Life Lessons as a CIO
I have spent the past two years as a Chief Innovation Officer and Director in the hope of making the deputy general manager role. This resulted in spending long hours at work, often sixty-five to hundred-hour work weeks, doing undesirable work, and a lot of time without the family. What did it get me? An excuse from the new general manager was that the customer decided to go in another direction, but I could stay in a lesser role and do all the work I currently do. I respectfully declined, left quietly, and planned my next role in life. Even though the outcome was disappointing at the time, in the long run, the lessons learned allowed for a growth position.
Here are a few hard-fought life lessons, and I fully understand that hind sights are all 20/20.
Life Lessons
1. Was the long hours worth it? Yes, because it allowed me to gain valuable insights and be marketable in my next and future roles. The unpaid hours were an education to allow me to be a better leader in the future. The reversal of this lesson is that I should have been more accountable to myself for my progress versus relying on a corporate evaluation system.
2. Was the extra work of taking the hard roles or the undesirable projects? Yes, because that is where the growth occurs. It is necessary to do the work. The reversal of the lesson is Pareto’s Principle. 80% of the work will be done by only 20% of the workforce. Management will trust the work to be done by this 20% because it is easier than managing the remaining 80%. The increased involvement of HR in day-to-day management will also make it difficult to push out the non-performers. This quandary results in the 20% that is doing the work will become overworked. If you think you are in the 20%, understand your worth.
3. It is necessary to know the difference between management versus leadership. I have met very few Leaders in my life. I have met a lot of Managers. Both managers and leaders have different connotations. Both are human and fallible. Be careful who you decide to follow. The rule’s reversal is that man can not be an island to himself. To be successful in life, vet the right mentors and who you allow in your tribe. This means doing the hard thing of trusting individuals to call you out when you are off the path. I also recommend getting mentors outside the company that does not have bais.
4. Job Is a job as long as you work for someone else. If you are working for yourself or towards your own goals, it is a lifestyle.
5. A company’s political leaning does not match your own; it will be hard to work for that company. I have seen a company dramatically change its culture to the point that it lost very talented people and had to fold a division because it no longer had the talent to win or do the work. The reversal of the rule is all a game. Learning how to play the game or when to step out determines how well you do.
6. Get paid for what you are worth. Payment can mean money, education, and benefits. If you can not find your worth within the company, move on. In the age of stockholder value, a company will do its best for the company. It would help if you did the same for yourself.
This is not the culmination of the life lessons learned. But it is also important to document my lessons for others to learn.
August 24, 2022 Comments Off on Life Lessons as a CIO
Pueblo Lake State Park
I decided to get away this weekend to do some camping, hiking, and fishing at Lake Pueblo State Park in Southern Colorado. Lake Pueblo is a reservoir that damns the Arkansas River for hydroelectricity and agricultural use, along with providing recreational fishing.
With several trails along the park, I decided to hike 13 miles of them. I recommended packing extra water, electrolyte powder, socks, and sunblock through the park’s hot and arid conditions. There is no cover on the trails except for the park benches, but water stations at the campgrounds refill your packs.
Also, the park is susceptible to high winds being on the front range. Ensure that your campground is secured, or you will sorely regret it. I had to wake up in the middle of the night, throwing all my gear into the tent. I would also make sure your campfire is completely out before turning it in for the night. The conditions out along the front range are extremely dry. For aspects of fishing, not much I can report. Unfortunately, I did more nature watching than fishing. Regardless, it was a good trip and I would visit again.
May 9, 2022 Leave a comment
Apple Tree Fable
Apple Tree Fable
A farmer worked day and night to carve out a living for his family. On his farm was an apple tree that the farmer relied on to feed his family. During the spring, the tree blossomed, bringing joy to the farmer’s wife. By fall, the farmer’s son would pick apples so the mother could use. During a dry season, the apple tree did not bear fruit. The farmer’s son did not understand why the tree did not bear fruit and blamed the apple tree. In his short-sightedness, he took his father’s ax and cut down the apple tree. Upon discovering his son’s actions, the farmer scolded his son.
