Happy wrapping and all the best in 2012.

I think I understand what you wanted to say but to me, an ex I.T. Weenie, the implication of shining a light on IT has more of an implication of scrutiny then it does understanding… and trust me, IT is probably the most scrutinized process in the organization as it is more often then not perceived to be a cost center. This leads IT to merely shepherd and tend the flock as opposed to taking the risks that are associated with innovation.

I could go on forever (and frequently do but I have gifts to wrap about all of this but I will just highlight the one issue you brought up regarding having IT involved in strategic planning.

In the board room, technology discussion is unwelcome. I can easily talk technology, innovation, process improvement with one or more process owners and we all ‘get it’. While there may be a parochial viewpoint in terms of the system and process, IT understands, can speak the language and understands integration and the “implement-cations” of change. But, try to have the similar discussions in the board room. There organizational leaders, are not comfortable openly discussing technology and as a result little time is spent understanding the opportunities… cost reduction, speed, improved services, all can be sparked by technology but if technology and systems are not understood discussion introduces frustration and it is taken ‘off-line’. So rather then go through that, IT is seldom invited to the party. You could make a case that IT should be better equipped to make systems and technology easier to understand and I would agree. However, I believe those in the boardroom have an obligation to understand how the company operates, to be good “system citizens” and responsible leaders. It isn’t all on IT.

I will jump to what I am convinced is the bottom line. Strategic Agility is possible but I fear it will not happen in traditionally structured organizations. It is not light that is required, it is trust and that is not a common commodity in organizations structured to preserve position and power.

The answer is to loose the organizational chart. Realign organizational responsibilities by deliverables. It can be done. It is happening already. Tom Friedman alludes to it in his book “The World Is Flat”. But it isn’t easy and it does, as you pointed out requires that ‘executives embrace change’. That requires good executives and a culture of trust. IT can certainly help… if allowed.

Back to my wrapping… Have a Merry Christmas!

Check it out! The webinar was rated 4.5 out of 5.0.

I too was struck by the approach others took to gathering names on iPads. It got attention. We had only our employees at Dreamforce and got lots of great leads in the process.

We plan to increase our investment next year, but will continue to model (no pun intended) at tradeshows the solve-your-problem approach we take in sales and marketing.

One of the things I learned in online marketing was that the highest click-through ad was always a picture of an attractive woman. But the question is: what kind of traffic do you want?

Kudos to Hubspot for a creative, effective yet non-intrusive form of marketing.

Once again, Hubspot took a marketing channel and added a new/efficient way to use it.