Innovation as an excuse to write software

I've worked at a number of development shops in the past and I've had the pleasure (And pain) of working with many different developers. I've come to recognize a trait amongst many of the developers that I've worked with; most of them have a passion for Software Development. That passion is great; it leads them to learn new ideas and to development interesting software that we love to use. The downside to that passion is the vast majority of developers always treat every problem as a development problem. They skip past the step where they look for existing solutions and immediately jump to development (Or, those more experienced jump to the planning of the development).

Now, I'm not saying that development isn't important, especially when it comes to innovation. Development is key and without Software Development, we wouldn't have any new products to use! The most important decision is not whether there is going to be development for an IT innovation project, but where you will focus your expertise, time, effort and dollars. Every time a company goes to put up a new web application, they don't start off by building a new operating system. They leverage what is already in existence. They don't go an write a new database. They use one that is tried and true. Smart companies pick where they are going to develop and where they will plug in components to help speed up their innovation initiatives and reduce costs.

What many developers and companies fail to do is to take the next step beyond picking out an OS, Database, web server and development language. I've seen many projects embark on an "Innovation" exercise where they end up re-creating the wheel. They don't go and put rubber on tire, the rebuild the whole tire all over again. Companies and more importantly the developers that work for companies need to take some time (Albeit a short amount of time) to investigate what components exist in Commercial Off The Shelf offering (Or Open Source, or even what other products exist within a company).

We all need to learn where to best spend our time to add value to a company and I believe that building on top of existing software allows us to do things quickly.

Doing things quickly is extremely important when it comes to innovation (Or most projects for that matter). Time is money as they say and the more we risk investing in innovation projects, the more we have to lose if they fail. We shouldn't be concerned with "Gold Plating" our projects and we certainly shouldn't be wasting time on software development when we have existing and appropriate solutions to pick from. We should strive for rapid prototypes and make sure we are on the right track at every point along the way. We don't want to have invested millions of dollars and years of development in a product that no one is going to use.

Problem employees - A manager's presepctive

It took me a long time to decide if I wanted to move into management. I've always loved the technical side of the IT industry and I've excelled in many different technical roles. Moving into the Leadership arena was something that I had a huge desire to do, but a large fear of as well. We've all experienced those difficult employees in our career and they can make work life hell. Imagine having to discipline and manage those people? Could I handle it? Would I let my team down? Would I have the skills or the patience? Would I be able to effectively communicate with the higher-ups?

As F. John Reh says in his "Dealing With Difficult Employees" article on about.com (http://management.about.com/od/employeemotivation/a/DifficultEE0605.htm), "All managers will have to deal with difficult employees during their careers. First, there will always be difficult employees. Second, it's your job as the manager to deal with them. If you don't deal the problem, it will only get worse."

Was I up for the challenge? Are you?

Open, blunt feedback

Here I sit today, having been in leadership positions over the last 5+ years and you know what I've learned? The most effective way that I've found to deal with those difficult employees is to have the straight, open, honest and blunt conversations. No one is going to understand the impact of their behavior if you don't tell them and they certainly won't change their behavior if they see that they are getting away with it. I've made mistakes in the past, trying to sugar coat performance and attitude problems and it has never turned out well. Employees don't get the direct feedback they need and the rest of the team suffers as the performance wallows and the attitude continues to stink.

Follow through

What happened when your parents would threaten you with some kind of punishment and then never follow through? Would your behavior get better? Mine sure didn't. I started to learn that my parents, and my mom in particular, were not able to follow through on their discipline and that opened up a whole range of possibilities for me, none of them good! The same will happen at work! If you as a leader do not address bad behavior, you can expect that bad behavior to continue and progressively get worse. To put it simply, you have no option here, you need to follow through. You need to be trustworthy to the team and live up to your word, or people will not follow you. This means executing on performance improvement plans and getting employees back on track.

I'm not saying that we should go out and fire every employee right off the bat or that we shouldn't cut people slack when things get a little rough for them. We as leaders need to be understanding and compassionate, but we also need to look out for the best interests of our entire team and everyone around us. That means having the tough talks, putting people on performance improvement plans if required, and in the worst case scenarios, that means terminating problem employees.

There are may faucets to human behavior and understanding why people do the things they do. These two points are only my observations and have helped me make sure that I have a high performing team that is successful within the organization.

Laurence

Recession proofing your job

With the daily news filled with a never ending supply of companies laying people off, what are the steps you're going to take to make sure that your job is safe? Canada may not officially be in a recession, but the US sure is and that means we're not far behind. Not only are we headed for a recession, but because we're mainly a commodity based economy here in Canada, there will be a lag in the recovery in relation to that of the United States. I expect that means we'll be in for a long down turn and it's important to think about what you'll do to make sure you keep that job of yours.

From Anne Fisher's "8 ways to recession-proof your job"

Think of ways to generate revenues or cut costs. That brilliant idea you had that would open whole new markets for the company, but require substantial spending to get started? Scrap it for now. Concentrate instead on finding places to pinch pennies, or identifying cheap new sources of revenue. Or both.

Be visible. "This isn't the moment to take an extended vacation. Your position could be eliminated while you're gone," says Dale Winston, CEO of New York City-based executive recruiters Battalia Winston (www.battaliawinston.com). "It's also not the time to come rolling in at ten o'clock." If you possibly can, figure out a way to stand out and distinguish yourself. She adds: "If you're in sales, get your numbers up. Nobody will be laying off star salespeople."

Talk up your contributions. "Make sure you're adding value at work by going above and beyond your basic job responsibilities," says Christine Price, principal at staffing firm Ready to Hire (www.readytohire.com) "Then make sure your boss knows it, without being obnoxious."

Keep a broad perspective. "Don't get a reputation as someone who only does what he or she is told to do," advises Richard Bayer, chief operating officer of career counseling network The Five O'Clock Club (www.fiveoclockclub.com). "Pick your head up, look around, and get in on the action. Volunteer for crucial responsibilities, including tasks for which your boss is responsible."

Just doing your job well isn't enough. "The question is," says Bayer, "when your organization is making a list of who has crucial skills, will you be on it?" If you suspect not, now's the time to hustle.

Get your skills up to date. "Companies get rid of people whose skills are obsolete and replace them with people who are already trained," Bayer says. "Take classes, join trade organizations, and prove you're plugged in." Christine Price adds: "Consider going back to school, to show your employer you're serious about your career and your performance."

No whining allowed. Attitude does count - a lot. "Management wants people who can boost morale during tough times," observes Dale Winston. Not only that, says Christine Price, but happy workers are less likely to get laid off than people who seem to dislike what they do. After all, the reasoning goes, if you grumble about your job all the time, then maybe giving you the sack would really be doing you a favor. Gulp.

Never stop networking. Of course, the day you get a pink slip is not the day you want to start calling old colleagues, asking former bosses out to lunch, and getting in touch to say hello to all the interesting people you've known over the years. No, the time to start doing that is now. Whether or not you move seamlessly (and relatively painlessly) into a new job after a layoff often depends on how consistently you've contacted - and maybe even helped - lots of people when you didn't need them.

Update your resume, return headhunters' phone calls, and start picturing where else you might like to work - just in case. If you're mentally prepared for a move, you'll make a wiser one than if you wait until you're desperate (read canned).

Remember, even the best run companies with tonnes of money in the bank will evetually have to start looking at where to trim back if this downturn lasts as long as those negative types seem to be saying it will. Make sure you're not one of those people that end up without a seat when the music stops playing.

Laurence