People Are What Really Matters Copyright 1994 CAUSE. From _CAUSE/EFFECT_ Volume 17, Number 1, Spring 1994. Permission to copy or disseminate all or part of this material is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for commercial advantage, the CAUSE copyright and its date appear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of CAUSE, the association for managing and using information resources in higher education. To disseminate otherwise, or to republish, requires written permission. For further information, contact Julia Rudy at CAUSE, 4840 Pearl East Circle, Suite 302E, Boulder, CO 80301 USA; 303-939-0308; e-mail: jrudy@CAUSE.colorado.edu PEOPLE ARE WHAT REALLY MATTERS by Albert L. LeDuc ABSTRACT: At the 1993 CAUSE Annual Conference in San Diego, California, the association presented the fourth annual CAUSE ELITE Award for Exemplary Leadership and Information Technology Excellence to honor an outstanding professional in the field of information technology management in higher education. Recipient Albert L. LeDuc of Miami-Dade Community College addressed more than 1,500 information technology administrators during a luncheon at which he was honored. This article is a record of his remarks on that occasion. My wife and I were talking about the ELITE award after the news started sinking in, and she asked me if we could afford it. This dates back to a family story I want to share with you. In 1973, I won a Best Paper Award at a symposium sponsored by a special interest group of the ACM. When I originally learned that my paper had been accepted for presentation, I told my older son, in one of those stupid parental acts that we all do sometimes, that the only way we could afford to buy him the bicycle he so wanted was for me to win the cash prize awarded at that symposium for the best paper. When I won, of course I had to get that bike. But that's not all. I had to buy a new suit just to go to that meeting. And also, of course, my younger son needed a Big Wheel if his big brother got a bicycle. And then, I went into Mexico following the meeting and bought my wife a very handsome leather handbag. But the punch line is that the conference organizers talked to me and indicated that they were having a hard time financially, so I donated the prize back to them! We have decided that it is a good thing that the ELITE Award does not carry a personal cash prize; if it did, we would have to take out a bank loan. Actually, when [Recognition Committee Chair] Art Gloster told me about the recognition I was to receive, I expressed disbelief. Why me? He told me it was because I was a "model manager." I felt pretty good about that until I reflected that a "model" is a small imitation of the real thing. Truly, I have been stunned and completely surprised. I still am. After all, I had imagined this award as being given for vision, for charisma, perhaps for universally recognized discernment of the nature of information technology in higher education. I will admit, if pushed, to being by and large a nice guy, but that shouldn't be enough for this kind of recognition. Perhaps, I venture, this recognizes the value of the ideas I have contributed to the field. So in my fifteen minutes of fame, I will try to recap a few of the ideas that I have promoted recently that may have some universal truth. Natural phenomena in IT management Recently, I have been exploring the notion of natural phenomena in the field of the management of information technology. These are events that seem to happen; they also seem to surprise us, as we believe that we are faced with some unique horror. Actually, natural phenomena surround us. In real life, parents confront the phenomenon of the "terrible two's" by commiserating with other parents. In the field of information technology, there aren't enough people going through these phenomena to compare notes with and to develop coping mechanisms. One reason for my interest in natural phenomena is that they are suffused with irony; somehow we expect another outcome, not seeming to realize that what may be counter-intuitive is actually the natural reality. I have written and talked about many of these phenomena, with the intent of cooling the anxiety and concern that seem to permeate our field. Let me outline a few. 1. Executive management is not going to understand technology. Some years ago I designed and taught a course intended to help managers understand computers. A focal point was that I thought it useful for them to learn about the logic that governed computer programs. In short, I wanted them to understand programming as a window to technology. That isn't the right window; it's closer to being the exit door. So what if management (with rare exceptions) is not interested in technology? Executives--and our organizations--ought to be concerned with results. Technology is a means to important ends--a higher truth that we should understand. 2. Planning is not a panacea. In 1986, I was honored by CAUSE by being selected the CAUSE/EFFECT Contributor of the Year for a paper in which I used many words to say just that. But planning is a necessary activity and I never was advocating a return to meaningless, anarchic motion. I was saying that people need to understand that there are negatives associated with planning, and that, despite fond hopes to the contrary, we live inside a field for which some kinds of planning, in some organizations, end up having deleterious effects. 