The IT Skeptic - people

Headroom

skeptic — Wed, 15 May 2019 18:03:32 +0000

It's more important to improve work than to do work.

Too many managers think improvement will happen magically in people's spare time.
If an organisation has a time recording system, a fun question is to ask how improvement is recorded. Often there are no codes for it.

If people have no headroom to do improvement then it won't happen. You'll be working the same way next year.

Firing people is always a last resort.

skeptic — Thu, 07 Feb 2019 21:24:47 +0000

Firing people should always be a last resort, not an instrument of culture change.

The 3Rs: Roles Responsibilities Relationships

skeptic — Sun, 28 Feb 2016 08:06:14 +0000

These days my consulting has an almost singular focus, the 3Rs: Roles Responsibilities Relationships.

Here is a presentation I gave at the recent Pink Elephant IT Service Management Conference (a.k.a. "PINK16")

ITSM success is driven by people and policy

skeptic — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 00:28:15 +0000

Get your people right and policy (roles, rights, rules, goals) clear, and then everything else will work out: processes, tools, results...

People work for money

skeptic — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 02:32:48 +0000

Seen on Twitter: "The greatest reward for a person's labor is not what they obtain from it but rather what they become by it."
Bollocks.

How to Hire

skeptic — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 22:07:01 +0000

Hiring people is simple. Not easy, but simple.

People first in ITSM

skeptic — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:53:30 +0000

People first, in priority and in order.

You can just smell the failure

skeptic — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:31:03 +0000

From a government job ad:

you'll be responsible for the workforce transition planning including developing a vision for the way forward and driving a positive culture change. Key to this role will be your ability to monitor and report on time, cost and resourcing.

Hmmm I won't be touching that. Dilbert couldn't have done better. As they say on twitter: #fail

He Tangata

skeptic — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 23:16:29 +0000

He aha te mea nui o te ao
What is the most important thing in the world?
He tangata, he tangata, he tangata
It is the people, it is the people, it is the people
Maori proverb

It is the people. IT is the people.

He Tangata has its own website now