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Apple chief passes on $75 mn in stock dividends

2012-05-26T17:51:00.000+04:00

Apple chief executive Tim Cook

AFP/Getty Images - Kevork Djansezian

Apple chief executive Tim Cook has opted not to take $75 million in dividend payout on restricted shares of stock he owns in the maker of iPhones, iPads, iPods and Macintosh computers.

Documents on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday said that while other Apple employees will be awarded quarterly "dividend equivalents" of $2.65 on restricted shares, Cook asked not to be included.

Restricted shares typically don't qualify for dividends, so the decision by Apple's board amounts to bonuses for employees of the Cupertino, California-based company.

Cook has 1.125 million shares of restricted stock in the process of vesting, making him eligible for about $75 million in dividend value, according to the SEC filing.

Cook, who took the helm of the iPhone and iPad maker in August last year, two months before the death of founder Steve Jobs, clocked in total annual compensation of $378 million.

Cook earned $900,000 for his annual salary and $900,000 for his annual incentives.

But he scooped up a cool $376 million in restricted stock grants, based on Apple's stock price at the time.

Apple's coffers continued to swell in the first three months of the year due to record sales of iPhones and iPad tablet computers, particularly in China and other parts of Asia.

Apple reported that it made a profit of $11.6 billion on revenue of $39.2 billion in the quarter ended March 31. The amount of cash Apple had on hand grew $12 billion to $110.2 billion.

Its long streak of blockbuster earnings prompted Apple in March to announce it will begin paying quarterly dividends and buying back stock.

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Absinthe 2.0 has arrived!

2012-05-25T19:59:00.000+04:00

After copious amounts of work and many sleepless nights Absinthe 2.0 is finally here to jailbreak your device. This release has been a large collaborative effort between Chronic-Dev Team and iPhone Dev Teams (Jailbreak Dream Team)

This jailbreak supports firmware 5.1.1 ONLY and is again one of the most easiest jailbreaks to use (so easy your grandma could do it ;D)

Press release: http://conference.hitb.org/hitbsecconf2012ams/ios-jailbreak-dream-team-releases-absinthe-2-0-ios-5-1-1-jailbreak/

Absinthe 2.0 supports the following devices:

iPad1,1 – 2,1 – 2,2 – 2,3 – 3,1 – 3,2 – 3,3

iPhone2,1 – 3,1 – 3,3 – 4,1

iPod3,1 – 4,1

(Support for iPad2,4 will be added at a later date)

How To Use Absinthe 2.0 (if you're unjailbroken):

1. Make a backup of your device in iTunes by right clicking on your device name under the 'Devices' menu and click 'Back Up'.

2. Once your backup is complete return to your device and go to Settings – General – Reset – Erase all Content and Settings. This will make the jailbreak process much faster.

3. Open Absinthe and be sure you are still connected via USB cable to your computer.

4. Click 'Jailbreak' and wait…. just be patient and do not disconnect your device.

5. Once jailbroken return to iTunes and restore your backup from earlier. Right click on your device name under the 'Devices' menu in the left panel of iTunes and click 'Restore from Back Up…' then select the latest backup you created before. (restoring this backup will return all the content previously on your device ie, apps, photos, etc.)

6. Thanks for using Absinthe, enjoy your jailbroken iDevice!

How To Untether 5.1.1 (if you're already jailbroken):

Just search for and install "Rocky Racoon 5.1.1 Untether" from Cydia.

Download Links

Absinthe2.0 MacOSX (10.5, 10.6, 10.7)

Absinthe2.0 Windows (XP/Vista/Win7)

Absinthe2.0 Linux (x86/x86_64)

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Telcos are in survival mode - Turk Telekom

2012-05-24T12:15:00.001+04:00

Telecom operators must collaborate with each other and work more closely with regulators and governments in order to survive, according to Hakam Kanafani, CEO, Turk Telekom Group.

Speaking at the Arab Advisors Group's Convergence Summit in Jordan, Kanafani said that telecom operators are facing "survival questions" and must reassess the way they operate and invest in infrastructure.

"We are facing survival questions. When your data grows that much and the revenue is stagnant, then you have to be in survival mode. Something is wrong with the way we are doing things," he said.

He added that telcos should consider new models for deploying infrastructure, including a far more collaborative approach to LTE networks. He warned that if telcos continue to lower prices and tread the same path with LTE that they did with 3G, they will be "finished".

"We must put a plan out to the regulator and explain how we are going to invest in LTE," he said. "We cannot invest three or four networks in each country. It is a waste of money, effort and is making other people richer.

"We must think of a way where we can have one LTE network which we can all utilise. There has to be a change, internally, we need to limit the way we subsidise handsets. We have to think of other ways, other than lowering prices, we have to."

A significant part of the problem facing operators stems from over-the-top players according to Kanafani.

"Today telecom companies are subsidising Apple products, worth $50 billion a year. We are creating their network of distribution, their infrastructure. No one denies customers love them, but we have to change our business models. Today we are going through tremendous price wars amongst ourselves. The regulator is only regulating the telco industry," he said.

"Do you know how many employees work in YouTube? Only 650. Google generates a lot of money, but doesn't necessarily pay as much taxes as we do."

He added that telcos pay some of the highest taxes in the region, and yet face greater regulation than the OTT players. "We have to look at our self interest."

The CEO warned that if telcos continue to operate in the same way as they do at present, they could lose 50-60% of their value. "We have to unite and face regulators, subscribers and our governments," he said.

Kanafani also stressed that cutting prices was not a sustainable strategy for operators and questioned the reasoning of analysts that criticised operators that dared to raise prices. "Last year we raised our prices at Turk Telekom twice. When I face analysts they say to me that I've raised prices, it's as if it's an allegation.

"The coffee you are drinking, the tie on my neck, the watch you are wearing have one thing in common: they will be more expensive next year, whereas telco prices will be lower next year. We have to make some radical changes to save our industry."

10 apps that are topping enterprise blacklists

2012-05-23T16:46:00.001+04:00

Takeaway: Whether they're regarded as productivity killers or security risks, many apps have made it onto company blacklists.

Thanks to the invasion of personal apps, services, and hardware in enterprise, it shouldn't surprise anyone that smart IT pros out to protect data are conducting a wholesale blacklisting of the apps they find most threatening to data security.

Zenprise, a mobile device management company that specializes in BYOD, recently released its Zenprise MDM Cloud Report. The report includes the top 10 apps that enterprises are blacklisting (or attempting to blacklist) in the United States and globally. The list is theirs. The snide commentary, mine. So here they are. The 10 most blacklisted apps this month, in descending order.

Note: This list is also available as a photo gallery.

1: Angry Birds

Would someone please muster up the courage to tell the CEO to stop with the slingshot already?

2: Facebook

Imagine an update like, "I am sitting here listening to our blowhard manager give a talk that could fell a tree."

3: Google Play

Buying apps on company time? And potentially with company money? Hard stop.

4: Dropbox

Worst case: Employee walks off with your company data and Dropbox is installed on four of her computers. Nuff said.

5: Skype

Now this is what you want. Folks texting and calling relatives all over the world. It puts a whole new spin on the idea of personal calls at work, doesn't it?

6: YouTube

Imagine a Google+ Live Hangout saved and shared on YouTube. It's a recording of your confidential board meeting. Yikes!

7: The App Store

Just … too easy to get a game even more addictive than Angry Birds. If such a thing exists, it is in the App Store.

8: Evernote

Social, shareable note-taking screams take our secure company information and share it with the world the next time you get angry at your boss. Or quit.

9: Cydia

An Apple iOS app that lets your users browse and download applications for a jailbroken Apple iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. Lovely.

10: Twitter

Sure, users, tweet all day. Gain more followers. Lose work time.

Dell profit plunges on disappointing sales

2012-05-23T01:02:00.000+04:00

Dell says the firm is moving away from its traditional PC base to services

AFP/Getty Images/File - Justin Sullivan

US computer maker Dell on Tuesday reported a 33 percent drop in profits in a disappointing quarterly report for former market leader.

The company, which has slipped to third place in the global PC market, said its profit in the first fiscal quarter fell to $635 million.

Revenue in the quarter was $14.4 billion, a four percent decrease from the same period the previous year.

Dell said however the firm was moving away from its traditional PC base to services.

"We continued to shift the mix of our business during a challenging environment," said Brian Gladden, Dell's chief financial officer.

"Our enterprise solutions and services businesses now account for 50 percent of our gross margin, and we'll continue to make the necessary investments to maintain our progress."

Texas-based Dell, once the biggest PC maker, has fallen to third place behind market leader Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo, and is just barely ahead of fourth place Acer Group.

Dell last month said it was buying Wyse Technology to expand its business offerings in the Internet "cloud" in the face of softening demand for traditional computing hardware.

Last year, Dell said it would halt sales of its Android tablet computer in the US market, failing to gain traction against rivals such as Amazon's Kindle Fire and Apple's iPad.

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Cloud, iPad, and the end of the geek era

2012-05-18T00:43:00.000+04:00

Photo credit: iStockphoto/stacey_newman

Fifteen years ago when someone asked what you did for a living and you told them, "I work in computers," they would look at you with an envious eye and you knew they were thinking, "I bet you make a lot of money and will never have to worry about a job."

That was a time when the "IT skills shortage" was national news and there were infomercials running on cable TV in the U.S. that promised to turn you into a network administrator or a help desk technician with a two-week training course that would be your gateway to a $70,000/year tech job.

