Can you clearly communicate your industry’s unique IT concerns?
Before I begin consulting with a client I always ask them the same question: What are the unique demands on IT within your industry?
Sure, there are many commonalities between all IT leaders. But every IT leader also has some specific challenge they have to face that is particular to their industry. And when my clients communicate these precise challenges to me, I am better able to understand their unique needs.
This Question is Not So Easy to Answer
Unfortunately I find most IT leaders are unable to explain their own industry-specific concerns to me with any clarity; at least initially. After talking through the question a few times from a few angles, we manage to arrive at a crisp articulation of their unique issues—but this conversation always ends up taking a lot of valuable time.
Is this inability to quickly clearly articulate specific problems due to a lack of understanding on the IT leaders’ part? Of course not. They know the issues they face. They grapple with them every day. But where they stumble is communicating their challenges in a very clear manner so others can help them.
A Problem of Specificity
Usually, they begin with a generality like: security and compliance, or stakeholder management, or cultural fit. But what they really mean to say (and what I and any other vendor needs to hear) goes something like this:
- IT concerns in Banking: “I have more regulatory burdens and potential fines than any other industry, and if I experience a security failure I could lose my customer’s money. These fines, burdens and risks are so substantial that security and regulatory compliance are off-the-charts important to me.”
- IT concerns in Software: “My stakeholder groups are a customer-facing, revenue driven group. They ALWAYS think they know more and are more skilled with my programs than my own internal IT staff. It is very, very difficult to deliver appropriate levels of services and appropriate responses to these groups.”
- IT concerns in Professional Services Firms: “My firm is a partnership and I did not rise through the ranks and achieve partner status before becoming CIO. I was hired externally. As such, I worry I will always feel like an outsider no matter how well I perform.”
That is how crisply you must articulate your unique needs to your external service providers. With no more than one paragraph, and 3 short sentences (maximum).
A Must-Do Exercise
Now, I rarely say that you have to do something…but, trust me on this one. Take some time today to reach this level of clarity regarding your own industry’s concerns. Not only will arriving at such a precise articulation sharpens your own thinking surrounding your exact needs, this articulation will also provide the foundation for the conversation you and the appropriate service provider will have over how they can best serve you.
