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Your CEO Thinks:"You never want to explain WHY you're implementing this upgrade. You just want me to let you do it."
Your Solution:Make the business case. Demonstrate how a new ERP will improve vendor service, show the business benefits you'll see when those new servers double capacity.
Your CEO Thinks:"You act as if IT runs the business."
Your Solution:Always remember, IT supports the business, not the other way around.
Your CEO Thinks:"When asking for funding, you never understand why decisions are made from an enterprise level."
Your Solution:The CEO is concerned about a large cross-section of departmental needs, not just yours. Show you have big-picture perspective about the needs of other senior managers.
Your CEO Thinks:"You never speak like 'normal' people talk."
Your Solution: Don't "smoke screen" your presentations behind a bunch of tech terminology and abbreviations that you know will fly right over the head of your CEO. Speak to be understood.
Your CEO Thinks:"When it comes to customers – internal and external – you and your staff strap on an 'us versus them' mentality."
Your Solution:A CEO doesn't want to spend time mending fences between your staff and other departments or, worse, between your staff and consumers. Your customers – internal and external -- are part of the fabric of your enterprise, not a constituency to ignore or alienate.
Your CEO thinks:"I hate that you're constantly re-inventing the wheel."
Your Solution:Resist the urge to build custom software for every new project. Think about where you can buy instead. Software and hardware are tools, not hobbies or "noble pursuits" that are above scrutiny.
Your CEO Thinks:"You implement projects regardless of shifts in the business."
Your Solution:Determine how your project can now support, not hinder, business change. Example: Right after you got approval for a massive standardization project, the company announced it is expanding into Japan. How does this impact your project?
The CEO thinks:"You believe your entire value is based upon your intellect."
Your Solution:Always remember your value is based upon how much your IT staff and resources help the overall enterprise achieve its goals.
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