Nevermind that that promise was pure fiction. It was still a sign of a time when IT looked like one of the best jobs in the world. And, as the world continued to digitize it looked like IT would be a great place to work for decades to come.

So, what happened?

Outsourcing happened. Off-shoring happened. Million dollar failed IT projects happened. Shrinking IT budgets happened.

However, while all of those factors played a part in the declining role of the traditional IT department, the real culprit has been a dramatic change in expectations among the people who really use these technologies.

I'm talking about the employees who need to get their work done. They used to rely on IT to make all the buying decisions, set up all of the equipment, and fix anything that went wrong. Heck, half of them didn't even know how to plug in their own mouse a decade ago.

Today, most of these employees are on at least their third or fourth new PC at home. A lot of them have smartphones. Some of them even carry their own personal laptops or tablets. Millions of them have personal email through Gmail or Yahoo Mail and love the seamless online ordering at Amazon.com. A few of the really advanced ones are even managing their personal files across multiple devices with cloud services like Dropbox.

So when IT tries to deploy them outdated computers, or enforces limits on the size of email attachments, or makes web applications that are nearly impossible to use, or doesn't allow employees to check the corporate calendar from their personal smartphones, then these employees no longer see the IT department as an enabler. They view it as a roadblock to progress.

Most of them don't want or need the IT department to hold their hands as much any more. But, even more than that, they expect their company's IT systems to be as easy to use as the iPad, as unlimited as Gmail, as simple and seamless as buying something on Amazon, and as intuitive to set up as Dropbox.

It's not fair. IT departments don't have the resources of Apple, Google, Amazon, or even a venture-backed startup like Dropbox. But, the fact that it's not fair doesn't change user expectations one bit.

The result is that most IT departments simply can't compete with pre-packaged consumer-oriented solutions. That means the days of geeks hacking together custom solutions — whether it's a standard software image for company PCs or an in-house application or running your own mail servers — are rapidly coming to an end.

That doesn't mean everyone is going to be using iPads and Gmail and Dropbox. A lot companies are going to flee to business-hardened versions of these same kinds of products — Box.net instead of Dropbox, for example.

As I've written in the past, that certainly doesn't mean all of the current IT jobs are going to evaporate. They're just going to migrate. There's still going to be lots of room for local IT integrators to help small businesses, and developers to build a world that is increasingly run by software, and IT infrastructure gurus to run the big cloud data centers (and the data centers in the big companies), and project managers and business analysts and IT architects to steer organizations in the right direction when they are selecting and planning the right IT solutions.

Those are the IT jobs of the future. And, if you haven't already made the mental transition to the fact that that's where we're headed, then now's the time.

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Women in the IT department: Why the shortage matters

2012-05-18T00:34:00.000+04:00

Takeaway: More women in the tech team could help rebuild the relationship between business and IT.

Most CIOs want to hire more women for the IT department, but struggle to find qualified female applicants for the roles they need to fill.

Two out of three CIOs plan to recruit more women but eight out of 10 can't find the right candidates, according to a survey. Half of tech chiefs said more women in the IT department will improve the relationship with the rest of the business and enhance team cohesion and morale.

But as the IT department becomes less about building technology and more about providing services - thanks to trends such as cloud and BYOD - building better relationships with the rest of the business will become increasingly important. Indeed, it's the lack of these relationship-building skills that often make IT seem out of touch with the rest of the business.

However, the vast majority of CIOs - 82 per cent - surveyed also said hiring more women would have no impact on strategy and 86 per cent thought it would have no effect on technical skills.

Women are and have been for many years significantly under-represented in IT and in particular in IT management. Only one in 10 CIOs is a woman.

One in three of the CIOs surveyed admitted there are no women in IT management roles in their organisation, while just under half said women accounted for less than a quarter of their IT managers, according to the CIO survey by recruitment firm Harvey Nash.

The survey found similar under-representation of women in tech roles. A quarter of CIOs admitted they have no women in their technical teams while half of CIOs said they only had one woman on the tech team.

The survey found more women in non-technical roles such as business analysis and training.

And it seems that old attitudes die hard. Big gaps remain between what female CIOs and male CIOs see as the benefits of women in the IT department. While 49 per cent of the female CIOs interviewed said women have a positive impact on efficient decision-making, only 18 per cent of male CIOs thought women contribute positively in this area.

And while only 24 per cent of female CIOs said increasing the proportion of women in the IT department will have a positive effect on technical skills, only nine per cent of men agreed.

Indeed, not all CIOs agree think the lack of women in the IT department is a problem. A quarter of 'dinosaur' respondents - those who have no women in IT management roles - believe women are fairly represented in their department.

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Indian outsourcing's hunt for women IT skills

A couple of decades ago, women graduating from one of the thousands of colleges in India had limited options. If they went with the more popular career choices of the time, they could teach in a school, work at a bank or for the government. These days, they have another professional avenue - the IT services industry.

According to official data, India's IT and BPO services industry employs some three million workers. Today about a quarter or more of these are women, says India's industry trade body Nasscom. That is up from a fifth of the workforce in 2007. A recent study,Diversity in Action by Nasscom and PricewaterhouseCoopers, suggests the number of women workers is steadily growing. That change represents a generational shift.

The IT industry has extremely high diversity in terms of gender, geography, language and socio-economic factors, says Akila Krishnakumar, CEO and India for SunGard Technology Services, a US-headquartered provider of services to the financial and education sectors. "That is because meritocracy reigns in the industry. It all boils down to talent," says Krishnakumar, who is among the very few C-level women executives in the Indian services field.

The competition for talent in the IT industry has smoothed out many of the inequalities, making it more diverse and inclusive than any other in India.

Foremost is the gender balance. Thanks to women-friendly policies, including escorts to the doorstep on nightshifts, generous maternity benefits and 24×7 childcare, the gender imbalance in the industry is slowly being evened out.

More middle-class Indian parents, who wield enormous power over their children's career choices, are becoming comfortable with their daughters working late and being away on business.

But diversity in the industry still has its challenges. While there are plenty of women entering the workforce, there is a pronounced lack of women in leadership or boardroom roles. Sangita Singh, a senior vice president, healthcare and life sciences at Wipro, is among the select few who have climbed up the ladder in the industry. She believes change is round the corner.

First, Singh says, there are a lot more women at the entry level in the industry. Secondly, many women are rising in functional roles today. Among the managers who report to her, Singh counts eight women out of a total of 15. "It's only a matter of time," she says.

In five or six years, more women will reach the top in business roles, she predicts. "In a few years, the IT industry will start looking like India's banking industry," Singh says, referring to the domination of India's leading banks by sari-clad women CEOs.

Indian companies have imported and formulated some of the best practices in HR. Their flat structures and informal work culture is quite a departure from the ambiance at India's family-run or old- economy companies. But inclusivity in the full sense of word, encompassing generational diversity and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers, is still not visible in workplaces.

Close to six percent of India's population has some form of disability but fewer than three in 100 are employed by the organised sector, says Ajay Kela President and CEO of the Wadhwani Foundation. The foundation is a not-for-profit set up by Romesh Wadhwani, founder of IT services company Symphony Technology Group. It funds programmes to empower and employ people with disabilities and special challenges.

"We are making progress through initiatives such as those by the Wadhwani Foundation and Nasscom, but the outcomes are still far from mainstream," admits Kela.

A gay worker at a multinational technology company told TechRepublic that there is more acceptance of diversity in the workplace than even a decade ago. For instance, he said, people have a more nuanced understanding of labels attached to sexual orientation. But diversity as a corporate agenda is largely focused on bringing women into the workplace, he said.

However, one remarkable aspect of India's young industry has gone largely unsung. India's infamous caste and class systems have been upended by the IT industry. With the migration from small towns to larger cities, many Indians no longer feel categorised by the caste system or shackled to it in an industry where merit rules.

The industry is dominated by a young workforce - in many large companies workers are aged on average in the early thirties. "Talent issues have diminished all biases, equal opportunity is the reality," says Krishnakumar of SunGard.

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Suck it up: How leaders succeed

2012-05-17T14:57:00.001+04:00

(Flickr user Victor1558)

(MoneyWatch) COMMENTARY General Motors (GM) CEO Dan Akerson recently told The New York Times that the automaker's derisive moniker, "Government Motors," continues to hurt sales.

Citing an industry survey last quarter of 30,000 car shoppers, the NYT reported that 32 percent of respondents who opted against buying a GM vehicle did so because of the company's federal bailout. That's an improvement over 2009, when 59 percent of surveyed shoppers rejected GM vehicles, but it still represents a problem for the company.

Akerson is GM's third CEO while the auto giant operates under federal oversight, and he is still wrestling with the company's past issues. Federal ownership limits executive compensation at GM, which affects its ability to recruit what it perceives to be top talent.

Akerson also sees GM as "a political football" in an election year. The government is unlikely to loosen its grip on GM until the company's stock price rises; otherwise, U.S. taxpayers would be in for a loss on the bailout. Still, that control irks Akerson. "I try not to let it bother me. But the fact is it does bother me," told the NYT's Bill Vlasic.

As David Whiston of Morningstar, an investment firm, told the Times: "It's important for people to realize that [GM is] not done transforming themselves. It is going to take more time to right the ship." How GM is addressing this transformation is Akerson's job, and it is what he should focus on with his public comments.