3. There is a need for both management and leadership. We go through management trends in which the gurus lift up personal magnetism as the key to company success. Particular individuals are much admired for their vision and futuristic outlook. Then when something slightly changes and the organizational fortunes take a downward turn, the same gurus start carping at the same visionaries. Often the excuse is that the visionary paid too much attention to the horizon and not enough to the foreground. But often the nitty-gritty stuff of keeping things going doesn't get its due. Managers (as opposed to leaders) deal with day-to-day details, and much is done by dealing efficiently with mundane issues. There is no need to glorify leadership at the expense of management. 4. Systems development, by its nature, is disruptive. People really do not want to believe this natural occurrence. I don't think it is necessary to have people mad at you all the time, but it isn't natural for them to be happy with systems development. We had users throw a first-birthday party for a system once, complete with birthday cake, band, and balloons. That's unusual enough to cause Ripley to come out of the grave to take note. Because systems development is disruptive in ways that are not anticipated, usually the best the developers can expect is grudging acceptance that a system is helpful occasionally. And I should add, for the sake of developers who feel paranoid, that disruptiveness, and consequent dissatisfaction, is neither the cause nor the result of ungrateful users. It is a natural consequence of the most difficult task that information technology faces: making something work that solves a real problem. 5. Change is constant. Do we need to be reminded of this? Heraclitus noted that "nothing endures but change" about 2,500 years ago, before "information," let alone "information technology," was a thought. But our field has increased the pace of change. No sooner do we grasp the rules for connection technology, as an example, than the rules--and our decision parameters--change. And change is accelerating. We need to change ourselves, from our knowledge base to the way in which we couch our decisions, in order to keep pace with the most dynamic field on the planet. We sometimes think that, concealed in the folds of higher education, we might be hidden from change. But even a casual reading of the Chronicle of Higher Education reveals that change is assaulting the academy, and we are part of that assault. 6. Decisions have a very subjective nature. Surely, we think, objectivity rules the direction in which we send ourselves. A learning style that is linear (as most of us have who were attracted to computing) tends to emphasize logical sequence. It comes as a shock to be brought up short by how things are truly decided. Often I have counseled people who were despairing of "politics" to shrug it off as an event that simply happens. Life, as John F. Kennedy said, is not fair. And much of that journey is composed of strange decisions by others that affect us and our vision of information technology. It is not just "garbage in/garbage out," it can also be "logic in/garbage out." I am tempted to ramble on about other phenomena: the dark secret of technology is that it is complex; the even darker secret is that it is costly; the darkest secret of all is that it is time-consuming, not time-saving. Truthfully, I would rather move on to the abiding theme of my management philosophy: People are what really matters. I think this is one of the hardest lessons to get across to a profession that is enamored of "technique," or how we use tools to get things done. People are what makes technology work, and we shouldn't forget that fact. Periodically, we find ourselves chasing some new idea that promises to solve the problems of getting things done, and we embrace it: management by objectives, total quality management, whatever. The reality is that mechanisms may help us organize how we marshal people to work together, but we still are faced with a basic and universal truth: people are what really matters. A question of management values When I interviewed for my original job at Miami-Dade, one of the interviewers asked me to describe what kinds of tricks I used to motivate people. I sputtered over an answer, only to fear that what I said was wholly inadequate: "I have no tricks. I hope to provide a management style of honesty, encouragement, and trust that lets people work themselves to their full potential." I still don't know if people are really ready for a manager who has a wholehearted commitment to supporting her or his people. In practice my management philosophy has really been to help people to grow and to develop themselves at their own paces. I'm not sure there are other choices for the technical manager, who has to count on a dramatic increase in organizational expertise every year just to keep up with our vigorous industry. I feel a good bit as Tom Peters has said, "It is tragic that people are seeking experts to give them answers; answers come from within." So what is important? Recruiting the best people you can find; hiring to maximize talent; letting people motivate themselves by the work they do; evaluating progress continuously; providing a supportive environment; promoting personal development in every way possible. Let me cite a few examples of good personnel management, not because I think we are perfect, but because they may prompt in you similar ideas that you can use. * The astute manager finds, exploits, and sometimes converts talent. We had a help desk operator who used to be a 911 operator--absolutely a related talent--and our user services