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The Challenge of Managing and Leading through Others Discussion Session Tom Dugas, Associate Director J. Alex Lang, Sr. Manager, Desktop Support Program. Educause Mid-Atlantic Conference January 12, 2012 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. About Carnegie Mellon University. Established in 1900
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The Challenge of Managing and Leading through OthersDiscussion SessionTom Dugas, Associate DirectorJ. Alex Lang, Sr. Manager, Desktop Support Program Educause Mid-Atlantic Conference January 12, 2012 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
About Carnegie Mellon University • Established in 1900 • Private Research Institution • 6,000 ~ Undergraduate students • 5,500 ~ Graduate and Doctorate students • 4,500 ~ Faculty and Staff
IT @ Carnegie Mellon • Centralized and Decentralized IT Units • Computing Services: Approximately 220 Central IT Staff • 10 Directorates • Worldwide Operations • Hundreds of Decentralized IT Staff in units such as the School of Computer Science, Electrical Computer Engineering, & Software Engineering Institute. • Business Units have their own IT staff to support ERP/Business Apps with Infrastructure Support from Computing Services (i.e. Financial System – Oracle EBS; HRIT – Work Day)
Roles and Organization Computing Services - Global IT Services - January 2012 Vice Provost & CIO Associate Vice Provost Executive Assistant Director, Global IT Services Thomas Dugas Associate Director, Global IT Services Sr. Manager, DR/BC Manager, Telecommunications Manager, Strategic Relations Alex Lang Sr. Manager, Desktop Support Program Manager, Help Center Manager, Communication & Documentation Help Center Consultant & Problem Analyst Consultant & Knowledge Center Support Specialist Consultant & Operations Continuity Specialist Consultant & Help Center Team Lead Consultant & Customer Service Specialist Sr. Documentation Specialist Documentation Specialist Sr. Documentation Specialist Assistant Manager, IT & Telecommunications Services Principal DR/BC Engineer Sr. DR/BC Engineer Technical Lead Assistant Manager Computing Services Assistant Database Assistant Telecommunications Systems Administrator Customer Service Representative Customer Service Representative Customer Service Representative Customer Service Representative Campus Affairs Team Technology Consultant Technology Consultant Technology Consultant Craig Street Team Technology Consultant Technology Consultant Campus Team Technology Consultant Technology Consultant Technology Consultant Communications Project Manager Information Services Operator Information Services Operator Platinum Team Platinum Consultant Platinum Consultant
IT Leadership Paths • Expectations: • Lead Significant Operational Activities/Projects • Influence Strategy • Foster Collaboration and Partnerships • Empower/Develop with and through others • Expectations: • Direct & Lead Organizations • Strategic Planning • Change Advocacy • External/Internal Alliances • Inspire Innovation • Expectations: • Manage a department program/ • Budget Management • Operational Planning • Empowering & Developing Others • Expectations: • Manage a small team or program • Operational Effectiveness • Lead projects and initiatives • Develop policies and procedures • Expectations: • Oversee a small team • Supervise Staff and put together indiv. development plans • Contribute to projects and services Director Assoc./Asst. Director Sr. Manager/ Manager Thought Leader Assistant Manager Advisory Team Leader Consultative Transactional
Have you been challenged to… • Manage Upward/Downward • Work across other units/departments • Manage other Managers • Develop Cross-Functional Project Teams • Deal with the Culture and History of an Organization while Adopting Change • Former positions & former roles • Sometimes the “history” isn’t pleasant
What about… • Competing for a position with your peers only to later have to work with them as their boss? • Inheriting work from another staff member to take it to the next level? • Managing through others on a special project you have been assigned to outside of your normal role? • Taking on (Forced?) into a missing role in a project team? • Needing to rely on other leaders for your own work?
What have we learned? • Sometimes it’s necessary to let go and trust the other person. No one person can do it all. • Try to balance what you need to know versus what you want to know. • Too many cooks in the kitchen doesn’tnecessarily mean better food. • Involving Supervisors versus trusting others • Explaining your motives & reasons can set others at ease.
Best Practices to Consider • Transparency – be as clear and open as possible • Set Expectations up front. Specifically: deliverables, timelines, and outcomes. • Agree on Communication Channels & Preferences up down and across • Don’t commit resources you don’t directly oversee without first discussing with their direct manager • Talk! Communicate! Then Talk and Communicate some more! • Understand the stakes: Know when to delegate versus when to decide
Best Practices to Consider • Empathize. Seek to understand before being understood (Covey). • Put yourself in the other person’s shoes – talk to them – before making a decision that impacts them. • Help others to understand where you’re coming from on an issue. • Understand and explain the different perspectives and viewpoints of each role. • Remember you are both learning from each other! • Define and agree upon goals • Allow for different approaches to solving the same problem
Questions & Contact Info Tom Dugas – tdugas@andrew.cmu.edu J. Alex Lang – jalang@andrew.cmu.edu