Or in other words, senior leaders cannot be seen as whiners. They may raise concerns about their organization's public challenges, but if they are seen as grumblers that makes them seem less leader-like. That attitude also effectively licenses others within the organization to moan. This kind of negative thinking can be pervasive and gradually spiral in ways that damage morale.

I much prefer the example of a CEO who owns up to issues and seeks to improve them. Take David Cote, who became CEO of Honeywell (HON) in 2002 when the firm was still trying to find itself after being acquired by Allied Signal.

According to The Economist, Cote focused on a dozen "behaviors" he wanted the company to change. Collectively, these behaviors -- focus on customer, advocacy for change, and self-awareness -- were called "One Hon." That philosophy, coupled with a focus on four lines of business, has since enabled Honeywell to prosper. Its share price is close to its all time-high. As Cote puts it, "You have to get to the point where people say, 'This is how I do my job now.' " And that starts with the CEO owning up to the issues.

Leadership is a matter of personal responsibility. As much as leadership relies on others to be implemented, it starts with the individual. The leader is accountable for his or her own actions, and that includes public behavior. When faced with adversity, acknowledge the challenge. Skip the "pity party" act and focus on what you are doing to resolve the situation.

CEOs that suck it up are leaders who people want to follow. Leaders who wallow in their misery are the ones people are best avoiding.

10 behaviors of the hyper-successful

2012-05-16T12:31:00.001+04:00

(Image courtesy of Flickr user hypo.physe)

(MoneyWatch) COMMENTARY Money and its material manifestations are the most typical measures of a person's professional success, but they're not always telling or even accurate: We all know it's possible to buy nice things without being financially successful (debt is an unfortunately common substitute for net worth). So I rarely make assumptions about a person's business or other financial accomplishments based on clothes, cars, boats or houses.

Knowing and dealing with many highly successful people, I've found that there are behaviors and characteristics that are much less superficial and more telling than just acquiring status symbols. In my observation of ultra-high achievers, the more professionally successful they are:

- The less stuff they carry: The most successful people I know never carry laptops, briefcases or much of anything else, other than (usually two) phones.

- The fewer calls they answer or return: Even with those two phones, top dogs rarely return calls that aren't critical to their own business or personal needs.

- The harder they are to reach by anyone or any means.

- The less time they spend at a computer.

- The shorter their e-mails. You might say that Alphas use less alphabet.

- The less social media they use (except for celebrities).

- The less they know, stay current, or care about pop culture (again, except for celebrities).

- The less TV they watch (except sports, especially anything involving their alma maters).

- The more non-leisure stuff they do that's not directly related to their business (charities, boards, outside investments).

- The more newspapers they take off the flight attendant's cart in First Class (unless they're on their own plane, which makes all the other points moot).

Some of these behaviors are obvious, some may seem ironic, and of course none are meant to suggest that business and money are the only measures of a successful life. Some of the observations are made with a little ribbing intended, and none are scientific, though I'll bet they could be: I don't know a single mega-successful business person who doesn't exhibit at least half of these traits.

Truth be told, much of the list doesn't bode well for me, much less my shot at that sweet Gulfstream 650 I've had my eye on. I carry a laptop (I sort of have to, since I make bags for them), I return more calls and messages than I ignore, I only have one phone, and I'm not well-known for brevity in my e-mails. And for the most part, I don't care -- I don't like some of these characteristics in others, and there are parts of my life, personality and business behavior that I'm not interested in changing. If that keeps me out of the most rarified air, so be it.

But there is an important central theme that's valuable to all of us, regardless of where we are on the ladder, whether we admire these behaviors or are put off by them, or whether the list accurately reflects our own style or aspirations. No matter what combination of these characteristics the Masters of the Universe might possess, the bottom line is the same: Without exception, the people at the very top of the business ladder don't waste time.

SonicWALL is now Dell SonicWALL

2012-05-15T16:09:00.000+04:00

On the 13th March 2012, Dell announced their intent to acquire SonicWALL®. We are pleased to announce Dell's acquisition of SonicWALL is now closed in the US. In Europe, we will be completing the acquisition over the coming months, in compliance with local laws and regulations.

SonicWALL is now Dell SonicWALL. This acquisition holds incredible promise for our customers as it opens up new opportunities for rapid growth of the company and advancement of our solutions. You should expect us to become even more visible and we hope you'll see us in many more articles like this Next-Generation Firewall Comparison test from Network World in which SuperMassive outperformed competitive devices.

Over the past three years, Dell has taken significant steps to develop its software and services portfolio and help customers keep up with demands like cloud computing, consumerization of the enterprise and the increasing demands for secure, anytime, anywhere access to application and data.

Dell is committed to investing in the future of Dell SonicWLL's product lines. As a result, you will continue to see new and leading-edge Network Security and Data Protection solutions from Dell SonicWALL. Our expanded infrastructure will deliver even greater support for our customers. With all of our employees remaining at the company, the way you do business with Dell SonicWALL will be no different from what you are accustomed to.

10 big mistakes successful leaders make

2012-05-10T23:56:00.000+04:00

(MoneyWatch) COMMENTARY Executives and business leaders don't just peak and lose their potency over time, like wine. They change. Oftentimes, success is the culprit. Success affects everyone differently and not necessarily in a good way.

I've seen it happen to loads of successful CEOs, entrepreneurs and business owners I've worked with over the years. It's not a result of the Peter Principle, since their responsibilities didn't change. It's not necessarily a question of the business outgrowing their capabilities, either.

And they don't just "lose it." Rather, they change. Success changes them.

If you know a little about human psychology, that shouldn't surprise you. You've got to really know yourself, possess unusual self-confidence, and be pretty well grounded in reality to withstand the ego-inflating onslaught of winning big in business.

Since we're all human, we're all susceptible to the unusual pressures and pitfalls that come from achieving what we've always dreamed of. In my experience, these are the ten most common traps successful leaders fall into.

Becoming the status quo. Startups often break into the market by challenging the status quo. The problem is when success makes them the status quo, yet they don't realize it. That was evident when Apple and Google challenged the BlackBerry with the iPhone and Android platform. It's ironic that RIM's co-founders forgot that they were once the challengers. Their failure to be proactive or even to react in time was RIM's downfall.

Tunnel vision. They lose perspective and become rigid, sticking to their myopic vision like glue. Since competitors are unpredictable and markets are always evolving, it can be deadly to a business. If their vision fails to gain traction, they often double down and become even more grandiose. We saw that with former Sony CEO Howard Stringer's concept of product synergy. The only problem is it didn't exist.

Losing their fear. Fear is a key emotion that warns you when to be alert and when you need to act. When you start to think that success is inevitable and believe you can't fail, you act irrationally, become reckless and take risks you shouldn't or without due consideration. Reminds me of lots of megamergers and LBOs, that's for sure.

Fear of losing. The opposite of becoming fearless to the extreme is becoming too risk averse because you're afraid of losing what you've won. Unfortunately, that simply doesn't work in an ever-changing business world. Once that fear of taking chances sets in, you're business is doomed.

All knowing. They stop asking questions and don't really listen when key stakeholders -- customers, executives, directors, investors -- tell them something they need to hear. They think they have all the answers, that they're the smartest guys in the room. They miss critical warning signs.

10 career-limiting mistakes to avoid
10 dumb mistakes companies make over and over

Isolated. I've seen far too many successful people develop an elitist or ivory tower mentality. They become insular in their thinking and cut themselves off from others with layers of bureaucracy and hierarchy. There are also usually physical manifestations like executive offices, suites, buildings, and assistants to keep the masses out.

Controlling. In the name of maintaining a culture of entrepreneurship, they become obsessed with keeping things the way they are. That often translates to micromanaging and controlling every little thing. They fail to let go by adding processes and infrastructure that growing businesses need to effectively scale. I see this over and over, especially in the high-tech industry.

Surrounded by yes-men. There will always be weak-minded lackeys that tell leaders what they want to hear and sugarcoat negative news to gain favor. But their power only comes from weak leaders with low self-esteem that need their egos to be constantly pumped up.

Lost the magic. Business success is nearly always the result of a number of factors. Sure, there's a product or service that customers are excited about, but there's also pricing, timing, partners, even luck. Whatever the combination, it's tempting for successful entrepreneurs to think it's all about them, not the "magic formula" that got them there.

If I build it, they will come. Entrepreneurship works in America because anyone with an idea can get funding and, if the stars are aligned, develop a hit product or service. To get out of the "one hit wonder" phase and develop a second and third successful product, however, requires a willingness to embrace marketing, sales, operations, customer service and other business functions.

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12 critical insights on the state of IT in 2012

2012-05-10T13:08:00.001+04:00

I regularly moderate The Great Debate over on ZDNet and it's always a fun opportunity to get a couple smart commentators together and let them cross swords over a controversial topic. However, this week the debate was especially great, as TechRepublic's Justin James and ZDNet's Dana Gardner clashed on the topic of IT Department: Cost Center or Profit Center? It ended up being about the current trajectory of the IT department and how to change it.

If you missed it, then you missed a crash course in why many IT departments are struggling today and advice on how IT can transform itself into an indispensable force. Fortunately, you can still read the entire debate online, but I've also selected and curated 12 of the most important insights from Gardner and James into the following list.

