Articles - The Kelso Group - Information Technology Strategists

Relationships Matter

Kris Kelso — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:32:06 +0000

Originally published in Catalyst Magazine

What is the value of a single piece of information without any context? Knowing that the answer is “three”, without any other relevant information is useless. Even with a label, such as miles, dollars, or customers, you still don’t have any way to judge whether “three” is good or bad until you see it in relation to some other piece of information. Relationships are key to understanding the value of the data.

Ideas are Worthless

Kris Kelso — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 19:44:16 +0000

Most small business start with a great idea – it may be a revolutionary product, a service that meets a currently unmet need, or a small twist on an existing business that opens up a whole new market. There are businesses being founded every day on ideas that have the potential to change the world.

But then again, most small businesses also fail.

Writing Future-Focused Job Descriptions

Kris Kelso — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:23:00 +0000

Most job descriptions I have seen focus on two areas: the responsibilities of the position (the present), and the experience or credentials required (the past). But the best candidates are not looking to repeat past accomplishments – they are looking for new challenges and opportunities to grow and advance (the future). If you want to attract the best and brightest talent, you need to focus on what the candidate can expect in the future should they accept the position, not just what is involved on day 1.

Selling IT: Don't Talk Tech

Kris Kelso — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:07:27 +0000

If you work in an Information Technology department, there will inevitably come a day that you have to "sell" some sort of technology to your business. Whether it's a new product or system, a major upgrade to an existing system, or a replacement for something that exists, you and your team will at some point feel it is important to make an investment in something that hasn't specifically been asked for by your business users.

Management and Motivation Part 3 - Exceptions and Special Circumstances

Kris Kelso — Fri, 21 May 2010 01:19:31 +0000

This article might be described as a great big disclaimer to Management and Motivation Part 2 - 7 Motivating Factors. In that article, I described several basic motivational factors I have observed in people over the years.

Reality, however, is rarely that simple. Here, I hope to add some texture to that discussion by describing some exceptions and special circumstances where people are motivated differently than they might be otherwise.

Management and Motivation Part 2 - 7 Motivational Factors

Kris Kelso — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:40:20 +0000

In my last article, I explained that motivating people is a personalized task that has to be tailored to the individual you are working with.

Here are 7 different ways that people are motivated. These are certainly not exhaustive, and there are probably variations of each one that could be discussed further. But these are some of the more common motivational factors that I have seen:

Management and Motivation Part 1

Kris Kelso — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:34:58 +0000

One of the essential skills for good management - whether it be people management or project management - is the ability to motivate people. Countless books and articles have been written about motivational tips, tools, and techniques, but I would like to focus on the idea that people are motivated in individually different ways, and whatever motivational techniques you may use, the key is not to master a technique and use it on everyone; The key is to tailor an individual technique for each individual person.

Project Management Skills != People Management Skills

Kris Kelso — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:57:59 +0000

As a follow-up to my last article about management as a skill, not a career path, I would like to also point out that project management skills are not the same as people management skills. Just because someone is great at one type of management doesn't mean they are naturally great at the other.