IT Value Newsletter

GrowthWave: IT Leadership. Better Business.

Volume 2, Issue 5

IT in sync with the business. Imagine the results...

Leadership Quotes for Summer Inspiration

Greetings!

Okay, so I haven't had time to write a real article this month. Frankly, I've been out frolicking in the sun. (Do you blame me?)

So instead, I'm filling the column with a few of my favorite leadership quotes that I've collected over the past 25+ years. (Started when I was 6.) The quotes are broken out by the three traits I believe are foundational to good leadership - Humility, Vision and Trust.

I hope you find something inspirational!

Humility
> To lead people, walk behind them. -- Lao Tzu

> When the best leader's work is done, the people say 'We did it ourselves'. -- Lao Tzu. (Elevate others above yourself and they will do amazing things for you.)

> I saw fire in your eyes. -- Tim O'Donnell, former VP of IT at Bank One. Tim's response when I asked him why he hired me as a computer programmer when he never asked me a single question in the interview! (20 years later, Tim is still the best team builder I ever worked for.)

> People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care. -- John Maxwell

Vision
> It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision. -- Helen Keller

> Only three things happen naturally in organizations: friction, confusion, under-performance. Everything else requires leadership. -- Peter Drucker (Good leaders quickly see problems...and then they do something about them...replacing friction, confusion and under-performance with alignment, focus and excellence.)

> Without a vision, the people perish. -- Proverbs 29:18 (Okay, I don't think it's quite that dire, but people do need to know that they are part of something bigger...that their efforts mean something. Vision matters...communicate it early and often.)

Trust
> I don't care who your daddy is, I'm putting the best team on the mat each week. -- Kyle Kagey, my high school wrestling coach. (Not directed at me...I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. But Coach Kagey's approach to team building sure motivated me!) (I've gone from wrestling to frolicking in the sun? What the heck happened?!)

> Consultants are people who borrow your watch and tell you what time it is, and then walk off with the watch. -- Hey, how'd this one get in here!! (If you've never read the book Up the Organization by Robert Townsend, where you'll find this quote, it's worth the effort to find and read.)

> Ready. Fire. Aim. -- Some dude who worked for Cadbury and sadly never got credit for placing three simple words in perfect order. (As opposed to Ready. Aim aim aim aim...)

Do you have a favorite leadership quote? Send it to me and I will include a few in next month's newsletter.

Good leaders need play time too...I hope you're getting out and enjoying the summer sun!

John Hughes

jhughes@growthwave.com

Tomorrow's CIO

Information Week magazine's June 16 cover story

was titled Tomorrow's CIO. The subtitle: "Confidence in CIOs shows signs of slippage even as expectations increase. Tomorrow's leaders, please step forward."

The article is worth a quick read...the charts are more valuable showing some discrepancy between what CIOs are focused on and what business leaders wish they were focused on.

The article also lists 10 traits most desired of CIOs. It was a big relief to see that Leadership is the #1 desired trait for CIOs. Leadership was followed by Ability to Execute, Communication/Collaboration, Vision, Innovation and Team Building.

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GrowthWave is all things CIO. Call if you have questions about the role of the CIO in your organization, or desire to enhance the leadership abilities of your top IT leader...that's GrowthWave's expertise.

Read the Information Week article... Tomorrow's CIO.