1. The problem with IT

Justin James: "Most IT departments consistently fail to deliver value! When all you've done is replace the intraoffice mail system with email and IM, and replaced the filing cabinets and accounts ledgers with databases and applications, all for a price so expensive that you wonder if it wasn't cheaper to just pay people to do it instead, then of course IT doesn't look like a profit center. And it isn't. And when folks offer suggestions on how to improve it, the IT department likes to say 'no.' Sure, they usually have a good reason for it, but it still feels like stonewalling to the business folks."

2. Losing the stranglehold

Justin James: "The IT department is losing its stranglehold on the corporate IT resources, now that individuals can BYOD and departments can source IT from the cloud. This forces IT to work harder and smarter within the organization, when in the past they could adopt an attitude of, this is what were giving you, and you had better like it!"

3. A new class of IT

Dana Gardner: "Rather than remove IT in favor of cloud or SaaS — businesses must embrace a larger role of IT as services broker… Already a new class of strategic IT organization is emerging, one that uses cloud, mobile, mixed-sourcing, strategic souring, ecommerce as core components. By delivering business services better than competitors -– even partners — the modern value chain flows to them. Via innovation, they take more share, more margin, more opportunity."

4. The Amazon revenue model

Dana Gardner: "Before Amazon Web Services, a.k.a. Amazon's public cloud, IT there was a cost center, enabling their online retail and business functions. Now, IT is a profit center, adding entirely new revenues to Amazon in the form of paid cloud services. I'm seeing companies now following that model, taking their IT capabilities and making them the product, of combining their digital services and market insights to forge whole new services, and bringing in whole new revenues. So the discussion has changed. It's not how will IT support the old business, it's how is IT able to create new lines of business."

5. The Apple innovation model

Justin James: "Most companies view the accounting department as a cost center, a necessary evil. Then you get a company like Apple, who puts a lot of really smart accountants and lawyers to work, and they come up with revolutionary new ways of exploiting loopholes in tax laws, and all of a sudden, the accounting department is adding BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to the bottom line. They transformed the 'cost center' accounting department into a 'profit center.' How many IT departments are doing the same kind of thing? Not many."

6. The SMB model of IT

Justin James: "A lot of IT departments are struggling to define their mission, struggling to be relevant to the business, and struggling to deliver real, provable value and ROI… and I think that in the next few years, we're going to see the small business model of IT - cloud services bolstered by a small cadre of on-site techs and a handful of part-time experts or consultants for the big stuff - start to move up the food chain."

7. Measure and report

Dana Gardner: "Measure whatever you can on how IT impacts business. Make the causal connections between a new application that improves a process and the results of the process. Use social tools inside the enterprise to do polls, to ask users to tell the good and bad about what IT is doing. Like with app dev, do scrums in the ops side to determine performance and then share that back to the developers and forwards to the users. A lifecycle approach where there is visibility from IT … will help improve perceptions."

8. The organizational dilemma

Justin James: "Which departments have the foresight and willingness and open-mindedness to work hand-in-hand with IT? Which employees are willing to make the decisions to go ahead, knowing full well that the process is going to possibly cost a lot of people their jobs? That's probably one of the biggest issues: folks know in the back of their heads that a push to modernize can cost jobs."

9. Find a hero project

Dana Gardner: "IT must pick its first battles very carefully. It's essential to show benefits early on to get buy-in later, and make those perceptions shift to the goodness of IT. So find a pain point for the leadership: Perhaps it's visibility into some business process, or ability to use data better and faster. Business leaders love a good chart. Make them see that IT is making data, analytics and dashboards a priority. Or find a problem that impacts those tasked with business development and fix it or offer suggestions. IT needs to proactively court those that are building the new business winners and engage with them. It has to be more than repaving cow paths and replacing older servers… It's a culture thing, as much as anything. And people change culture."

10. The technical CEO

Dana Gardner: "I expect to see offices of the CEO comprised of a COO-CIO duo. When business operations, market strategy and IT knowledge are combined, big things can happen. The fact that CEOs have one come from sales and founders may need to give way to more technology savvy people at the top. Selling is important, of course, but making the strategy align with what the technology allows is more important nowadays. You need to have something to sell, and the products and services themselves are increasingly about technology. So let's get more techies in the corner office for more kinds of companies."

11. The three factors you must have

Justin James: "You need to have … a proactive IT department and a visionary leadership team (not merely the CEO), AND open-minded employees who won't drag their heels and sabotage the process. That's a rare combination, and it's one of the big reasons why we don't see organizations transforming their IT as much as we see new organizations coming up that use IT to drive profits from day 1."

12. Dominance of the technically-capable

Dana Gardner: Let's face it, a lot of companies are not going to make IT a profit center, and they will be in trouble, and then more trouble. It will be very hard to transform a company that is dysfunctional in IT. On the other hand, companies that do IT well, that integrate the technically possible with the business necessary will be able to change and adapt. And they will hire that best minds that can build on the successes and go dominant in a big way. It's not just survival of the fittest, it's dominance by the most technology capable.

Offshoring jumps as cash-strapped companies step up outsourcing

2012-05-10T02:03:00.000+04:00

Takeaway: The global economic crisis is sparking a boom in IT offshoring as India's major IT suppliers grew four times faster than their competitors in 2011.

India's largest IT suppliers grew four times faster than their international competitors in 2011, as companies in struggling European economies stepped up their IT offshoring.

In 2011 revenues at the top five India-based IT service providers grew at 23.8 per cent, compared to 7.7 per cent growth in the global IT services market, according to a report by analyst house Gartner.

The top five Indian suppliers made particularly strong in-roads in Europe, where their growth rate almost doubled to 25.9 per cent in 2011.

"This reaffirms Gartner's theory that the troubled economic environment will be the catalyst to faster adoption of offshore services," Arup Roy, principal research analyst at Gartner, said in the report.

"We are seeing European companies, particularly on the Continent, openly embrace offshore services engagements — and the Indian providers have been the beneficiaries."

Despite the strong EU growth Indian suppliers' European market share is still lower than in the US, and almost 70 per cent of their European revenues come from the UK.

India's major tech suppliers typically grow faster than the wider IT services market, and the country's top 10 providers are expanding at an increasing rate, with growth of 21.8 per cent in 2011 compared to 19.9 per cent in 2010.

The global economic crisis is not only fuelling an uptick in IT offshoring, but also increases the chances that companies will outsource entire IT departments as Gartner recently warned.

The sustained growth of India's IT suppliers is gradually eroding the market share of major international IT vendors, according to the report.

"The top five Indian service providers have continuously chipped away market share from the large multinational corporation providers," Roy said in the report.

"In the past five years, they have been increasingly winning large outsourcing deals with a total contract value of more than $100m."

India's top five remain focused on winning business from Fortune 1000 companies, Roy said, and in recent years have expanded their offerings from a limited pool of low-cost services to a much wider portfolio including infrastructure services, business process outsourcing (BPO) services, cloud and analytics services.

Last year saw TCS, the biggest Indian IT supplier, become one of the top 20 largest IT suppliers in the world. The company stands at number 16 in the global rankings, with a revenue of $9.31bn in 2011 and 1.1 per cent of global market share.

The fastest growing India-based IT services company in 2011 was Cognizant, which grew revenues by 33.3 per cent to $5.875bn, making it the third largest India-based IT service provider and putting it at 27 in the global rankings. Cognizant is headquarted in the US but Gartner defines India-based IT services companies as those that deliver more than 90 per cent of their services from India.

IBM remains the world's largest IT service provider, earning just over $60bn in services revenue in 2011, up 6.6 per cent from 2010. However, its 7.1 per cent share of the global services market was down 0.1 per cent on the previous year.

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The number one skill - How to become a good listener

2012-05-09T23:02:00.001+04:00

(MoneyWatch) If there was just one thing you could improve upon that is guaranteed to make you more successful, would you do it? Well then listen up.

We mean it, really - listen up and listen better.

The better we listen, the more others appreciate us and, in return, the more they listen to us. By listening better, we learn more and misinterpret others less. It seems that some people are just naturally good listeners but the truth is listening is an acquired skill. One that, with any improvement, will yield great benefits.

Let's take a look at few of the barriers or bad habits that get in the way of effective listening. See which ones you might be guilty of. (We know which ones we're guilty of.)

Multi-tasking - Do you ever look at your phone or check emails during a conversation? If you think you can multi-task while listening, then you don't know what you're missing. It's also painfully obvious to the other person when we are distracted.
Me, Me, Me - If your major concern is how others perceive you, or what you'll say next, then you can't focus on what is being said.
Brain Speed - If our thoughts outpace the speaking style of the person we are talking with, we tend to let our mind wander. Or we interrupt the other person because we believe we know what the person is trying to say but taking too long to say it.
What did you Say? - Hearing loss can adversely affect every conversation, from missing out on a pleasant exchange to serious safety issues. It is estimated that there are more than 35 million Americans that are hearing impaired. Less than 30% use hearing aids. If you suspect you have a hearing problem, get tested. If you know you have a hearing problem, get hearing aids. If you own hearing aids, wear them.
Line Butting - You're bored with the subject so you interrupt and introduce a new topic. Or worse, you start talking about yourself.

So how did you do?

If not as well as you liked, here are a few things that you can do that will dramatically improve your listening skills.

Paying attention pays off - The first and most important thing you can do to improve your skill as a listener is to give the other person your undivided attention. In the words of Gandhi, "Wherever you are - Be there."

Listen with your voice - Say "no kidding", "um hmm", "go on", or by paraphrasing, which, by definition, is the act of restating or rewording what others say. Psychologists call this "Active Listening".