manager is a professional psychotherapist. * Managers must find a way of encouraging talent. My institution uses "excellence awards" to give merit consideration to technical and professional staff. I recently went to the award luncheon for this year's honorees, and the pride is palpable. That experience always makes me cringe when I reflect that most institutions shy away from any sort of merit award. We also pioneered a competency-based recognition system for programmers, a system that ties promotion to skill improvement, and not to available slots. * The manager must insist on mechanisms that allow the hiring of the best people possible. No one can operate with the stigma of being the employer of last resort. We have never hesitated in going after the best. Several times we have hired the top graduate of our own computer and information science programs. We should understand and use as a selling point the fact that we work as part of education, a truly noble endeavor. We should never be hangdog about competing with business interests. * There is value to be emphasized with personnel continuity. We have a systems programmer who has been with the College for twenty-eight years and a key assistant director who has been there twenty-three years. I have told both that when they retire, I am going with them. (And they think that is a good idea.) It isn't just loyalty or dedication, and it certainly is not inertia that keeps these guys going; it is that they are valued. * Managers must empower workers. This is by no means a new concept, though the word is, in this use. When Douglas McGregor first postulated the idea of the Theory Y manager, he was onto a basic truth that the workplace cannot be the domain of the tyrant. We have an amazing number of committees and task forces inside Computer Services at Miami-Dade, and the value that comes out of those arrangements is that people really do make choices and recommendations that matter about their work. * Today's manager values diversity. In the mid- sixties, I escorted a new employee through an adjoining company's area and explained to him that they were programmers working on flight simulation programs. He said, in some astonishment, "Do you mean to say that these mere women are doing that?" No one would tolerate such an attitude today. Our work force in Miami reflects the dynamism of an extremely varied community ethnicity. Moreover, we actively participate in a program that trains disabled people for professional programmer positions, and we currently have three very productive employees from that program. * I also steal ideas. This year I have been intrigued with what Jan Baltzer has done at the Maricopa Community College District with "fat rabbit" cards. I heard her describe this at the CAUSE Management Institute this year. (I do feel compelled to give the Institute a plug, because it is a fantastic experience for everyone--faculty and students.) Briefly, the "fat rabbit" is a method by which people in the organization can give each other a "fat rabbit" card as recognition for breakthrough help in the workplace. We just started something similar which we call "Gee t'anks." Jan's card pictures a cute, plump rabbit; we have tanks flying the "G" flag. I guess I am more militaristic or cornier. But the point is, as we find ourselves more and more dependent on the help of other people, we need to break down barriers that prevent information sharing and cause compartmentalizing of expert knowledge. I was flattered when Tom West mentioned me in his acceptance speech for the first of the ELITE Awards, in 1990. I could not begin to thank all those people who have been my mentors and helpers, Tom included, over the years. However, I would be remiss if I didn't give a public thank you to my boss, Dr. Duane Hansen, and to the fine directors in my organization: Marlene Gomez, Margaret Massey, and Jean- Charles Ruf. Additionally, I should give special credit to the CAUSE staff who have worked with me and encouraged me over the years, particularly Mike Zastrocky, Debbie Smith, and especially Julie Rudy. Special thanks also go to Systems & Computer Technology Corporation for their sponsorship of this award and to the Recognition Committee, whose hard work deserves notice. The real credit for this award needs to go to all those folks who work hard to make me look good. Of course I should start with my wife, Ellen, along with other members of my very supportive family. My administrative assistant, the famous Gaby Leon, and my secretary, the dependable Chris Von Bampus, deserve special mention. Over the last two years, two particular events have made me realize how broad my support network really is: In May 1992, we at Miami-Dade Community College culminated a five-year planning project by hosting the 37th annual CUMREC Conference. We had a team of over 100 faculty, staff, students, and friends, who worked to make that conference a sterling success. (If you have ever gone through the unique experience of hosting an institutionally sponsored conference, you knowhow much teamwork is involved.) I was the general chairman of that conference, and the way we pulled together remains one of my greatest pleasures. Then there was Hurricane Andrew. On August 24, 1992, it changed our lives forever. Some of you have heard the story of how we struggled out of a war zone to put out a payroll (with the College closed and no electricity) on August 27, and that was more dramatic than even we make it. But we seldom talk about the sense of duty and professionalism that motivated people to