Male Bovine Fecal Matter

I wish I could buy one of these BS detectors, but I'm afraid it would be worn out in a week based on all the information of questionable accuracy that comes across my desk, my email, my voicemail, and even in face to face meetings with vendors.  I'm not saying that they are lying, but...   if the claims were true, I would have eliminated all my network problems, we would be operating in a complete paperless environment, that the computers would last for years, and I would save so much money I wouldn't need an IT budget at all.

As an IT leader, I need to recognize BS in all its forms and as an old saying goes - "Separate the sh*t from the Shinola".  Decisions get made on solving my problems, not on a specific piece of hardware. (See my previous posting on the CIO's Declaration for Potential Partners).  But this post isn't about the vendors use of BS, but ours...

How often have you used the same "features" and "cost savings" in your presentations to your executive and board to secure funding for a new project, or hire more people?  Do you wonder why your proposals are turned down so often? If you are wincing right now, perhaps you've forgotten that the people you are "pitching" to, have a very well developed Male Bovine Fecal Matter Detector themselves.  They wouldn't be where they are if they didn't.

Learn to present real benefits in the language of your executive team.  Tie these benefits to the stated goals of your organization. If you can't state what these are, then you have some work ahead of you. I'll talk in future postings about how IT leaders can get a seat at the table.