5 Steps for Preparing the Next Generation to Steer the Ship

I started writing this article with every intention of making it a happy piece, where everything is fine and we are on the right track. However, after a lengthy discussion with a few former and current administrative information officers and chief information officers, I decided to pare back on the “rah rah” and write an article that focuses on the state and its future.

 
I’ll start with the premise that the state has great leaders. Some are already leading, some are trying to lead and some just don’t know it yet.
 
The question is what can the blue hairs, or as we like to call ourselves, the second-greatest generation, do to ensure the youngsters can fulfill their life-long dream of leadership and make sure the ship is steered correctly? Here are the things we must continue to do:
 
Investing. We have a nationally known program called ITLA, or Information Technology Leadership Academy — probably one of the best places we have to develop future leaders. The curriculum has been revamped to include more on how the state does business, from the legislative process, to budgeting, to understanding the governor’s State of the State address. They also get a chance to shadow one of the state’s great leaders — and not just in IT.
 
Conferences: With the granddaddy of them all, the CIO Academy, to the more nimble mobility conferences and other specialty events, the state and the IT community invests a lot of time and energy making sure these sessions provide the right mixture of technology and leadership training that allows for a quick hitter of learning and relationship-building, both with the public sector but also with the private sector.
 
Normal leadership classes: UC Davis, Sacramento State (Go Hornets!) and many other fine institutions offer such classes. The California Health and Human Services Agency, for one, has a great leadership program that goes far beyond much of what we teach our future IT leaders.
 
Mentoring. I know this from experience: All current leaders want to share their knowledge and experience with the leaders of tomorrow. The problem is the leaders of tomorrow don’t know that. Just recently, two wonderful public-sector leaders sat down and spent time (and continue to spend time) with two individuals, letting them shadow their every activity and also letting them get an understanding of what it means to lead. This is crucial in the development of the future leader now and in the future. This is truly paying it forward.
 
Developing Relationships. Man, this is important. We learn and we grow from the people we work with, both in the public and private sectors. The sharing of ideas, opportunities, a beverage or two, trying to figure out how to create a better outcome for your business and ultimately the 40 million Californians that rely on us is extremely important. These relationships also will help you get through rough times — and if you are a true leader in the state, there will be rough times.
 
Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone. Just a little tidbit: I was never in a comfort zone. If you ever worked for Carlos Ramos or any true leader, they always make you stretch. This is one of the missing elements in leadership development and I think it might be the most important. Carlos always asked me, “How do we know they can’t make decisions or lead if we don’t push the envelope and force them?” He was fond of doing just that. His thought was that the right amount of pressure creates the right type of diamond.
 
That’s what we have been doing, and here is what we need to start doing.
 
Transformation. We need to prepare the next generation of leaders for the future. They need to be a transformative group that doesn’t settle on the status quo. They need to have the confidence and conviction to use technology to advance the governor’s and their department’s policies. They need to focus on the bigger picture and, more than ever, understand not only how the state does business but also how their clients view them. They need to transform the way the 40 million people of California see how the public sector works and how it needs to respond.
 
So how can next-generation leaders transform?

• ITLA must continue with an emphasis on transformation, with an understanding of how the state does business.
• Have more conferences that focus on pushing the envelope, and look at innovation as something to be cherished, not feared.
• Continue to develop relationships with public- and private-sector IT partners.
• Continue to grow, learn and realize transformation and leadership don’t have educational or positional boundaries.

So as part of this transformation, I give you my blessing to call on (they will kill me later) Karen Johnson, Cathy Cleek, Tim Garza, Andrea Wallin-Rohman, Davood Ghods, Chris Cruz, Nabil Fares, Amy Tong, Liana Bailey-Crimmins and especially Carlos Ramos. Grab time on their calendar to see how they view the world and how they work with their clients. I guarantee they will love it and so will you.
 
By the way, I am here to help as well.
 
Paul Benedetto is the former Undersecretary of the California Technology Agency.
 
This editorial was originally published by TechWire.