Say, "So what your saying is..." Or simply repeat the last thought the other person said. There is no better skill for effective listening then paraphrasing. If you've heard correctly, the other person will generally respond with an enthusiastic yes or nod. If you've heard it wrong, they'll know they need to clarify. Paraphrasing gives them the opportunity to restate what they said so accurate and meaningful communications take place.

Listen with your body - Lean forward, put your hands on your chin, or listen with open arms. When your body conveys a listening posture, others become more comfortable and open. If appropriate, take notes. In a business meeting, it shows your interest and helps you stay focused.

Nodding is also a key component of your listening posture. And smiling. Smiles are contagious and make others feel comfortable, and the more comfortable we are, the better we communicate. Establish and maintain eye contact. Not only is this reassuring to the other person, but it enables you to read their body language which can convey more than their words. As Yogi Berra said, "You can observe a lot by just watching."

Button up!! - Don't interrupt. You hate it. So do others. It's rude. Unless you're seeing a fire erupt behind the person speaking, let them finish. Encourage them to fill out their thoughts by saying, "tell me more." When we interrupt, the other person loses their focus and we lose the opportunity to fully understand what they're trying to convey. Make a conscious effort to see how often you interrupt others over the course of a day. Hopefully, it won't be a rude awakening.

Ask questions - In the words of Stephen Covey, "Seek first to understand, then be understood. This involves a very deep paradigm shift. We typically seek first to be understood. Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply. They are either speaking or preparing to speak."

Talk less - A good philosophy is that conversations should not just be about you, but about we. As the Greek sage, Epictetus, observed: "Most of us were born with two ears and one mouth." That's a pretty good ratio between listening and talking.

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Tech Mahindra & Mahindra Satyam and CA Technologies Enter into Global Partnership

2012-05-09T15:36:00.001+04:00

Hyderabad, India - April 24, 2012: Tech Mahindra and Mahindra Satyam today announced that they have signed a Global Framework Agreement (GFA) with CA Technologies, a global IT management and security software and solutions company aimed at building a business model where shared and managed services can be provided to new and existing customers through a joint and strategic approach. Tech Mahindra and Mahindra Satyam have set up Mahindra CA Research centre at Pune. This centre will enable co-innovation and delivery of our joint offerings.

In this unique arrangement, Mahindra Satyam, Tech Mahindra and CA Technologies will offer application performance management, test automation, content aware security and MSP offerings. Through the agreement, they will develop innovative and differentiated joint offerings for Telco, Manufacturing, BFSI and Healthcare verticals.

"It is a moment of pride for me as two majors of the IT industry partner to offer superior service offerings for our joint customers. This relationship will provide a platform to co-invest in creating business solutions together to meet next generation needs of global CxOs. This arrangement is closely aligned with our strategy of building an ecosystem of like minded partners", said CP.Gurnani, CEO, Mahindra Satyam.

Mahindra Satyam, Tech Mahindra and CA Technologies have been working together since 2010 to explore joint opportunities and market expansion. This agreement will open up many opportunities for CA Technologies, Tech Mahindra and Mahindra Satyam to provide customers with innovative solutions that reflect the evolution of their business models.

"Innovation and meeting market needs through strong partnerships are at the core of CA Technologies growth strategy," said Bill McCracken, CEO, CA Technologies. "As we continue to grow in the global market, our partnership with Tech Mahindra and Mahindra Satyam enables us to address the ever changing needs within the IT landscape through a combined, broad solution and services portfolio."

Tech Mahindra and Mahindra Satyam, together with CA Technologies, are already providing turnkey cloud computing services based on CA Technologies tools. This agreement further creates a growth engine that will make a viable and successful business model to respond to the needs of the market at competitive prices.

About Mahindra Satyam

Mahindra Satyam is a leading global business and information technology services company that leverages deep industry and functional expertise, leading technology practices, and an advanced, global delivery model to help clients transform their highest-value business processes and improve their business performance. The company's professionals excel in enterprise solutions, supply chain management, client relationship management, business intelligence, business process quality, engineering and product lifecycle management, and infrastructure services, among other key capabilities.

Mahindra Satyam is part of the $14.4 billion Mahindra Group, a global federation of companies and one of the top 10 business houses based in India. The group focuses on enabling people to rise. Mahindra operates in the key industries that drive economic growth, enjoying a leadership position in tractors, utility vehicles, information technology, vacation ownership, rural and semi-urban financial services, etc. Mahindra has a significant and growing presence amongst others, in the automotive industry, agribusiness, aerospace, automotive components, consulting services, defence, energy, industrial equipment, logistics, real estate, retail, steel and two wheelers.

Mahindra Satyam development and delivery centers in the US, Canada, Brazil, the UK, Hungary, Egypt, UAE, India, China, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia serve numerous clients, including many Fortune 500 organizations.

For more information, see
www.mahindrasatyam.com

Follow us on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/mahindra_satyam

For clarifications, write to us at: MediaRelations@mahindrasatyam.com

About Tech Mahindra

Tech Mahindra is a leading provider of solutions and services to the telecommunications industry with a majority stake owned by Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, in partnership with British Telecommunications plc. Tech Mahindra serves telecom service providers, equipment manufacturers, software vendors and systems integrators worldwide and their proven delivery models, distinctive IT skills and decades of domain expertise enable clients to maximize returns on their IT investment.

Tech Mahindra registered revenue of USD 1,127 million in the year ended March 31, 2011 and is ably supported by 42,500 professionals who provide a unique blend of culture, domain expertise and in-depth technology skill-sets.

A SEI-CMMi Level 5 organization, Tech Mahindra's development centers are ISO 9001:2008 and BS7799 certified. Tech Mahindra has principal offices in the UK, United States, Germany, UAE, Egypt, Singapore, India, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines, Canada and Australia. Tech Mahindra Ltd is part of the US $14.4 billion Mahindra Group, a global industrial federation of companies and one of the top 10 business houses based in India. The Group's interests span automotive products, aviation, components, farm equipment, financial services, hospitality, information technology, logistics, real estate and retail.

For more information please refer to the website: www.techmahindra.com

About CA Technologies

CA Technologies (NASDAQ: CA) is an IT management software and solutions company with expertise across all IT environments – from mainframe and distributed, to virtual and cloud. CA Technologies manages and secures IT environments and enables customers to deliver more flexible IT services. CA Technologies innovative products and services provide the insight and control essential for IT organizations to power business agility. The majority of the Global Fortune 500 relies on CA Technologies to manage evolving IT ecosystems. For additional information, visit CA Technologies at www.ca.com.

The number 1 thing that's wrong with your resume comments22 inShare 51More

2012-05-09T02:02:00.001+04:00

(MoneyWatch) Dear Evil HR Lady,
I am unemployed for over a year, after completing my MBA. I then had a fixed term contract that I did not manage to turn into a permanent position due to the difficult economic times back then (my direct boss was very happy with me).

I have since then mildly been involved in a private equity project and sent a zillion applications, redoing my resume so many times I cannot count, with the pathetic result of two phone contacts that led nowhere.

I have applied for positions such as sale manager /director, consultant, associate, in sectors all across the board except semiconductors (where I've worked in the past), since I really want separate my experience and skills from a specific industry.

Therefore, I shamelessly ask of you today to please tell me what is wrong with me, hoping your Evil nature will size the opportunity to say all the really terrible things no one else dares to tell me!

There is one mistake that I see over and over and over again on resumes and sure enough you have it as well. Here's one job from your resume:

[Company Name, Location]

Internal Consultant - 1 year (fixed term) - reporting to Senior Vice President Sustainable Construction

-Designed the first sustainable construction strategic plan introducing sustainable construction activities for the group (France, PR China/Chongqing, UAE, Canada, India, RSA, UK, Poland)

-Autonomously performed country strategic review, workshop, trend analysis (market, regulations, construction techniques) and key stakeholders identification

-Modeled and quantified sustainable construction risks & opportunities, liaising with local teams

-Consolidated and analyzed data to generate the executive committee presentations

-Provided support for local marketing teams to articulate specific sustainable construction marketing plans

-Inducted marketing teams to sustainable construction stakes, concepts and market dynamics

Know what's wrong with that? It's not grammar and it's not spelling. It's the number one problem with resumes: I have no clue what you actually did.

The company you listed is not a name I was familiar with, so I had to Google it to find out what kind of company it was. Internal Consultant can mean absolutely ANYTHING, although I was happy to see that you listed who you reported to, as that at least gives me an idea of what you might have done.

You specifically want to change industries, so you need to assume that the recruiter will not be familiar with the companies you worked for. If you were trying to stay within an industry this would be less of a problem, but always assume that the recruiter isn't familiar with your company. (Unless, maybe, you worked for a global ubiquitous company like McDonalds.)

5 mistakes you may be making on your resume
8 simple ways to customize your resume
How to write a resume: 6 steps to take before you start
How to write a resume: Dos and Don'ts

Most of your bullet points sound like they came straight from the job description. Job descriptions are terrible at describing a job that needs to be done and even worse at describing what you did. I could pick up lines from your resume and plop them directly into my resume and I wouldn't even be lying. For instance: "Consolidated and analyzed data to generate the executive committee presentation." I did that. I did that monthly for years. Does that mean you would be qualified to be an HR analyst and that I would be qualified to be a sustainable construction analyst? Doubtful.

Tell me more about what you did. Remember you want things that computers will pick up as key words. Think about these things:

-What type of data did you analyze?

