While it never does This is a better time to become a successful IT professional In terms of career benefits, recognizing career advancement opportunities is just the starting point.
IT professionals who want to land top jobs will have to engage their respective organizations’ senior executives in new and innovative ways. Harvard Business Review says Savvy self-promotion is a delicate art: “You need people to notice your growth and achievements, but no one likes a braggart.”
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But how do you strike the right balance? Five business leaders share advice for effective self-promotion.
1. Focus on the right topic
Anjali Shaikh, managing director and director of CIO Program Experience at Deloitte Consulting LLP, said the increasingly prominent role of technology in the business means IT leaders are frequently tasked with telling the story of how organizations leverage technology, both within the business and in external forums.
“This trend means your personal brand can be just as important, as corporate brands and dynamic and influential CIOs are often leveraged as magnets to attract employees,” she said. talent and highlight the organization’s technological successes.
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Shaikh told ZDNET that technology professionals should be thoughtful about the topics they target externally and think carefully about how those areas affect the perception of their organization.
“They should ensure their brand signals a positive presence for tech talent, while also serving as a testament to the organization’s commitment to product development and customer service,” she said. based on technology”.
“Aligning your personal brand with your company’s brand means being strategic about leveraging both your personal reputation and your company’s reputation in the technology sector.”
2. Keep an eye out for creative ideas
JP Avelange, CIO of technology specialist Expereo, says technology’s elevated position in business transformation today means IT executives must have high credentials.
“In their ‘new’ role, self-promotion is key to ensuring the CIO’s contributions are recognized and they are seen as business partners,” he said.
However, self-promotion must be balanced with business requirements. Avelange told ZDNET that achieving this state of balance means putting one’s ego aside.
Successful IT leaders regularly communicate with business colleagues. They demonstrate how projects create value, whether through a positive impact on the organization’s bottom line or the customer experience.
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The best CIOs also remember to keep an eye on future trends to ensure the business stays one step ahead of competitors.
“At the same time, CIOs must drive innovation by discovering and implementing emerging technologies that give them a competitive advantage,” he said.
“Building a stronger customer experience and developing an agile organization that can quickly respond to changing market conditions must be the two key priorities here.”
3. Carry out your responsibilities
Attiq Qureshi, director of digital information at Manchester United Football Club, said IT professionals who see the growing importance of the technology department as a “land grab” will find it difficult to strike a balance between self-promotion and broader business requirements.
“If they see it as a coordination exercise and their job is to understand the boundaries and work with different people at different levels, then they are more likely to succeed,” he said. .
Qureshi explained to ZDNET how that coordination process works in his role at a world-famous sports team.
The club relies on complex systems and data sources, including fan information in the CRM platform, football performance data linked to the medical, nutrition and recovery systems as well as the Scheduling teams at various levels.
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Add in the matchday platforms, Wi-Fi networks and digital content the club shares with fans globally and Qureshi says his reputation is closely linked to the perception of public.
“I’ve worked for some big brands, but nothing compares to Manchester United and the number of people who follow you. And for me, it’s an incredibly dynamic dynamic.”
“The high profile nature of this club is fantastic – it opens doors, you can have conversations and makes recruitment and retention easier. But it also comes with responsibility.”
Being a successful CIO for a Premier League club means delivering systems and services the business can rely on.
“We don’t have the mentality of fail first and fail fast,” he said. “Our technology has to be robust, it has to be operational and it has to work.”
4. Appreciate the challenges people face
Southwest Traders CIO Ambrose Earle says new opportunities come with a proven ability to work closely with your colleagues and help them achieve their goals.
“Most of my work is about process improvement, not technology,” he said. I think that focus gives me a better appreciation for business and its challenges.”
Earle told ZDNET that his leadership style focuses on Lean Six Sigma, a team-focused management method that seeks to improve performance by eliminating resource waste and defects.
Instead of worrying about self-promotion, Earle ensures everyone in the business can take full advantage of the tools his organization deploys.
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Since joining Southwest Traders in 2018, he has collaborated with experts across the organization to recommend technology solutions to the problems they identify.
“The big challenge for me when I was hired here was the adoption of technology,” he said. People will not adopt technology if they do not understand it or are not guided effectively.”
“If I’m working with the business and appreciate their challenges, I think we have a great opportunity to deploy technology that solves their problems.”
5. Show that you are constantly learning new things
Omer Grossman, global CIO at technology specialist CyberArk, says emerging IT professionals must remember that self-improvement is a constant work in progress and any business leader never is a complete article.
“The environment is always changing,” he said. To become a successful CIO, you must be a constant learner.”
“I’m always learning — taking online courses, meeting with customers to hear their feedback, being active in CIO networks and consuming information and data.”
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As part of the continuous learning process, many CIOs have turned towards self-promotion by taking on expanded roles, such as adding words like digital or transformation to their job titles. their.
Grossman told ZDNET that IT professionals who rise to the top, regardless of job title, demonstrate to businesses that they can tap into a variety of capabilities. Instead of just promoting their benefits externally, they deliver great results internally.
“I think ultimately the CIO will be a primarily introverted executive who can also unleash the integration potential of IT, security, data analytics and AI together.”
