Business and Technology Advice from the World's Top Executives

Each week, senior executives and prominent thought leaders join Vala Afshar and Michael Krigsman on CXOTalk to explore the impact of technology on innovation and disruption in the enterprise. 

This is a collection of some of the best words of advice these business and technology experts have shared on the show.

Published in: Technology, Business

Business and Technology Advice from the World's Top Executives from Vala Afshar

Transcript

• 1. • Prioritize the projects that enhance value. • You cannot deal with modern problems using antiquated systems. • Creativity needs to come from everywhere, not just the C-level. • Stay focused on what moves the needle. RAMON BAEZ @RamonfBaez | HEWLETT-PACKARD SENIOR VP & CIO
• 2. • Seek not to influence, but to be influenced. • It‟s not about where the budget sits, but where the conversation starts. • Marketing influence is market strategy built from the influence of others. • As marketing fuels up, so does IT and everyone ends up at the same table. JOHN TASCHEK @jtaschek | SALESFORCE.COM VP OF STRATEGY
• 3. • Don‟t chase shadow IT, chase innovation. • Technology is ubiquitous. • Embrace social media as a means of doing business. • Work at the speed of your customers, not the speed of your processes. ANDI KARABOUTIS @AndiCIOatDell | DELL VP & GLOBAL CIO
• 4. • There are no IT projects, only business projects. • Business executives should have higher expectations of IT. • CIOs can use social channels to stay current and well informed. • Connect to new sources and influential people. KIM STEVENSON @Kimsstevenson | INTEL CIO
• 5. • IT must develop a deeper understanding of the business through collaboration. • In order to move forward, you must abandon the past. • CIOs must cultivate a culture of agility and customer service. FRANK MODRUSON @Accenture | ACCENTURE CIO
• 6. • Position is what angle you want to take. Message is how you deliver that single position to the audience you want to reach. • When can we be digital first, when can we be digital only and when do we need to be digital to be on top? • If you focus on what your end customers want everything else takes care of itself. JONATHAN BECHER @jbecher | SAP CMO
• 7. • It‟s all about the outcome, not who has authority. • Good people trump bad organizational structure every time. • Spend your time on outcomes. MIKE CAPONE @MikeCaponeADP | ADP CIO
• 8. • IT must enable people who come to work to make a difference and to have an opportunity to contribute. • Rapid delivery of quality services bolster strong business partnerships. • CIO is a choreographer or a conductor of an orchestra, bringing various services together to co-create value. CASEY COLEMAN @caseycoleman | General Services Administration CIO
• 9. • The foundation of crowdsourcing is built on trust. Trust the crowd. • Social amplifies voices and choices. • CIOs must empower CMOs to focus outwardly. • Luck favors the people who are willing to grind it out. GUY KAWASAKI @GuyKawasaki | ALLTOP FOUNDER
• 10. • CIO owns the platforms to deliver Big Data, but the CMO owns the results of Big Data. • The source of influence is becoming the source of education – be the source of influence. • The market is moving in the direction of ad-hoc decision support – CMO and CIO must collaborate to deliver value. MIKE FAUSCETTE @mfauscette | IDC GROUP VP
• 11. • The last decade of the enterprise was defined by mass collaboration, the next decade will be defined by mass integration. • IT should be the information enabler. • If you're not the simplest solution, you're the target of one. • History repeats itself in the technology industry. Pay attention to where customers are going. AARON LEVIE @levie | BOX CO-FOUNDER & CEO
• 12. • Continuously add value to a customer‟s experience. • Don‟t forget the importance of face-to-face interactions. • Deliver integrated campaigns for a multi-touch world. CHIP COYLE @Infor | INFOR CMO
• 13. • Social media cuts through organizational hierarchy. • Technology is bigger than IT. • Ideas do not become reality without CMO and CIO collaboration. MARK P. McDONALD @markpmcdonald | GARTNER GROUP VP
• 14. • Know your customers. • IT infrastructure is a business asset. • Big Data rewards customer engagement. FRED KIRSCH @Fred_Kirsch | KRAFT SPORTS PRODUCTIONS VP OF CONTENT