-What type of presentations?

-What were the key decisions that your data helped influence?

-Did you develop these reports or just take over the task from someone else?

-Were there any complex legal requirements for reporting that you had to comply with/understand?

-Did these reports result in increased sales/decreased costs/some other good thing?

Naturally, you don't want to turn your resume into a 200 page novel, but an educated person should be able to look at your resume and at least have some idea what you did. A computer needs to be able to latch onto key words that actually indicate your experience.

Remember, a resume is a marketing document. Make sure that the reader knows what you are selling.

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Resolving any conflict: 6 simple steps

2012-05-08T14:18:00.000+04:00

(iStockphoto)

(MoneyWatch) COMMENTARY Yesterday a good friend of mine called me in tears. She said she had a very upsetting interaction with someone she had known for many years and didn't know what to do about it. Our conversation during those first few minutes was dominated by a flurry of emotions. Based on my experience coaching couples to resolve their financial disagreements, my master's education in clinical psychology, and my life coach experience with Robbins-Madanes Coach Training, I've distilled a few key steps that may not resolve every conflict, but will certainly help to improve communications. Here is the six-step process I followed with her:

1. Drill down. When you get upset, you become flooded with hormones and emotions. Your mind can start to resemble a bee hive of activity -- racing thoughts and a lack of clear focus. Your goal at this stage is drill down and to really try to figure out what you are actually most upset about. I know; you're probably upset over 20 different things, but your job is to keep drilling until you hit the core of what is most upsetting. Once you get past feeling angry and thinking that your boss is a jerk, you may find that there is something deeper that is really troubling you. Are you upset that your boss called you out in a meeting when he knew you didn't have the answer or that you're really upset you weren't prepared? The answer will have a profound effect on how you handle the situation.

2. Get positive. No, I'm not calling for pep talk. It's critical you do your best to determine the other person's positive intent. What's positive intent? Well, negative intent is when you attribute the other person's behavior to them wanting to hurt you and do you harm. When you are in the middle of a heated argument, negative intent comes naturally. "Why is he doing this to hurt me?" is a perfect example of assigning negative intent -- the assumption that he is trying to hurt you. It's difficult to resolve a conflict if you think the other person is hell-bent on doing you harm. Instead, play detective and try to figure out their positive intent. What positive outcome were they trying to achieve? Once you do this, understanding and empathy can begin to flow.

3. Step in their shoes. This is easier said than done -- especially when emotions are running hot -- but if you really want to resolve the disagreement or conflict, this is essential. Pretend you are the other person and answer these questions: What are your goals? Which of the six human needs are you trying to meet? What must I have been thinking and feeling in order to respond/react the way I did (remember to continue to assume positive intent!)? There is no truth, only interpretation. When you can step into the other person's shoes you can begin to see and understand their interpretation which can help you resolve the conflict.

4. Rub the "magic genie" lamp. Get clear on precisely what you need to have happen. Maybe at this point you realize it's not worth it to resolve the conflict, or alternatively, that what you really need is to rekindle the relationship. Whatever it is, figure it out. Stop focusing on what you didn't get and all the things that didn't work out and start focusing on what you need to have happen now. Notice I haven't suggested what you "want" to have happen. You may want a heartfelt apology and a dozen roses, but what really is the minimum you need in order to have the conflict resolved? Your answer will be your guide going forward.

5. Create a game plan. Now that you've taken a step back and tried to figure out their perspective and what it is you want to accomplish, now's the time to determine the best course of action to get you what you need. Should you send an email? A phone call? Call in a mediator? What can you do that will increase the chances you'll get your wish from step 4? Your game plan should focus exclusively on only those things you can control. While your wish from step 4 may be that the other person apologizes, this is not an effective game plan because you can't control this. Instead, what can you control? Scheduling a meeting? Yes. Having a civil conversation about what happened? Of course. Taking responsibility for things you would have done differently? Absolutely. Do you see what's happening here? You are controlling what you have control over to create an environment where an apology is more likely versus sitting back and waiting for an apology.

6. Execute. Now that you know what you need and what you control, go get it done.

I went through this process with my friend, and while she is still hurt and affected by what happened, she has a greater understanding of the other person's "side" and is actively doing what she has control over to get it resolved. Resolving conflict is not a simple task, but by keeping these guidelines in mind, it can be less painful and more effective.

10 reasons IT pros get a bad rap

2012-05-07T13:11:00.001+04:00

Takeaway: It's no secret that IT pros aren't too popular with some clients and end users. Alan Norton considers some of the underlying reasons for the bad press.

Why are IT professionals perceived so poorly by some? I am not going to try to prove or disprove the merits of the reasons listed below. Suffice it to say, the bad rap IT gets is justified if the client believes it to be true.

1: We're considered too well paid

It is common knowledge that IT professionals make good money. In fact, in the United States, they earn more than all other professions except the management and legal professions. Somehow, that just isn't right to those earning less. That geek with the pocket protector and accompanying host of mechanical pencils and Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph pens makes more than they do with their master's degree. In a society where we often base our value on our wages, this is a blow to the ego of other professionals.

2: We can't respond to every problem instantly

When the shop floor system or a secretary's computer goes down, they need it fixed ASAP. Like the air conditioner repairman on a hot summer day, requests for service often come in bunches requiring the customers to wait in queue. No response time is fast enough for businesses that experience more than a few minutes of critical systems downtime.

3: We try to do the impossible

A doctor wouldn't try to diagnose a patient over the phone and yet this is exactly what IT support personnel are expected to do every day. We're expected to diagnose and fix problems remotely over the phone with customers who know little or nothing about the problem. My dad, as an example, has spent more than four hours on the phone with a support person to fix one problem. This type of support is at best frustrating for all involved and at worst impossible without direct access to the customer's hardware — no matter how admirable the persistence and dedication of the person offering the help. If you have ever spent more than an hour on the phone trying to fix a problem, you can understand why technical support staff are often cursed. And it will continue to be that way until IT learns how to more easily gather all of the pertinent facts before trying to diagnose and fix problems.

4: We have to do the impossible

I've mentioned before the "missions impossible" I have been asked to do while at Computer Sciences Corporation. CSC has a wide variety of customers, some with archaic and arcane systems. There just aren't many minds on the planet with the knowledge to fix these types of systems. As an example, because I had installed OS/2 several times, I was considered the resident OS/2 expert and "asked" to help with a client's OS/2 problems. I did help install some network printers and hardware. But perhaps my most successful accomplishment was convincing the onsite CSC supervisor to ban the client's outsourced IT personnel from the server room. Regardless of my best efforts, I could imagine the client telling my manager, "Next time send someone who knows what he's doing."

5: We offer technical support and not personal service

While IT professionals typically possess a high degree of technical competence, our bedside manner often leaves much to be desired. The technical gap between the customer and IT is wide and grows wider every day. It is becoming ever more challenging to communicate to customers in simple and personal terms what we need to do to fix their problem. It will be ever more challenging to narrow this communication gap to provide true customer service above and beyond the required fix.

6: We have a bad image

So often in a world of sound bites, image is everything. The image portrayed of IT is one of the aloof geek practicing and protecting his secret craft from the clueless public. People have a love/hate relationship with the geek stereotype. They can't relate- - but they do enjoy watching geeks and their bizarre behavior. Chloe and Edgar, Maurice and Roy, Sheldon and Leonard, and Abigail and Timothy come to mind. Viewers love them — as long as long as they stay on the other side of their favorite entertainment delivery device. Mention that you work in IT, though, and you are immediately classified as a geek and at best you are tolerated. True geeks may embrace this term but to the general public it is not a term of endearment, especially when they have to interact with the real-life version.

7: We're seen as a threat to the average worker's job

Nothing brings fear to the heart of a person quicker than the possible loss of his or her job. Threatening to take the food out of the mouths of a family can immediately label the IT professional as the bad guy. Actually, it is the technology that is replacing a worker's labor, but the "victim" doesn't see it that way. The IT pro becomes the enemy and gets the blame for making it happen.

8: We suffer from the "golden boy" syndrome

For years, IT has been able get almost anything it asked for. Any project that made the company more efficient was funded and opportunities abounded. Yes, IT has grown up and has lost some of its "can't do anything wrong" luster, but the golden boy image lingers. Managers who have watched their budgets dwindle while IT's budgets grew resent IT to this day.

9: We are indispensable

Those in charge have become reliant upon IT technology and the people who keep it running. Complex systems need database maintenance, technical support, and software upgrades and maintenance. Non-IT professionals just don't like being dependent on others, technical types or otherwise. They prefer to remain beholden to no one rather than take another dose of humble pie when they have to call someone because their system is down. And they fear that gives us too much power.

10: We are too big and intrusive

No government activity, profession, or corporate function is safe from the invasion of the geeks. During the 90s, personal computers began popping up on employees' desks like mushrooms after a summer rain. Human resources, accounting, manufacturing, and legal — they have all been infiltrated by the innocuous PC. Those PCs collect and send information to servers owned by the geek squadron. This level of information access is unprecedented. Information is power, and IT controls that information.

How big can IT get? A group of highly influential programmers and hackers could band together to head up The New World Coders in an attempt to control the world. Okay, that probably won't happen. But non-IT managers everywhere must be concerned about how much of their business they have to trust to IT.

