The Practical CIO: A Common Sense Guide for Successful IT Leadership

Chapter 1. Build a Great Team

Executive Summary

As the manager of an indispensable organization within a larger business, some of your primary responsibilities are attracting, nurturing, promoting, motivating, and preserving talent. The responsibilities to find and manage talent extend well beyond the traditional boundaries of the company to include vendors, consultants, business partners, and all the various outsourcers that IT depends upon. A deep pool of talent is a great asset and the best hedge against the uncertainties of a rough economy.

My Role Model

I grew up in Brazil, where the big game is soccer. I didn't start following basketball until recently. Now I'm a huge fan. I especially like Duke University. Okay, by now you're asking: What's this got to do with IT? Bear with me for a few more sentences, please.

About ten years ago I changed jobs, which required a move from New York to Florida. Naturally, my family and I needed to sell our house. So we listed it with a broker and pretty soon prospective buyers were traipsing through the house. Adding to the general excitement, my son had just been accepted at Duke. Whenever the Blue Devils were on TV, he had to watch.

One Saturday afternoon, a husband and wife showed up to look at the house. My son was watching Duke play either Clemson or Maryland, I forget which. The husband was a basketball fan, and he sat down to watch the game with my son.

The next thing I know, I'm watching too. I didn't understand much about the game back then, ...