The most common and most expensive technology mistake is promoting your best IT manager before they are ready — and then leaving them unsupported. I work with senior IT leaders and the people around them to accelerate development, build capability, and design the operating models that make organisations work.
There is a particular moment in a technology leader's career when the job stops being about technology and starts being about the organisation. Most people navigate that transition alone. I work with CIOs and Heads of IT — typically on a monthly retainer basis — as a trusted peer and sounding board.
This is not consulting. It is a confidential relationship in which a highly experienced former CIO helps a current one think more clearly, act more confidently, and avoid the mistakes that experience would otherwise have to teach them the hard way. Sometimes the client is the CIO. Sometimes it is the CEO, who wants their Head of IT to grow into the role without exposing the business to the cost of them doing so.
Most IT functions that are not working well are not failing because of the technology. They are failing because of how the team is structured, how work flows through it, and how it interfaces with the rest of the business. I have redesigned technology operating models across some of the world's largest and most complex organisations.
As adviser I work with the IT leadership team to diagnose what is not working and design a better model. As delivery lead I run the operating model transformation as a defined programme — from design through to implementation and handover. This typically includes org structure, governance, ways of working, vendor management, and business interface.
Every organisation has a Fred. A highly capable IT manager who is not quite ready for the C-suite — but who has real potential, and whose development matters both to the business and to the CIO above them. When I work with an organisation as fractional CIO or board adviser, developing Fred - as a coach - is often a natural and valuable part of the engagement.
But it is also a standalone service. As a mentor, I work pro-bono with young people - just starting their tech careers - and on a paid basis with senior IT Leaders; providing the guidance and challenge to accelerate their growth. At a time of significant disruption, developing the next generation of technology leaders is just such an important task.
Whether you are thinking about a coaching relationship, an operating model review, or simply trying to understand what your IT function needs to grow into — the Technology MOT gives both of us a clear picture first. Fixed price. Fixed scope. No ongoing commitment. The MOT pays for itself.
“David takes the time to understand each team member's strengths and areas for growth, providing personalised guidance and support. I am grateful for his invaluable advice and encouragement.”
— Stacey Heldman, Business Systems Director, WPP