The bottom line

One day you're minding your own business, building that office tower out of sand when… wham! Life smacks you upside the head. Your nemesis, baby brother, has arrived. You didn't know it then but your whole world was about to be turned upside down. And that is just what happened when baby IT was born not all that many years ago. Mother said that a baby brother would be wonderful addition to the family. What she didn't tell you was that IT would get all the attention and you wouldn't be as important as you used to be. Why does IT get a bad rap? Mystery solved. It is because the "normal people" resent us.

However, one mystery remains: Why do geeks always come in pairs when they are portrayed on TV?

5 secrets of getting free publicity

2012-05-03T23:16:00.000+04:00

(Credit: iStockphoto.com)

(MoneyWatch) Let me let you in on a little secret: Free publicity is the cheapest way to build your brand. But the right publicity -- the kind that can generate leads, build credibility, and increase awareness in the marketplace -- doesn't happen by accident.

How can you gain positive national exposure that will lead prospects to your product or service? No public relations expert would ever say there isn't at least some element of chance involved in what stories get picked up and which ones don't. However, there is a way to increase the odds.

The best approach is to take a "water-drip" torture approach. Keep getting your name in front of prospects through publicity. Every droplet of attention makes a difference. After a while, your story will break through the clutter in the same way water eventually wears away a stone.

The secret to success is to be sure you're telling a story that's worth printing. The best publicity draws on one of a handful of tried-and-true themes. Newsworthy stories have something that hits you as a reader and that rises above "just the facts." Here are five can't-fail angles that the media loves:

1. Underdog. Do you have a David versus Goliath story to tell? Everybody loves an underdog: You were small and the odds against you were great, but you took on the big guys and won! If play this card, you might attract more attention than you ever thought you could.

2. Superman. Do you have "first, fastest, brightest" story to tell? You don't have to be faster than a speeding bullet or more powerful than a locomotive, but it would help. If you've got a truly unique story -- you're the first, or the biggest, or the strongest, or the loudest -- then you have a certifiably newsworthy story.

3. Cinderella. Do you have a rags-to-riches story to tell? Stories about the GWOG (Guy Working Out of Garage) who strikes it rich always command public interest. Late Apple (AAPL) co-founder Steve Jobs may represent the quintessential example of the small entrepreneur rising to greatness, but there are countless other examples.

4. Dear Abby. Do you have a "free advice" story to tell? You can't beat free counsel for building trust. Brainstorm the best tips you have to offer customers in your industry. That is the basis for an interesting article.

5. Scientist. Do you a story based on hard facts and figures? You can assert all you want, but numbers make it real. Research -- real, proprietary research carried out by you and featuring your own data -- can be a great way to get attention. Conducting a survey works just fine.

Once you've got a newsworthy story, get the word out via public relations services such as PR Newswire and Business Newswire . For a price much less than snail-mail postage to the same number of outlets, your brief release will cross the country or the globe for a few hundred dollars, passing before thousands of journalists across all manner of media outlets.

Other publicity outfits also will handle distribution of your release, especially if you're a small firm or lack a dedicated staff to make contact, handle releases, or do follow-up. Services such as PR Leads will do as little or as much as you want to help you get the word out, from writing your release for a nominal fee to shaping the angle or theme of your story in ways aimed at maximizing media attention.

10 signs you're in denial

2012-05-03T15:53:00.001+04:00

(iStockphoto)

(MoneyWatch) COMMENTARY People make all sorts of excuses for the mistakes they make. I know I do. And so do you, I'm sure. Which is fine because most mistakes have little impact so they're no big deal.

Once in a great while, however, we make big mistakes that have big consequences. Which is inevitable if you take risks, as you should if you want to get anywhere in business and in life. And that, like it or not, leads to a particularly hairy dilemma: How to take big risks while minimizing the downside.

Long ago I had a boss who always used to tell me, "Try not to make mistakes you have to live with." He was actually referring to the way his ex-wife took him to the cleaners in a nasty divorce and custody battle. For better or worse, that was his unique way of cautioning a young apprentice.

You know, I never forgot what my boss said, probably because I took it to mean a lot more than he intended. I think of it this way: "Try not to screw up so badly that you have a disaster on your hands." And when you're an executive or a leader, the consequences of your actions can impact lots of people in big ways.

I can't say my execution has been flawless over the years, but I do my best. And the longer I'm on this planet, the more I realize that mitigating disaster is all about one word: Perspective.

You see, just about every time I've seen somebody -- a CEO, VC, entrepreneur, personal friend -- screw up in a way that can best be described as a disaster, that one word -- perspective -- was always missing from the equation.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Smart people do dumb things. Leaders let their egos and hubris get the better of them. The Peter Principle is alive and well in companies big and small. There are all sorts of reasons why people and organizations fail. Yes, that's all true; I've said as much in the past.

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Why everyone deserves a second chance
Why the Peter Principle works

But there's a big difference between attaching pithy labels to a problem and coming up with a pragmatic way to identify a major failure mode before it happens. It turns out that there are plenty of warning signs when a person or an organization is too close to a situation and can't see the forest for the trees. And when that happens, when people feel their options are limited, they often behave desperately, recklessly and stupidly.

So, whether it's you, your manager, your CEO, or your company, learn to recognize the signs of a profound and chronic lack of perspective before it's too late and you end up with an unmitigated disaster on your hands:

You try to control things you can't and ignore things you need to change. Yes, that's sort of the opposite of the serenity prayer, I know. But that's what people often do when they're afraid to face something big. Go figure.

Intolerance of bad news. You're surrounded by yes-men who tell you what you want to hear and sugar-coat the truth. Always a sign that you're hiding from reality. Usually followed by some sort of disaster.

You've got all the answers and no questions. Whenever you hear an executive or business leader say, "I don't have to ask customers; I know what they'll say," that's bad news. Instead of "customers," you can also substitute "the board," "employees," or any stakeholder.

You're secretive, holding information too close to the vest. The problem with barriers is that they keep information in and out. By definition, that means lack of outside perspective and objectivity.

Status quo rules. "That's the way it's done," "that's how we've always done it," or "we've never needed that before," are often heard.

Dysfunctional organizational structures form. Anything along the lines of silos, bunkers, or ivory towers means executives or organizations are closing themselves off from outside communication or from each other.

People suggest you've got your head up your you-know-what. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck.

You're overconfident -- you think everything is fine no matter what. The Grateful Dead said it best: "When life looks like easy street, there is danger at your door." When you get too comfortable at the top, look out below.

You don't want to "burden others" with your problems. Not wanting to appear human or flawed to others is a common sign of narcissistic or psychopathic behavior. Not a good sign.

You're unusually stressed. Anxious, short with people, bad-tempered, same thing. Your mind knows something's wrong and this is how it tells you you're afraid of something and you're not directly confronting the cause.

7 signs of a dysfunctional boss

2012-05-03T15:51:00.001+04:00

(Flickr user Hardleers)

(MoneyWatch) COMMENTARY I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the word "dysfunctional" probably describes more people than the word "normal" does. When it comes to CEOs and executives, it's almost certainly true.

You see, leadership dysfunction is far more common than you might think. Not only that, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. Here's a story that I guarantee will get you thinking.

The scene is a psychologist's office in Long Beach, Calif., circa 1990. The "couple's therapy" had turned into a "one-on-one" two sessions ago.

"If I'm so compulsive and dysfunctional," I said, "Then why hasn't it affected my career?"

"Are you kidding?" the shrink laughed, "It's practically a prerequisite for corporate executives!"

Yes, that really did happen. Looking back on it, being dysfunctional actually did affect my career in many ways, both good and bad. Exploring its nature, however, has been all good. And therein lies an opportunity for professional growth that few take advantage of, probably because delusional people all think of themselves as normal. It's ironic, I know.

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Bad CEOs don't get dumped, they get recycled
7 signs of a dysfunctional company

Over the years before and since that fateful day, I've worked with loads of top executives -- CEOs mostly -- that I would describe as more dysfunctional than not. And what I've come to understand of their nature is this: Their "issues" -- for lack of a better term -- helped them in some ways and hindered them in others.

To be more specific, I think it helped them achieve initial success, eventually tripped them up and ultimately proved a barrier to reaching their full potential. That's what makes identification so important. To that end and with all due humility, I give you a composite of all those wacky and colorful executives: 7 signs of a dysfunctional boss.

The game has rules, but the rules keep changing. It's a relatively common but insidious game I call "chaos and control." If they sense you becoming disloyal, too comfortable, or too powerful, they'll want to knock you off the pedestal they've put you on. By bringing you down, it boosts their position relative to yours. One day you're the golden boy, a trusted advisor who can do no wrong. The next day you're a bumbling idiot.

Major focus on minutiae. One Fortune 500 CEO was obsessed with my clothes and appearance. He wasn't alone in that peculiarity; it's a sign of a controlling person. And whatever details get their maniacal attention, whatever the object of their obsessive compulsion, it's really just a way to distract their brains from facing their own sadness, fear or depression. That's why it's often triggered by stress and bad news.

A "man of the people." I just saw "The Last King of Scotland" about Uganda's former President Idi Amin last week and nearly fell off my chair at how common that particular mantra is among dysfunctional leaders. In reality, they thrive on attention and adoration from the masses to feed their deep-seated insecurity but are rarely capable of any true emotional connection with others.

Hypersensitive and vindictive when rejected. Everything's about them -- you're just a tiny little asteroid revolving around their planet-sized ego. Anything you do that they perceive as rejection, even if you're just not letting them be the center of attention, is a personal affront. There will be repercussions. Some are direct, bullying or verbally abusive; others are more subtle, underhanded or passive-aggressive.

