Note to Self - Communication is Vital

Someone on the team recently told me, in a huff, “…just let me do my job!...”.  Which, made me think, what is the disconnect here?  What am I doing that is frustrating this person?  A wise person once told me that, if there is a problem between two people, the problem is half mine.  I take that to heart.

We all have “…a job…” to do, no doubt.  But, do we all agree on what doing that job means?  Are we all in agreement that the job we are doing is the correct one for where we are now and in the future? 

As we go into the long, Holiday weekend, I’d like each of you to think about what you think YOUR job is, and send your thoughts to me so I can better understand where your motivations are coming from on a day to day basis.  This is truly just me, asking you to let me know you better.  No hidden agenda.

It’s no secret that we are under a new contract with CoSD, and that the new contract is quite different from the old contract.  I am at the County Admin Center all day, one day a week, and the single most prevalent comment I hear when talking to the GITM’s, CTO office staff and others is, “…when will the Perspecta team deliver according to the new contract?...”.  Rightly or wrongly the customers perception is that we, as their business partner are stuck in the past and not embracing the future.  Perception has a way of being accepted as “…fact…” if you don’t talk about it and level set.  Human beings are social, communication is key.  Real communication, not just waiting for your turn to talk.

This is how I lead an organization:

I have three guideposts I use as a leader:  (1.) “The absolutes of leadership”, by Phillip Crosby; (2.) “Traction: Get a grip on your business”, by Gino Wickman; (3.) “Structuring the Chief Information Security Officer Organization”, by Carnegie Mellon University.

One is about leading people.  One is about ensuring that your business is effective and perceived as a valuable resource to the larger business enterprise.  One is about ensuring that you have an effective, business driven, Security, Compliance, Audit and Risk [SCAR] Organization.

If you are scratching your head wondering why things are changing (sorry, we are not done changing), you are free to pick up a copy and read any of these.  If you’re interested, let me know and I’ll send you a copy of any of these.  If you want my job one day, I strongly suggest you read and embrace all three.

Just so you know, this is what I KNOW my job is:

Priority One:  To Develop Enterprise Security, Compliance, Audit and Risk [SCAR] Programs that drive business value.  I will empower each of you to lead a Program, with all that entails.  The work we do MUST have a business driver or we are working against the Perspecta Contract. 

Priority Two:  Identify, Report and Control Incidents – learn from each and continuously evolve.

Priority Three:  Monitor Business Risks and Take Preventative Measures.  Meet often, continuously follow up (not micro-manage) and drive progress.  Things need to get completed, not just drag on without success.  This contract has deliverables, we are paid to meet them, if they are dumb or broken, WE MUST FIX THEM, this is our responsibility.

Priority Four:  Lead, Mentor and Train Staff Members.  We have serious problems, and we need serious people to solve them.  We have some great training coming up in January 2019, if you don’t know about it, ask your Manager or ask me!

Priority Five:  Continuously and Effectively Communicate.  If you have a question about why we as a team are doing something, just ask.  I’m available every Monday from 08:30 ~ 09:30 AM PST for talking to anyone on the team about just about anything.  If the customer has questions, count to ten, then answer their question or set an expectation when you will get back to them.  Never sugar coat problems, never embellish facts, never shade the truth.

Priority Six:  Drive tasks to completion.  Success is all that matters in business.  Things that get measured get done.  In ten years, I want to be knee deep in contract renewal negotiations because we have WOW'd the customer, continuously.  If you can't see yourself there, with me, we need to discuss the nature of our relationship.

I look forward to reading your job descriptions and getting to know each of you better and understand you’re your unique skills and talents fit into our changing team, while working with you to mold our current team into a more effective team in the future that is perceived by the customer as “…getting it…” and driving continuous improvement.