Current Day Lesson
A small business is often a community’s apple tree. When a protester tears down a small business in a protest, it demonstrates short-sightedness and often harms the local community. When a business closes, it deprives the local economy of a positive impact on the community’s jobs and services. Keep this in mind when you watch the news and watch protestors destroy their communities.
November 12, 2016 Leave a comment
The World Is Yours
This election has brought out the worst in people. Family, friends, and strangers insult each other because their ideology does not align. If you are serious about making the world a better place, educate yourself. Pick up a book and read. Read books with different views than yourself. Challenge your understanding and understand the opposing argument. Lashing out at the other person because they have an opposing view show that you lack understanding of the topic. Understand Morality. An opposing view does not make the person evil. It also does not make it right or wrong. Practice common sense. If you call a person a racist, bigot, or homophobe, what makes you think they will want to listen to you? Listen. If you have already formed your arguments before the other person has finished talking, are you truly listening? Let it go. When a wise man argues with a fool, it’s hard to tell who the fool is from a distance. It is better to walk away when you realize the other person is stuck in their ideology.
Lately, I have been letting it go. Ultimately, time is precious. I rather focus on improving my understanding or making me happy.
November 12, 2016 Leave a comment
L.I.O.N or Not
I am contemplating this idea with LinkedIn lately, and I want to ask the community’s opinion. Within LinkedIn, there is a LinkedIn Open Networker or L.I.O.N movement in which members are willing to accept invites from anyone. The proposed benefits of being an L.I.O.N is that it increases an individual’s business network in which they can cultivate for either business leads or job opportunities. The negative is that the LinkedIn Update feed is overrun with updates that do not target a person’s interest. In my effort to improve my LinkedIn Update feed, my thoughts are to reducing my number of connections and who I follow. My question is by doing so, do I harm my LinkedIn experience in the long run?
November 16, 2015 Leave a comment
Life Experience versus School
As my son starts his education journey, I am starting to identify the same issue in the current public education system that turned me off from school. Instead of speaking to the student, school speaks down to the student. Instead of being spoken down to, early in life I decided to pursue life experience over academics.
I am not saying that school is a bad thing, though. I learned the value of education once I was paying for it. What I am challenging is how the current public school communicates with students. It is catered to educate the masses, not the individual’s need or interest. It will be my responsibility to fill the gaps and ensure he stays motivated during challenging times.
October 11, 2015 Leave a comment
New Direction
I am going to separate the IT articles from my personal blog, ClintonAustin.com and move the tech-centric articles to AustinITConsulting.com/blog. When I first made this decision, it comes with some reservation. Information Technology has long been an intellectual pursuit of mine that has carried me far, but I am trying to separate the two from my other pursuits. I would like to shape my personal blog to be more like other great blogs like Brett and Kate McKay’s Art of Manliness or Tim Ferriss’ Four Hour Work Week. Both blogs have influenced my life in the past four years (even listing the authors in my graduate application).
So please follow ClintonAustin.com to know what I am trying to pursue in life. Please also follow AustinITConsulting.com/blog for the tech reviews and opinions on the IT industry. Regardless, thank you for reading.
April 17, 2015 Leave a comment
Get Better
“You can build your time better when you find a passion,
The Internet and public services give free education,
So it really ain’t a case of rich or poor,
It’s a case of self-motivation and nothing more,
Like Billy says, whether you have or you have not wealth,
The system might fail you, but don’t fail yourself,
Just, get better”
~ Scroobius Pip
April 15, 2015 Leave a comment
80% Solutions
When I decided to start my graduate program two years ago, I had a young family, a full-time job, and a consulting business. This period has taught me the value of the 80% solution. The 80% solution means that all things do not need to be perfect if it is not a matter of life and death. Do you spend the extra hour doing homework or getting your son ready for bed and reading him his bedtime stories? My GPA has lowered, but my quality of life has increased.
April 13, 2015 Leave a comment
First Kettlebell Workout
So starting today, I am back on the 4‑Hour Body / 4‑Hour Cookbook workout. I put together Tim Ferris’s cheap kettlebell and did a kettlebell work out for the first time. Needless to say, this afternoon I am setting down to write this blog posting.
July 8, 2013 Leave a comment