Failure is not an option. They're always pointing fingers, making excuses, and blaming others because they can never really be wrong in their own eyes. They will say they're not perfect, that they make mistakes, but you'll never get them to admit to one in real time. To do so would potentially fracture that fragile facade of being special and Godlike. Deep inside, they're really frightened children, which is why the pretense is so critical to maintain.

Loves distraction, hates surprises. They revel in the tiniest distraction. They can be entertained or even entertain themselves with surprisingly silly diversions. Anything to take them away from the depressing reality of boring, mundane, day-to-day life that mere mortals must endure. But surprise them with serious news, especially bad news in front of others, and you're in big, big trouble.

Sees conspiracy everywhere. Since the world revolves around them, they see conspiracy in coincidence and deep meaning in incidental remarks. That's why they so often overreact or even panic over what appears to be nothing. Little things become life-threatening. Why? Even though it's stressful for them, it also affirms their self-importance and makes them feel big. Grandiosity is often a response to depression.

Now, before you start playing amateur shrink, running around diagnosing CEOs with serious personality disorders, keep one important thing in mind: The first sentence of the article. And remember that "normal" is a societal mean that defines a behavioral bell curve. Since nobody's dead-center in the middle, that means we're all somewhere on the curve. It's a sobering thought, I know.

Combatting the IT versus management mentality

2012-05-03T15:49:00.000+04:00

My last article caused some interesting comments, many centering around the supposition that many IT functions, like the dysfunctional help desk I mentioned, were due to poor management. In essence, IT is not given the resources it requires and therefore is unable to deliver a product of the quality that many IT personnel wish they could provide.

There's some obvious truth and comfort in this statement. Presumably a help desk, or any other internal function, would be exceptional with an unlimited budget, proper staffing levels, and all the best training and facilities. Comfort can be found in this assumption, since it takes the onus for excellence out of our hands. If an inadequate budget is the root of all of IT's problems, and setting the budget is out of our hands, then we can easily tolerate any shortcomings since it's "their" fault rather than our own.

I have yet to meet anyone in a modern corporation who laments an overabundance of time, money, and staff. In short, every corporate function, especially those that are internally focused, is competing for scarce resources and will likely never receive what it perceives as an appropriate budget. This problem is compounded by the fact that IT costs are far more transparent than they used to be. In the early decades of corporate IT, costs were perceived at the executive level as a "necessary evil," with the "right" budget being a bit mercurial. Now the CFO merely needs to mention that he or she is considering outsourcing some IT-related function, and a line of vendors with detailed cost proposals appears outside the door. So how can IT combat this "us versus them" mentality? I'd suggest the following:

Assume the best

Many people assume bad intent when it comes to their direct management, and even worse when regarding upper management. A budget cut is a personal slight, and layoffs clearly the fault of "clueless jerks" sitting in the corner office. This attitude again makes one the victim; if unseen nefarious forces exist to derail your efforts at every turn, why bother doing anything more than showing up and clocking time until retirement. Simply shifting your view may change how you perceive management and its actions. Rather than immediately assuming the worst, assume your direct and upper management are fallible human beings, tasked with wisely managing and allocating scarce resources.

While this may seem like a perceptual game and waste of time, it can provide concrete leverage, whether you're reporting to the CEO or line management. When a decision is made by a bad actor hell-bent on derailing your career, you have little choice but to grumble and accept the decision. If that same decision is made by someone struggling to achieve a difficult balance in allocating scarce resources, you can make a compelling case that there are different ways to achieve that objective that might provide more direct benefit than another decision. In short, assuming the best empowers you.

Look for business benefit in every decision

The other weapon for IT against budget cuts and supposedly misguided management decisions is couching technical and process-related alternatives in terms of business benefit. As I mentioned in my previous column, a company I was considering doing business with set up their homepage so it would not load on Internet Explorer. While there might be technical reasons for this decision, many pointed out the obvious flaw from a business-benefit perspective, mainly turning away potential customers before we could even read about the company's offering. Similarly, if your help desk is understaffed, requesting additional resources clearly spells out the cost side of the equation (hiring and salary expense for new staff) without clearly delineating the benefit. The same thing routinely happens when IT engages in heartrending debates about technical alternatives without considering the inherent business benefit.

When you combine a consideration for business benefit with assuming the best in corporate management, IT becomes a compelling investment of scarce resources. Similarly, management becomes an entity that can be convinced, persuaded, and collaborated with, sometimes with your preferred result, and sometimes not, but in both cases a very human and rational entity, rather than a nefarious and insurmountable entity that beats IT into victimhood.

Outsourcing warning as time runs out for struggling IT departments

2012-05-03T13:46:00.001+04:00

Takeaway: As the tough times continue, will CEOs decide to wash their hands of their entire IT department?

Even IT departments that have largely escaped cuts so far are at risk of being outsourced in the near future - if CIOs fail to deliver on tough targets set by the business.

The warning from analyst house Gartner is that, in these cost conscious times, CEOs and CFOs are increasingly likely to offload the whole IT department, rather than individual roles, as they look to make short-term savings.

If CIOs are to persuade execs that IT is more than just an overhead they will have to meet demands to reduce running costs and add value to the business, the research report CIO' s Should Beware of a Return to Full Outsourcing warned.

But adding business value while also reducing running costs will be particularly difficult for the IT department, said the research author Claudio Da Rold, and the risk of failure is significant.

This increased risk of failure by CIOs and the board's eagerness to cut short-term costs puts the IT department at the greatest danger of being outsourced wholesale that it has faced in recent years, according to Da Rold.

"CIOs, business unit leaders and IT shared service managers — especially those working for distressed businesses — should nevertheless beware of the attraction to CEOs and CFOs of full outsourcing arrangements that deliver cash upfront or greatly reduced running costs in exchange for long-term fixed-price contracts," the research said.

"The potential threat is…the whole of IT or a shared service gets moved to a service provider," said Da Rold, adding that CIO roles themselves may also be farmed out.

"In this case it's not unusual for some of the top jobs in the unit get moved to the provider."

If Da Rold's prediction comes true it will mark a reversal in a recent trend for businesses to source services from multiple suppliers using short term deals, and a return to multi-year deals with single suppliers that have become less common in recent years.

The return of these Big Bang outsourcing deals is made more likely by supplier pressure, Da Rold said, as vendors try to find ways of preserving revenues while adapting to cheaper service delivery models like cloud computing.

Suppliers will jump at the chance to secure five to ten year deals, he said, which are priced at today's costs and allow them to increase their margins as cloud drives down the cost of service delivery over time.

CIOs who want to see off the threat of losing their in-house department need to mix and match the best value services from suppliers to ensure they can compete with what a third party provider would charge for a wholly-managed IT function, he said, while also remaining focused on adding business value.

"If a CIO implements this kind of strategy they will reduce greatly the risk of being outsourced. A CIO just running their IT as they traditionally did will see this risk rise quite considerably over the next three years."

Cisco Certified careers

2012-05-01T13:21:00.000+04:00

People have a lot of questions when it comes to Cisco Certification careers. What are the average salaries of CCIEs? What is the long-term Cisco certification employment outlook? Where are most CCIE jobs located? How long does it usually take to get a Cisco certification? In response to these questions, INE, a longtime provider of Cisco certification training, created this helpful Cisco Careers infographic to sum up the answers:

The most stressful elements of breaking in to full-time consulting

2012-04-30T13:42:00.001+04:00

Takeaway: When you became an independent consultant, was the most stressful part finding enough business to stay afloat, the feast or famine syndrome, or something else?

Any time you make a big change like this, a certain amount of stress accompanies it — especially when the change involves your livelihood. Any uncertainty about paying the bills is going to keep you up at night, wondering if you're handling it the best way you can. I had it easy: my employer converted to a full-time client, so I didn't have the uncertainty about income. Nevertheless, the change still brought a lot of stress with it. Somehow the relationship seemed more tentative (although it wasn't), and I had to worry about funding my own benefits, paying my taxes, and a hundred other little details I never thought of before.

For most consultants, though, the decision to drop their full-time job has much bigger consequences. First and foremost, it means a temporary loss of income while you build other business. Before making that jump, you need to weigh your tolerance for going without a paycheck.

There's also a significant risk that you might not be able to drum up as much business as you think you can. You should set an income goal that is both reasonable and sufficient, but you should also prepare for a worst case scenario. What is the minimum revenue that you feel certain you can produce? This should include only business that you have already contracted. The longer that you would be able to survive on that income alone, the better your chances of not needing to. That isn't just Murphy's Law at work — if you don't have to scramble to avoid bankruptcy, then you can be more clear-headed and strategic in your marketing plan.

The great thing about full-time employment is that you always know exactly how much money you're going to make. The bad thing about full-time employment is that you always know exactly how much money you're going to make. Going independent may allow you to earn a higher income overall, but you pay for that in its unpredictability. The "feast or famine" syndrome in consulting is so common that just saying those three words makes every consultant nod their head in agreement. You should evaluate your tolerance for sporadic income before taking the plunge.

Full-time employment also means working for one employer. That employer may have conflicting goals of their own, but in the end they have to decide what's important to them. When you have multiple clients, they all think they're the most important — and that's how you should treat them, too. That means skillfully handling multiple #1 priorities, including the priority of finding additional business to keep your pipeline from drying up.