What do Terry Brooks of Yamaha, Hari Bezwada of Pentagon and Ken Bohlen of Textron Inc, have in common? They are included in the 100 honorees list of premier IT leaders by the Computer Management. Aside from their usual appearances on the cover of business magazines, they are really masters in their chosen field… the field of Information Technology.
Information technology is being used as a strategy of companies to know their customers. It is a fact that expectation increases as consumers become more knowledgeable about the quality of products and services. They know that services must be faster and more reliable nowadays. Information technology expedites the process and blocks entry for new competitors or products not using them. Being an IT leader is thus a must in any organization to be at par with the rest.
With all the facets of information technology, anyone can be a leader in this field. You don’t need nominations or awards to certify yourself as a leader. Here are four leadership characteristics that you can acquire to be an IT leader:
- IT leaders are self starters; they can easily influence others in the workplace with their enthusiasm and spirit. They easily embrace changes and see positive results on emerging prospects. They are helpful to others who aren’t knowledgeable on recent changes; they guide and assist all they can.
- IT leaders raise awareness of both opportunities and problems to make the organization sharp. They analyze and gather solutions first before implementation. Leaders promote learning by stressing the needs to explore every alternative.
- IT leaders help in focusing on a direction; thus reducing problems due to many dysfunctional activities. They help build bridges instead of fences; linking and creating common bonds with others. They develop teamwork skills and cooperative actions in pursuit of success.
- IT leaders don’t necessarily make outstanding advancements in technology. They are usually ordinary people who work hard to generate improvement little by little. They are never content and always aim for continuous improvement. They are “thinkers” who always turn questions into plans and solutions. They are risk takers and setters of new standards for performance.
IT is both a strategic weapon and a survival tool in today’s global economy. When people are asked about the way to succeed in the new economy, more often than not the answer is “IT is the only way”. IT is therefore considered as both a strategy and a tool towards success. The competition in the industry is increasing tremendously and in order for those traditional companies and managers to be leaders in IT, they must immediately adopt technology and use it as a weapon to compete.