More than three-quarters of respondents (77%) believe their career success is defined by key moments that generate recognition and deliver success for the wider organisation. This is consistent across companies from different verticals and sizes, with 75% of IT leaders at SMEs* agreeing with this statement. The link between ‘moments that matter’ and personal success is even stronger for IT leaders that perceive themselves as ‘exceeding expectations’ in their role (91%).
These ‘moments that matter’ are also clearly identified when exploring their working relationships with suppliers. The majority of IT leaders (85%) agreed that technology issues are sometimes inevitable and that a partner proves its value when things go wrong (81% for SMEs). They understand the impact of service interruption and act accordingly.
When asked to group the top ‘moments that matter’, IT leaders highlighted:
•New infrastructure changes - 67%
•External events (data outage/ tech crisis) - 63%
•Responding to emerging customer requirements - 60%
The research shows that more than half (62%) of IT leaders believe their teams are more focused on strategic projects than keeping things running (60% for SMEs). However, an analysis of the moments that matter mentioned by respondents showed a conflict between their aspirations and the reality of their daily roles. A significant proportion of projects concerned improving efficiency and effectiveness within the IT specialisation instead of customer affecting achievements.
Neil Lonergan, Director at Linimex, commented: “The digitisation of key industries means that our customers are looking for strategic advice and new levels of support to help them improve the way they operate. Whether this ‘moment’ takes the shape of a company-wide BYOD policy adoption or the introduction of an online platform to drive sales – this is what defines the career of the IT leader and ultimately also the success of the business – and it is our role to support them all the way throughout this journey.”
James Kershaw, Sales Director at Colt, added: “The results show how important it is to work with the right team – both in terms of your internal team and trusted suppliers and partners. It presents an opportunity for channel partners and resellers to build a closer relationship with their customers. What’s interesting is that a similar proportion of IT leaders within enterprises and SMEs believe supplier trust is the most important element in ensuring successful outcomes, demonstrating the value of trusted partners. We are confident our channel partners will play a pivotal role in helping customers evolve the IT function into a strategic role - keeping their core services running in the background while they focus on what matters most to their businesses.”