7 traits of inspirational IT leaders

All CIOs are leaders, yet only a select few are truly inspirational leaders. Here’s how you can become one of them.

All successful CIOs know how to instruct, motivate, energize, and even excite their teams. Yet only a relative handful of IT leaders can truly be described as inspirational figures, capable of leading their teams to goals that collegues at other enterprises can only dream about.

CIOs who are purposefully positive and responsible, with a focus on integrity, tend to inspire others, says Ola Chowning, a partner at global technology research and advisory firm ISG. “CIOs who show, through example and vision, those values and their own firm conviction and integrity to those values, will motivate team members to emulate their behavior and aspire to be like them,” she notes. Such CIOs also acknowledge, promote, and celebrate colleagues who either inspire them or can inspire their team.

Fortunately, most inspirational IT leaders are self-made, not born. Following are seven qualities to target as you begin your journey to leadership glory.

1. They roll up their sleeves and collaborate

2. They put people first

3. They cultivate a sense of purpose

4. They master soft skills, incorporating everyone into their vision

5. They are inclusive

6. They encourage ownership

7. They are authentic

To read more go HERE

Gartner: IT skills shortage hobbles cloud, edge, automation growth

IT executives have plans to invest in emerging technologies despite the challenge of finding IT pros with the right training.

IT executives have plans to invest in emerging technologies despite the challenge of finding IT pros with the right training.

Gartner says the current paucity of skilled IT workers is foiling the adoption of cloud, edge computing, and automation technologies.

In its “2021-2023 Emerging Technology Roadmap” based on surveying 437 global firms, Gartner found that IT executives see the talent shortage as the most significant barrier to deploying emerging technologies, including compute infrastructure and platform services, network security, digital workplace, IT automation, and storage.

IT executives surveyed cited talent availability as the main challenge for adopting IT automation (75%) and a significant amount of digital workplace technologies (41%). Lack of talent was cited far more often than other barriers, such as implementation cost (29%) or security risk (7%), according to a statement from Yinuo Geng, research vice president at Gartner. 

“The ongoing push toward remote work and the acceleration of hiring plans in 2021 has exacerbated IT-talent scarcity, especially for sourcing skills that enable cloud and edge, automation and continuous delivery,” Geng stated.  “As one example, of all the IT automation technologies profiled in the survey, only 20% of them have moved ahead in the adoption cycle since 2020. The issue of talent is to blame here.”

Interest in emerging tech still strong

Even with the skills challenges, IT leaders have increased the adoption of emerging technologies to drive innovation as organizations begin to recover from the pandemic,Gartner says. Across all technology domains, 58% of respondents reported either an increase or a plan to increase emerging technology investment in 2021, compared with 29% in 2020, Gartner stated. 

According to the survey,

Read more HERE

7 interview mistakes that cost you key IT hires

A subpar interview process is a chief reason why IT pros turn down job offers. Here’s how your hiring team may be sabotaging its chances of landing top talent in a tight market.

If you were to call Sherlock Holmes to help you discover why top tech talent who you’ve interviewed declined your reasonable offer, he might call your mystery common. But the killer is not — as you might believe — the mercurial nature of candidates, a failure of education, or anything outside the room where the interviews happen. It’s more likely that your process or team are inadvertently undermining your own efforts.

“People blame the candidates, but the interview process is the main reason people turn down jobs,” says Barbara Bruno, author of High-Tech High-Touch Recruiting: How to Attract and Retain the Best Talent by Improving the Candidate Experience.

It could be the questions you ask, the people asking the questions, or a host of other missteps that telegraph a subtle message to candidates to move along.

I asked hiring managers, recruiters, and directors of talent what — specifically — hiring teams are doing to cost them those key hires they so desperately want.

You’re fishing with the wrong bait

Candidates end up in your interview room because they responded to your job description. That’s your bait. As with actual fishing, the bait you use has a lot to do with what you catch. You might want to check that you are targeting the right people and expectations.

