In today's business worldââ,¬"where corporate leadership and integrity are under a big new microscope given illegal actions and financial shenanigansââ,¬"there's no better time for executives to scrutinise professional actions and behaviours. And that group includes IT managers and other tech leaders.
Start by asking yourself the following questions:
- Are you a manager who values talented people?
- Are you a leader who is committed to the growth of your organisation?
- And, if those same questions are posed to your staff, what response will they give?
It's likely the majority of IT leaders will give a resounding yes to the first two questions and expect their staff to echo their answers. Yet taking a deeper and closer look at day-to-day decisions could reveal some ethical and professional kinks that require some ironing out. Conducting a regular "ethical" review is needed because an IT manager's job is not filled with easy tasks and decisions.
"Management is not easy," said Lisa Taylor Huff, a career coach with an 18-year IT background. "You're making minute-by-minute judgment calls all day long. You have to be straightforward and often do the difficult thing if you really want to attract and retain talent in your organisation."
Sacrificing for the good of the company
One of the best ways to evaluate your ethics level is to envision yourself dealing with an actual dilemma. Try this one: You realise that a simple restructure could save your company hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, but it would eliminate your job at the same time. Do you advance the idea or even tell anyone? One TechRepublic member, a DOD supervisor, faced exactly that decision and made the right ethical decision for his company.
The member, who requested anonymity, serves as a supervisor for a department that provides desktop support, information security support, information technology contractor coordination, and supplies/training/ budget/plant property tracking support. His proposal to upper management detailed how the unique functions his team currently provides could either be continued through a smaller, centralised IT organization or transferred to other remaining business units that provide similar functions.
"In neither case have I made an attempt to 'find a home' for myself as I believe the remaining numbers of employees may not provide enough supervisor slots in a centralised scheme, and distributing my people and their functions would automatically preclude my position," he related in explaining his ethical dilemma and decision. He fully anticipates that his current position will be eliminated after the restructure.
While anyone would be concerned about losing a job, the tech supervisor believed the benefit to the company was more important and that his proposal was exactly what his employer expected from him.
"I felt it was my duty to provide viable recommendations for future support of my organization's functionsââ,¬"whether or not I end up being a part of that organisation," he explained. His loyalty, added the supervisor, is first to the organisation, next to his employees, and only then to himself.
"I know that many people reverse this order, but I hope that my way is ultimately recognised as the more honourable order," he wrote.
1%
4%