• 15. • Great culture attracts great employees. • Answer customers‟ questions before they ask. • Content can be the magnet that pulls new customers in. BRIAN HALLIGAN @bhalligan | HUBSPOT CEO
• 16. • Maintain a winning attitude. • Cultivate a culture of teamwork across all departments. • Adore what you do. Passion drives excellence. JAY WESSEL @celtics | BOSTON CELTICS CIO
• 17. • You can't default to "yes" or "no," you need to be strategic in your decisions. • Take care of the basics, then take care of the parts that help the business. • Theories are no match for field experience. BEN HAINES @bhaines0 | PABST BREWING CO. CIO
• 18. • Know what your customer wants and deliver it. • Build upon social interactions. • Learn to read between the lines of data analytics. LAUREN BROUSELL @LBrousell | CIO MAGAZINE STAFF WRITER
• 19. • Don‟t speak at people, engage with them. • People want to know you‟re listening. • Customers are your best influencers. Choose your influencers wisely. STEVE GILLMOR @stevegillmor | SALESFORCE.COM HEAD OF TECH MEDIA STRATEGY
• 20. • CIO is an internal coach, bringing innovation and ideas to the business, orchestrating the use of various technologies. • Promote an open and adoptive culture. • The relationship between the CIO and CMO is key to digital business transformation. ANDREW WILSON @Accenture | ACCENTURE CIO
• 21. • The centerpiece of your world is your customers. • Encourage your customers to engage their networks on your behalf. • Communities extend the shelf life of social interactions. WENDY LEA @WendySLea | GET SATISFACTION CEO
• 22. • Convince your colleagues that working together will yield stronger systems. • IT no longer has the option to say, „It is what it is.‟ • If you‟re given a shot, take it. MARC TOUITOU @SFCityCIO | CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO CIO
• 23. • Put the right people in the right place doing the right things. • Nobody wins on their own. You need a great team behind you. • When collaborating, find people with the right skills. SHAWN PRICE @ShawnPrice1000 | SUCCESSFACTORS PRESIDENT
• 24. • Leaders know how to put together the right teams. • Success depends on best use of individual talent to support the team. • An assist is as important, if not more, than scoring. JO JO WHITE @celtics | BOSTON CELTICS FORMER NBA PLAYER
• 25. • Business model innovation is just as important as technology innovation. • Solve customers‟ problems, not yours. • Social media marketing must be handled in-house. EVANGELOS SIMOUDIS @esimoudis | TRIDENT CAPITAL SR. MANAGING DIRECTOR
• 26. • Digital Business Transformation is hard because humans are involved. • Innovation and technology are important in any business strategy discussion. • The CIO must ensure that the technology supports the brand‟s mission. • Build trust in your brand. RAY WANG @rwang0 | CONSTELLATION RESEARCH INC. FOUNDER
• 27. • Be open to innovation. • Social accelerates contribution. • Default to the cloud. • To better the customer experience, you must fully understand it. JOANNA YOUNG @unhcio | UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE CIO
• 28. • Mobile-first is expected. • Use social media as your personal learning network. • You cannot stay relevant with a command-and-control mindset. Collaborate to co-create value. PHIL KOMARNY @PhilKomarny | SETON HILL UNIVERSITY VP IT & CIO
• 29. • Culture eats strategy. • Mobile first, social always. • To stay relevant, be part of the conversation. STEPHEN DIFILIPO @S_dF | CECIL COLLEGE VP & CIO
• 30. • It all comes down to culture and purpose. • We are in the age of advocacy. • Skills can be taught, passion can‟t. • Engage your brand advocates. EKATERINA WALTER @Ekaterina | BRANDERATI CO-FOUNDER & CMO
• 31. • Marketing has become fragmented, empower advocates. • Influence is not scientific, its talking to people. • If you have to tell someone you are influential, you are not. ANDREW GRILL @AndrewGrill | IBM GLOBAL PARTNER, SOCIAL BUSINESS
• 32. • Social media enhances communication effectiveness. • IT needs to be accessible. • React fast and move priorities to meet customers‟ demands. KELLY WALSH @EmergingEdTech | THE COLLEGE OF WESTCHESTER CIO