“There seems to be a huge disconnect right now between traditional job requisitions — that are a laundry list of skills — and how candidates will be evaluated on the job,” Bruno says.

Bruno suggests ditching the laundry list and instead taking a hard look at what your team needs in this role. “I always ask employers, ‘Can you give me five performance objectives?’ or ‘How will the candidate be evaluated in six months?’” Bruno says.

Once they are forced to answer those questions, she finds hiring teams discover that much of their “must have” list won’t be needed in the position. Even worse? There are many more skills — like the ability to prioritize, problem solve, communicate, and ask for help — that aren’t in the job description but that anyone who hopes to succeed in the role will need to possess.

Step back from your shopping list and think instead about what success in the role would look like. Then come up with skills and experiences that would genuinely help.

Read more HERE

7 attributes every IT leader must have

Leadership has little to do with one’s title or seniority; it’s an attribute that’s earned over time through study, practice and commitment. Are you prepared to become a true leader?

Becoming a true IT leader — someone who inspires teams to consistently reach new heights — requires skills that can only be acquired over time through hard work and a commitment to succeed.

Transformational leaders are typically described as lively, passionate, engaging and energetic. Such individuals aren’t focused only on helping teams achieve their planned goals; they also work hard to help team members reach their full potential.

Becoming a respected and prized leader isn’t easy, but it’s a goal within reach of just about anyone who’s willing to commit to the task. Here are seven fundamental attributes every IT leader needs to possess — and how to acquire them.

  1. Agility
  2. Vision
  3. Empathy
  4. Steadiness
  5. Authenticity
  6. Accessibility
  7. Curiosity

Get more details HERE

How to build a resilient IT culture

The pandemic has underscored the importance of thriving through hardship and uncertainty. IT leaders discuss how they’re adjusting their leadership practices to help foster this key IT trait for the long haul.

The word ‘resilient’ is cropping up a lot lately as a cultural cornerstone for coping with the pressures the pandemic has foisted on IT. CIOs have played a significant role in enabling organization-wide remote work strategies at speed while accelerating digital initiatives central to the business in uncertain times.

For many, the ability to shift gears, double down and navigate hardship has been a testament to an IT culture capable of withstanding and recovering quickly from difficult challenges. For others, rising to the occasion has been a crash course in resilience, offering hard-earned lessons in what it will take to thrive in IT in the months and years to come.

“The last few months have been a huge social experiment for every company around the world,’’ says Jacqui Guichelaar, CIO of Cisco, who adds that many leaders discovered their staffs can be just as productive working remotely as in the office. The upshot? Leaders must model certain behaviors in this new way of working, she says. “Traditional tactics don’t work in the new reality.”

Here, IT leaders discuss what makes an IT organization resilient, and how they are adjusting their leadership practices to ensure IT can foster this key trait for the long haul.

Put people first
Keep connected
Find common purpose
Foster career growth
Establish mutual respect
Take care of yourself as well

More Details HERE

7 attributes every IT leader must have

Leadership has little to do with one’s title or seniority; it’s an attribute that’s earned over time through study, practice and commitment. Are you prepared to become a true leader?

Becoming a true IT leader — someone who inspires teams to consistently reach new heights — requires skills that can only be acquired over time through hard work and a commitment to succeed.

Transformational leaders are typically described as lively, passionate, engaging and energetic. Such individuals aren’t focused only on helping teams achieve their planned goals; they also work hard to help team members reach their full potential.

Becoming a respected and prized leader isn’t easy, but it’s a goal within reach of just about anyone who’s willing to commit to the task. Here are seven fundamental attributes every IT leader needs to possess — and how to acquire them.

  1. Agility
  2. Vision
  3. Empathy
  4. Steadiness
  5. Authenticity
  6. Accessibility
  7. Curiosity

Get the details HERE

Project Engineer Opportunity With A Growing Company in Dallas, TX

Our client, a Professional Services company, is looking for a Direct-hire (not contract, not C2C) Project Engineer.

