The IT Leadership Deal

I used to write a column for CW - called Inside Track. "Yes, we know by now. Move on." For one week only I am revisiting a selection of the challenges - if you think it is still a problem, some ideas to stop history repeating itself. If you don't, go enjoy enjoy enjoy... (after yesterday's indulgance)...

1st published in CW on 29th July 1999 - this is verbatim and includes a reminder of the millennium bug - th eonly brand we ever had, and that one didn't come to muchj

In need of a rebrand

In the consumer and business world, brands are king. Companies spend millions of pounds every year on the creation, build and protection of what is in effect their main image, and sales weapon.

Brands represent everything about a company, by association, and often it is a simple picture, letter or image that conveys a whole set of values, feelings and buying decisions. Scottish Widows, McDonalds and the musical Les Miserables are three strong examples.

Companies rated as rising stars for the future are those with very clearly positioned, confident and identifiable brands, which:

• Build customer loyalty
• Present a feel-good factor
• Position the whole organisation, its activities and goals

Where does it, as an overall industry, stand in the branding and image stakes? Until recently we had no brand or group identity whatsoever, however that problem was resolved last year.

Launched on News at Ten to attract maximum publicity, has been widely splattered (literally) across the national press and billboards, and now available in chocolate form from your local newsagent.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, IT – the millennium bug.

A much-needed campaign, brilliantly portraying the dangers ahead through an image that is far from cute and cuddly. The downside of this campaign, however, is that it is the only brand IT have.

Clearly we need a new identity for the future and a group of industry and marketing experts are proposing to invest in a new brand for IT, to establish a new, positive image.

While many IT companies have established strong brands in their own right – Microsoft, IBM and Oracle are all major business players on the world stage - we have no umbrella brand that represents all elements of IT.

The proposal is for a new logo that will attract graduates into IT, as well as painting an exciting story based more on the need for interpersonal skills than technology.

Marketing experts will be involved, and these independent experts will advise on how IT looks in the eyes of people outside the industry.

It is time to reposition our industry, and through this realise the opportunities for IT in business.

Many organisations have done this, for many reasons:

• To achieve goals that have eluded them (e.g. The Labour Party)
• To reposition after poor publicity (e.g. Marks and Spencer)
• To relaunch as a global player (e.g. Axa)

Wires, strange terminology and lines of code have dominated our short history.

Let us rally to support this excellent initiative, which has the real opportunity to bury this image forever.

If we are to play our part in shaping the future of UK PLC, we need to attract new people, at all levels. Time and again people cite our image as being a major reason for not coming into IT.As we at last cross over into a new century, we have the opportunity to transform IT, shape a new future, and bury the wires and cables forever.

Tomorrow - Board Value

I used to write a column for CW - called Inside Track.

"Thank goodness this is the last day of you telling us that boring piece of information - loser."

Never have I got anything so wrong as I did on 5th November 1998. No action today, except to please have a laugh at my expense, enjoy enjoy enjoy enjoy enjoy...

Just as well no-one ever read my column...

Euro Ready – coming or not?

Vote however you wish, believe whatever you want, and call it what you will – the “Euro” is coming. Clouded in political argument and emotion, IT directors want to know what is really going on, and what it means for their department and organisations.

Consider the horror of suddenly having to deliver ten or more major IT projects simultaneously within the space of 18 months. Add to this significant business change and upheaval, and we should all be on red alert.

The Euro’s arrival has crept up on us and has been largely ignored in favour of millennium work.
The impact on IT systems is enormous and trivialised so much that the issue has been all but ignored by the vast majority. Many believe it to be far bigger than the Year 2000 problem.

For any organisation, the transition to Euro is essentially an enforced change management problem with its own timetable and deadlines, the implications of which vary, according to the enterprise’s sector, own business strategy and the customer and competitive driven pressure to be Euro friendly.

Over the next few years European customers are likely to switch their allegiances to neighbouring suppliers within Euroland. The pound is set to strengthen in January and this will further damage exports. British industry is threatened with being closed out.

Companies in EMU countries must at some time prior to 2002, prepare their systems to accept transactions in Euro, either by switching to Euro as the base currency or implementing a system with multi-currency facilities.

Technology must be exploited to maximise product visibility, gear up marketing, advertise across the internet and enable on-line ordering - i.e. getting into e-commerce, as quickly as the Euro gets into Europe.

The Euro, opportunity or threat aside, will hijack your IT strategy. This is really serious and the Euro has already claimed its victims; several financial institutions had to shelve major projects earlier this year to focus on this area.

Time waits for no one:

Take a five-year view of the situation now – 2003 is our most likely entry year

Use the intervening period to best advantage, to rigorously assess the degree of change, formulate transition options and assess how the IT strategy is affected

Avoid embarking on long-term projects, which might be jeopardised in the event of Euro

Assess the size and complexity of changes and modifications required to applications and business data – focusing on your financial systems first

Ensure you know who will do this work – the Euro may well enforce a new skill crisis and staff shortage

Avoid at all costs being caught in the middle of a major project in 2002-3

The Euro challenge is about enabling competitive advantage through effective use of technology whilst maintaining operations and switching the base currency for the entire organisation.

The political debate is emotive, and fun to watch the commercial reality is that come 2003 many organisations are going to have to run faster then ever, just to stand still.

Next Week - story time

Have a lovely weekend

With my very best wishes

David

Over half of all searches are made on Google in August -

That is an incredible statistic - why? Because, going back to day one when Google was launched, it was very very different - it was simple - clear, concise and compelling - and, again, simple to undersatnd, simple to use - compared to the cluttered pages of Yahoo or the other search engines.

And a few years on, it still is.

Leadership lesson - keep things simple, not

simple - stupid

simple - genius

How can I help you? How can we help each other? Whatever your IT leadership question, challenge or vision, e-mail me to be anonymous - david@nakedleader.com or post as a comment. I will find out the most powerful how-to - exactly what to do, how and when. That is my promise to you - that is the IT Deal. Thank you. David