• 33. • Smart companies don't focus on technology, they focus on positive outcomes. • Companies must strive to be “customer focused.” • Listening is the prequel to action. • People partner with companies that share their values. PAUL GREENBERG @pgreenbe | THE 56 GROUP PRESIDENT
• 34. • Experiment. Learn. Apply. Iterate. • Just like any organization, IT has to prove why they exist. • Control is both an illusion and a delusion. Control is for beginners. • Innovation is taking stuff that exists and putting it together differently. DEB MILLS-SCOFIELD @dscofield | MILLS-SCOFIELD, LLC OWNER
• 35. • If you want to be influential you need to add value. • Be great at communicating your story and be useful to others. • Influence > popularity. FLEMMING MADSEN @FlemmingMa | ONALYTICA FOUNDER
• 36. • Good Communication is about mutuality. It‟s not about me, it‟s not about you. • Leave your ego at home. • Our goal is to make someone feel heard and understood. • Don‟t tell people what to do. Engage them. KARE ANDERSON @KareAnderson | SAY IT BETTER AUTHOR & SPEAKER
• 37. • Be interesting. This can‟t be automated or bought. • Content should be a conversation starter. • Useful data, not the free stuff, has earned social capital. MARSHALL KIRKPATRICK @marshallk | LITTLE BIRD CEO
• 38. • We all have to look at government in a different way. • The rip and replace approach of introducing innovation can be catastrophic for government. • We are trying to make an intimate connection with the citizens of the nation by harnessing social and mobile. KRISTIN D. RUSSELL @KristinDRussell | COLORADO CIO
• 39. • Knowing who to ask can be as important as knowing what to ask. • Learn how to leverage customers to sell more product. • Companies can‟t control how a product is used. • You can‟t manage customer experience. ESTEBAN KOLSKY @ekolsky | THINKJAR FOUNDER & PRINCIPAL
• 40. • If you are the only one talking, what are you going to learn? • People do business with people, not logos. • Businesses need the right tools to adapt in real time. MARK FIDELMAN @markfidelman | EVOLVE! INC. CEO
• 41. • The risk of not doing social is actually much bigger than the risk of doing it. • The Chief Digital Officer is becoming the next generation CIO. • Social media is bigger deal than the printing press was. • Social allows business to be faster than ever. DION HINCHCLIFFE @dhinchcliffe | DACHIS GROUP CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER
• 42. • Executives must develop data analytical competencies. • Inspiration in the enterprise comes from the customer. • Know what the consumer needs and deliver it. NENSHAD BARDOLIWALLA @nenshad | PAXATA CO-FOUNDER & VP OF PRODUCTS
• 43. • 90% of our behaviors are driven by our subconscious brain and only 10% of decisions are made by intellect. • We all crave safety, belonging and mattering. • Instead of telling people what to do, ask questions in a tone that is curious and fascinated. CHRISTINE COMAFORD @Comaford | CC ASSOCIATES AUTHOR & STRATEGY CONSULTANT
• 44. • CMOs sit at the intersection of creativity and strategy. • Make Big Data work for you. • Engagement trumps consumption. STEVE MANN @stevemann | LEXISNEXIS CMO
• 45. • The best people won‟t work for companies that aren‟t social. • CMOs must take advantage of the analytic opportunities of big data, or they will drown in it. • Cultivate multiple skillsets to understand the big picture. NAOMI BLOOM @InFullBloomUS | BLOOM & WALLACE MANAGING PARTNER
• 46. • The passion for work is what separates good CIOs from great ones. • CIOs must embrace IT Consumerization. • Transformative CIOs serve as true business executives. • Digital transcends social media. MICHAEL KRIGSMAN @mkrigsman | ASURET, INC. CEO
• 47. • If you are not helpful, you are not influential. • Your brand is what people say about you when you‟re not in the room. The web is the room and it‟s social. • Modern CMO: storyteller, scientist, artist, customer advocate, technologist, designer, experience architect. • Culture is what happens when the manager leaves the room. Empower your employees to delight customers. VALA AFSHAR @ValaAfshar | EXTREME NETWORKS CMO
• 48. CXO-Talk.com Twitter.com/ValaAfshar HuffingtonPost.com/Vala-Afshar Special thanks: @mkrigsman, @JimMacLeod, @WillCarl5000, @Cam_Marchand, @carey_mercier