Job Description: The Project Engineer (PE) is a senior-level role responsible for the design and implementation of LAN/WAN, Server and Cloud Services technology. PEs are required to work closely with our Design Desk (system architect) and deliver technical solutions that meet a client’s business requirements, and therefore must be able to communicate effectively across all levels of a corporate structure. The PE will provide some tier 3 technical support to clients and internal support team members.

Position Functions:

    • Virtualization (VMware and Hyper V)
    • Physical and Virtual Host Server Hardware
    • Windows Server and Active Directory
    • RDS/Remote App | Citrix
    • SQL Server
    • VoiP and PBX based telecom
    • Enterprise Storage Solutions including SAN, NAS, and Tiered/Cloud Storage
    • Enterprise Backup and DR Solutions
    • Cloud Services including Azure and O365
    • Email Services including Premise and Office 365
    • Wireless Access Technologies
    • Security and compliance technologies
    • Desktop and Mobile Device Technology
    • Application Software with 3rd party coordination

• Travel to client sites to provide onsite service and support as necessary (95% DFW local)

• Work closely with vCIO and Design Desk to solution technology to meet client business objectives

• Participate in on call support rotation

• Onboarding and accurate documentation of client systems.

• Provide pre-sales design and support to internal team members.

• Evolve internal professional services processes in response to rapid industry changes.

• Document internal processes and procedures to maintain consistent results and efficiencies, including creation of network diagrams and technical process documentation and checklists.

• Effectively communicate with clients and manage their expectations, support the project coordinator/manager.

• Manage and transport products and inventory for assigned projects.

• Attend and conduct internal and client meetings.

• Maintain industry product knowledge through training and certification programs.

• This role will also include

  • the application of systems analysis techniques and procedures, including consulting with users, to determine hardware, software or system functional specifications, collaborating with the project manager and design desk team to do so;
  • the design, development, documentation, analysis, creation, testing or modification of computer systems (OS’s) or programs, including prototypes, based on and related to user or system design specifications provided by the design desk;
  • and the design, documentation, testing, creation or modification of OS’s.

If you have this experience, feel you are a fit for this position, and are interested, please answer the questions below:

    Your Email (required)

    Position You Are Applying For?

    What is your availability to start?

    Are you open to a direct-hire position?

    What is your current salary or pay rate?

    Are you currently eligible to work for any employer in the US?

    When is the best time to contact you and what # can you be reached at for this opportunity?

    Upload Your Resume

    Regards,

    Mike Hanes
    ProVisionTech

    With IT salaries dropping, some hard-earned skills still pay

    Employers are still willing to pay highly skilled IT staff a premium — but certification is making much less of a difference than it used to, a study shows.

    Even with more IT workers looking for jobs in the wake of COVID-19 than were prior to the pandemic, highly skilled staff are able to demand higher pay. Increasingly, however, it’s on-the-job experience and not certifications that employers are valuing the most.

    The average premium paid for tech certifications fell to 6.8% of base salary in the third quarter, the lowest in 7 years, according to Foote Partners’ latest IT Skills & Certifications Pay Index, while non-certified skills earned workers an average bonus of 9.6% of base salary, the same as in the previous quarter — and the highest in the past 20 years.

    Those bonuses are all the more important to employees when, as Foote Partners found in a separate survey of IT jobs, not yet published, salaries dropped over the past year for 41% of job titles. Among those titles hardest hit are jobs in mobile platform computing, business systems analysis, .NET, digital product development, IT architecture, enterprise messaging, web systems, and SAP. Overall, across the 516 certifications the company tracks, the average premium for certifications declined by 1.5% during the quarter, and by 6.7% over the year to Oct. 1.

    In some categories, notably cybersecurity, architecture and project management, the decline accelerated in the third quarter, although there was a slight increase in bonus pay offered for some certifications in networking, communications, app development and programming languages during the same period.

