Advice for IT Leaders By Don Harris Vice Provost and CIO Emory University

Copyright Donald E. Harris This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

Get in their heads ► Read what they write ► Listen to their speeches ► Ask good questions that show you’ve been thinking ► Seek to understand what makes them tick

Become visible at campus events ► Get on the “A” list and go to special events ► Be a player by being visible and mixing socially ► Don’t say too much until accepted by the group

Form a vision others will support ► Do your homework on what others are trying to achieve ► Look for matches with the way you see IT being used on your campus ► Link your vision with others and enlist them to help further your agenda because it benefits their agenda as well

Tell the story ► Communicate your message to the campus using a variety of methods ► Feed news items to the campus paper and various newsletters ► Develop brochures, videos, and write articles ► Push campus goals and not your personal agenda

Partner with key individuals ► Seek to understand how power and influence works on your campus ► Focus on how decisions are made with committees, administrative structures, etc. ► Develop good working relationships with key individuals who can help you further the IT agenda for your campus

Control the money, honey ► Line all resources in your area toward support of the strategic vision ► Don’t be afraid to reallocate resources to show management responsibility ► Be sure to mix asking for new funds with showing responsible use of existing funds and personnel resources

Define how you are perceived ► Write your own intro for the campus ► Be sure to draw upon your background and experiences to present yourself well to the campus ► Understand that there are many different audiences for this so take that into consideration ► Don’t say anything you can’t back up

Showcase others victories ► Control the stage but let others have the spotlight ► Be sure to promote only those who are good partners with you and your organization ► Tie their good work back to your strategic direction ► Use victories as a way to seek more support

Fine tune your leadership style ► Know your client base ► Develop a style that works for all these disparate groups ► The hard part will be doing this yet also being consistent and true to who you are with your own beliefs and personal traits

Accept limitations in yourself and others ► You’ll never have a perfect staff ► Get over it ► If you did then you’d be the problem ► Get on with the work of letting others use their strengths and develop areas where they are weak ► Do the same yourself by allowing an openness and being willing to change