficult for you. You can always avoid them tactfully and without harming anyone. A great deal of patience and practice is desired to achieve this. Remember, your hasty and unwarranted actions can spoil the whole show.
Follow-up is the key:I read the book Execution and have become a strong supporter of this mantra. Follow-up is more important than all the technical qualifications in the world. Many of my very talented subordinates worked for me, and I allowed many of them go because they could not get learn this core principle. Almost half the jobs are not done just because of this single reason. Remember, others are as serious as you are about the problem.
Be proactive, its rare: Being proactive makes all the sense to appease your customer. Calling up your customers on a regular basis brings a sense of satisfaction among them. Ask them how you and your team are doing and if there is anything you can help them with. Then taste the magic happening for you in the form of songs of praises from your customers as they get floored by your proactive approach.
Over-expectations may kill: As a technocrat one tends to create hype about the IT solutions, which may generate over expectations from end users, function heads and top managements. Be genuine to generate high expectations rather than over expectations, which otherwise leads you to be a victim to the classic IT pitfall of over committing and under delivering. Learn to say no skilfully when required, as almost all of us really like the adrenaline rush of solving impossible problems.
A word of caution:When you under deliver, you not only ensure a frustrating customer experience, but you send a feeler that you are a panic planner. Call a spade a spade when a solution is elusive. If necessary, explaining the facts well might help you to overcome anxiety at the other end.
Avoid gossip mongers around: Are you interested in your job or politics? If job is your priority, then never be a part of petty infighting in your company. There may be circumstances when you are tempted to be drawn in, but play smart to keep yourself away. Be honest to yourself and your job and use your innovations for progress of the organisation instead. You will be respected for your sincerity and dedication in the long run.
Know your business facts and its goals: This is the key to bring in you the skills of making your way to the strategic team at the top. Your company is for profits and not for charity. Understanding companys goals and financials statistics will bring forth a whole different face of your personality. Once you understand the dynamics of your business ably, you may contribute proactively by extending analytics in all areas of the business, be it sales or finance or materials. Go extra miles to understand all business jargons. You should know how to read financial statements such as a P&L statement, a balance sheet and fact finding factors like ROCE, EBIDTA, ROE, EPS and EPE. It works magic once you learn what the numbers are saying. Nothing impresses other CXOs more than witnessing a CIO intelligently participating in a financial discussion and talking their business terms.
Be a risk taker: There are times when nothing works. Learn to adopt new strategies quickly and take calculated risks. Have firm plans to avert the risks expected to come your way. Accept failures as part of your life but only to learn and succeed next time. I took a calculated risk of implementing SAP ERP in a company that was traditional in nature, but thankfully the top management and the colleagues supported to make it a great success.
Learn to delegate and share the success: The success you achieve must be shared with your colleagues, right from top to the bottom of the technology and functional team. Humility in giving credit of your success to the team involved gives a facelift to your attitude towards people. Empowering them with knowledge and delegation makes your team more motivated and work towards organisational goals.
Networking keeps you high on knowledge:
One of my seniors in my early days put this in my mind, Its not what you know but who you know. Establish and sustain the relationship with former colleagues, bosses and even vendor representatives. Join and be active in professional associations, attend good technical/skill enhancement events and workshops which are opportunities to build a great circle of contacts and contribute towards your transformation into a CIO.
Functional and individual conflicts are bound to come in your way and you must handle each one differently but effectively. You may fail in your first attempt but to keep attempting is the key to success.
And last but not the least, as others do, I also made a lot of errors in this process but to learn from these to move ahead and not to feel bogged down is equally important. The support from my family has been an important factor in my growth and I owe a lot to them. So, cheers and have a great journey to becoming a successful and transformational CIO with a difference!
--The author is Vice President Corporate (IT) at AMTEK GROUP
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