    Read more HERE

    Direct-hire and Contract Project Manager Opportunities with Great Company in Addison, TX

    We pay for referrals, so if this opportunity is not a good match for your skills or you are not available but know someone who is, please forward this link to them.

    Direct-hire and Contract Project Manager Opportunities with Great Company in Addison, TX

    Job Title: Project Manager

    Overview:The Project Manager must work effectively in a fast-paced, quick-to-market environment.  Business needs and aggressive growth drive the need for effective communication and on-time project delivery.  The primary focus of this position is to drive program and project strategy, deliver promised functionality, and ensure efforts remain on task, on schedule and on budget.

    Responsibilities:

    • Lead and manage projects and/or programs from inception to delivery using standard project management / SDLC protocols
    • Perform Project and Program Management budget estimation for all internal and external project resources
    • Create detailed project delivery and project implementation plans and execute projects according to plan
    • Use Project Management tools for optimal financial roll-up, time tracking and milestone management
    • Provide advice and consultation to Business Analysts and other project members on more difficult and complex assignments
    • Liaise and effectively manage communications between the user community, IT department, and all business units, project participants, and vendors internal / external to the firm
    • Report on status, risk mitigation, progress, etc. to senior management and project stakeholders
    • Actively participate in IT design reviews to ensure compatibility and interoperability of computing systems
    • Provide knowledge and expertise to assist in the development of project management principals and best practices
    • Ensure project deliverables are on time, within budget and are at the required level of quality
    • Evaluate outcome of the project as defined during the planning stage

    Qualifications:

    • Bachelor’s Degree required at a minimum
    • Minimum of 10 years of IT delivery experience, 5-7 years in a project management role
    • Experience managing projects in both waterfall and agile software development methodologies
    • Previous experience or exposure to program, portfolio management or project management office  processes
    • Demonstrate excellent verbal, written, presentation and interpersonal communication skills
    • Energy / Utility experience and a variety of IT project experience including IT infrastructure  is a plus
    • Proficient understanding and expert-level knowledge of Microsoft suite products, Project Server software and related methodologies
    • Proven experience with business and technical requirements analysis, modeling, verification and methodology development
    • Ability to effectively manage multiple work streams concurrently
    • Strong knowledge of system testing, software quality assurance and change management best practices and methodologies
    • Excellent analytical, mathematical, and creative problem-solving skills
    • Logical and efficient, with keen attention to detail
    • Highly self-motivated and directed
    • Ability to effectively prioritize and execute tasks while under pressure
    • Experience working with both SAS and on premise technologies

    Work Conditions

    • Occasional evening and weekend work to meet deadlines
    • Sitting for extended periods of time
    • Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard, mouse, and other computer components
    • Physically able to participate in training sessions, presentations, and meetings
    • Some travel may be required

    If you have this experience, feel you are a fit for this position, and are interested, please answer the questions below:

    1) Could you please email an updated Word copy of your resume to mhanes@provisiontechgroup.com?

    2) What is your availability to start?

    3) Are you open to a direct-hire position?

    4) What is your current salary or pay rate?

    5) Are you currently eligible to work for any employer in the US?

    6) When is the best time to contact you and what # can you be reached at for this opportunity?

    Regards,

    Mike Hanes

    ProVisionTech Group

    mhanes@provisiontechgroup.com

    http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikehanes

    IT News March/April 2012

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    India’s IT Firms Hire U.S. Workers As They Fight for Visas CIO.com lnkd.in/fDhir8

    Small Business Data Backup Plans Found Lacking – Small and Medium Business IT – News & Reviews – Baseline.com lnkd.in/yHWPaZ

    Execs to IT: Take these cloud services and manage them | Cloud storage – InfoWorld lnkd.in/t6AMGu

    How to Get a Hot Job in Big Data CIO.com lnkd.in/DWHzEX

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    Offshoring Shrinks Number of IT Jobs, Study Says CIO.com lnkd.in/8RnBUz

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