try to establish a business routine in the months of recovery that followed. Even today, we have folks in my organization who still are not back in permanent housing. There are some real heroes there. I think of myself as a coach, perhaps fulfilling Carole Barone's idea that "management is a sport." I facilitate things, I listen and support, I try to encourage an atmosphere in which people do their best. It's awfully nice to get this kind of recognition for what is actually a very gentle art. I think Computer Services at Miami-Dade Community College is exemplary, but it's hard for me to take credit for that. I work with extraordinary people. One of my colleagues has coined the term "Great Man's Disease" for the syndrome some people seem to fall into when they are given awards such as this one; they drop all those conditions that caused them to achieve recognition and become "great men," filled with their past achievements. Those wonderful people I work with and live with have too much regard for me to let me succumb to "Great Man's Disease," especially as they also know me as a technical klutz and a very human person. In closing, I am reminded of the story attributed to Mark Twain on a similar occasion when he compared himself to a criminal being led to the gallows. "If it weren't for the ceremony of this, I'd just as soon skip this honor," he said. Well, I'm very glad for the honor and I have even enjoyed the ceremony. Thank you. ************************************************************************ As director of computer services at one of the nation's largest community colleges, Albert L. LeDuc has earned the respect and admiration of his staff, his colleagues on campus, and the entire profession. His co-workers at Miami-Dade Community College are enthusiastic in their praise for Al. In spite of many daunting challenges, from constrained financial resources, to a student population with special needs, to Hurricane Andrew, he has succeeded in getting the job done. The qualities that his colleagues cite most often, however, are Al's generosity and genuine interest in helping others both personally and professionally. He promotes the successes of others before himself and is quick to volunteer his time and energy when needed without concern for personal gain or recognition. Al LeDuc's personal qualities and professional standards are easy to discern in the mission statement he and his staff wrote for the Computer Services department at Miami-Dade: Our organizational value structure is founded on these beliefs: * We regard quality service to our customers as critical. * We each recognize a personal responsibility to solve problems for the College. * We believe that resources make things possible but that people make things happen. * We recognize teaching/learning as the central reality for the College and prioritize all activities accordingly. * We value the sharing of information, expertise, decision-making, and ideas so that all people have a stake in events. * We strive to optimize the use of resources in cost- effective ways. * We treat all people with honesty and with consistent respect for their contributions, capabilities, and knowledge. * We communicate openly and consistently. * We believe in working together in effective teams. * We always seek to improve all areas of our responsibility. * We concentrate on solving immediate problems and learning to eliminate repetitive problems. Prior to Miami-Dade, Al served as the director of planning for a system-wide university management information system at Indiana University. During his six years at IU, he succeeded in completing an ambitious plan for the university, including establishing an university-wide information requirements model, coordinating standards for administrative data processing, establishing a system development cycle and approval structure, and developing a blueprint for the information needs of the entire institution. In addition to his demanding career in information technology and higher education, Al is an enthusiastic and generous participant in and contributor to the profession. He is very active in several organizations, including CAUSE and CUMREC. His articles have appeared in numerous publications and he won the 1987 CAUSE/EFFECT Contributor of the Year Award for his article, "Why Planning Doesn't (Always) Fulfill Expectations." He was the recipient of the Frank Martin Service Award from CUMREC in 1985, and served as an officer, including chair, of that organization's board for several years. He is a frequent speaker at professional conferences and is a faculty member of the CAUSE Management Institute. Al LeDuc's professional accomplishments and his unselfish contributions to the field earned him the recognition of his peers through the 1993 CAUSE ELITE Award for Exemplary Leadership and Information Technology Excellence. The award includes a $5,000 contribution in his name to a scholarship fund at Miami-Dade Community College. In typical fashion, Al has managed to leverage this contribution to maximum benefit for his institution. Using the $5,000 as seed money, he solicited and secured matching funds from private benefactors, the Miami-Dade Community College Foundation, and the State of Florida to establish a permanent endowed scholarship fund of $50,000 (and still growing) for the college. The ELITE Award is sponsored by Systems & Computer Technology Corporation (SCT), a CAUSE Corporate Member since 1975. ************************************************************************ 03/30/94 (MEH) People Are What Really Matters