CHAPTER MINI-TEEN [Zf @7[@ Monday, March 24,11:16 AM... Jim Barton sat motionless in his chair, trying to make sense of the short conversation he'd just had with Robert Goldman, chairman and CEO of the Earlington Financial Group. Barton could scarcely believe he'd been talking with Goldman himself. Leader of a collection of nancial companies in a variety of businesses, Goldman had a fabulous reputa- tion. He was known particularly for his integrity; some speculated that he might someday be tapped to head the US Treasury Department. He was known for being likeable, a great person to work for and with. His companies were often on \"Best Places to Work\" lists. He'd been one of Barton's personal heroes for a while. The day had begun without a clue as to the extraordinary events in store for Barton. At about 9:20 am he had received what seemed to be a typical call from a headhunter. Barton got them fairly often, but few of the jobs interested him, and those that did never panned out. This woman on the other end of the line started with what sounded like the usual pitch; Barton had been about to cut her off so he could get back to work when she cut to the chase. \"I think you're going to want to hear what I've got to say, Iim,\" she said. \"This isn't the usual kind of call. My client is prepared to make a job offer to you today.\" That got Barton's attention. The headhunter was cagey about who the client was, but described the company in enough detail to allow 287 This document is authorized for use only by Kemo Camara in CIS41050 Fall 2023 taught by Gregory Reinhardt, University of Louisville from Aug 2023 to Dec 2023. Master of Two Worlds Barton to narrow it down to three or four firms. From the sound of it, they were somewhat bigger than IVK, in a related industry, and rather more successful-or at any rate, less recently troubled. As the conversa- tion continued, Barton realized that the headhunter was trying to ar- range a conversation between one of her client's executives and Barton for later that day. Deep down, he was still pretty pessimistic that this was anything worth spending time on, but he agreed to take an 11 am call. "Great," she said. "The call will be with Robert Goldman, of Earling- ton Financial." Barton laughed. "No way," he said. "Yes, I can assure you it's true." As soon as he was off the call, Barton surfed around a bit on various company websites, to see if he could discover a connection between Earlington and IVK. After about twenty minutes he found that Franc- esco Carraro, the IVK board member who-so many months ago- had taken such an interest in Barton's presentation on the role of IT, was also on the board of directors of a financial software company. Another member of that board was none other than Robert Goldman. Maybe this is for real, Barton mused. The call at 11:00 had removed all doubts. Goldman himself called, and he hadn't just called to talk. Less than five minutes into the call, Goldman offered Barton the COO position at one of his major com- panies, one with a superb track record. The company was bigger than IVK. The job would be a step up, a career advancement of real mag- nitude. And they were offering a surprisingly large amount of money. "We're going to need to hire a CIO as well," said Goldman, "We'd like to get you in place so that you can hire him or her. It is our understand- ing that you know a thing or two about that job." "It's hard-won knowledge," said Barton, "but I'm not sure how good it is." Goldman chuckled. "I'm sure it's very good, and hard-won," he said. "Just think about it. I'll give you a call back in a day or two?" They're moving fast, thought Barton. "What's the next step if I say I'm interested?" Barton asked. "No next step, Jim. If you say yes, the job is yours." The last time Barton remembered being speechless, it had been roughly a year earlier. Come to think of it, Barton thought, exactly a year. Or, rather, a year and a day. 288 This document is authorized for use only by Kemo Camara in CIS410-50 Fall 2023 taught by Gregory Reinhardt, University of Louisville from Aug 2023 to Dec 2023.Looking Forward "Jim?" said Goldman. "You still there?" I did it, Barton's thoughts continued. I lasted a year. Oddly, it was the first time he'd thought of the anniversary. "Jim?" repeated Goldman. "Oh, I'm sorry, Bob. Yes, of course. I will give it a lot of thought." Had he just called Robert Goldman "Bob"? "How about Wednesday, then? By then perhaps you'll have more questions you'd like to ask." Barton had been so dumbfounded by the offer that he'd been unable to think of more than two or three ques- tions. He'd felt unprepared, but Goldman hadn't seemed to mind. Once off the call, Barton tried to decide what to do next. He had an 1 1:30 meeting with his direct reports in the conference room down the hall, but it wasn't quite time for that yet. His eyes came to rest on the whiteboard. IT management is about management KWYDK Skill and talent mamt/key skills, key contributors Harness the power of new VENDOR MGMT: Talent needed to monitor contract? technologies (don't sweep Beware lone genius under the rug ) Know who's "best-in-show"/models to maximize value? Buy SMARTS, not hours (careful how you interpret what you see ) Mang. Problems: CAN anticipate Mang. Problems: CAN'T anticipate . planning techniques & methods . exploring, adapting, course- correcting techniques & methods IT costs (UWGDF) mapping? Communication Always tell your boss bad news first; tell him as 2 soon as the possibility is known; don't put it off until you know it for sure. But SYH2DP chargeback IT services Effectively communicating IT-related business issues to business managers requires SYSTEMATIC EFFORT, just like everything else you try to accomplish in business; spend sufficient time on it. 40% A/F CVS. Q Explore use of IT for innovation IT spending should be aligned . Idea generation and selection w/ IVK strategy . Visualization 60% Mandatory (i.e., security) . Crowd-sourcing Infrastruct ROI (incremental) . Etc. . . . . OCI (breakthrough) YWLOY IT VALUE? +/- Prev. | 5/4 6/1 7/6 8/3 9/7 10/5 11/2 12/7 1/4 2/1 3/7 4/4 $75.12 $30.72 31.90 30.88 32.02 38.07 37.94 4 40.21 38.39 44.19 49.72 51.08 58.22 4.77B 1.95B 2.03B 1.96B 2.03B 2.42B 2.41B 2.55B 2.4 4B 2. 81B 3.163 3 .24 B 3 .70 B 289 This document is authorized for use only by Kemo Camara in CIS410-50 Fall 2023 taught by Gregory Reinhardt, University of Louisville from Aug 2023 to Dec 2023.Master of Two Worlds He'd last added thoughts on IT's possible role in innovation, following his conversation with Maggie a few months ago. \"YWLOY,\" his code for Davies' warning that he wouldn't last one year in this job, leapt out at him. As of today, Barton could say that he had, in fact, lasted. With great pleasure, he brandished an eraser and wiped that corner clean. All-in-all, the whiteboard was a lot more crowded than it had been. The cryptic notations that covered it were, as he'd told Goldman, earned through tough experience. But Barton still wasn't sure they amounted to much. He'd set out a year before to create a management framework he could apply to IT. He felt good about what the white- board summarized, but he'd need a lot more distance before he could be sure its contents were really worth something. Maybe this new posi- tion would provide him with that distance. He'd have to take the new job, of course. Things at IVK had improved a lot in the past few months. He and the IT department had crawled a long way back from that horrible day at the end of June when he'd had to worry about being red for the rst time in his career. But this offer would install him in a position like the one he'd originally expected and wanted in IVK, under Williams. Only it would be with a bigger company. And not under Williams, but under someone he'd always admired. The hacker attack, if that's what it had been, had not produced additional consequences. It looked as though Williams had been right to insist that they disclose nothing. The stock price had recovered a good bit of its former value. Things were looking up. But thinking about the whole thing still gave Barton a sick feeling. He would be happy to get beyond worries of becoming a scapegoat. Carl Williams was already getting ac- colades from many quarters for his \"turnaround\" of IVK. Barton had come to respect the CEO as well, especially after hearing his explanation of the philosophy behind the risk he'd taken with the possible security breech in June. And, of course, there was that bombshell remark that Williams had unleashed in passing that Barton might well be the next IVK CEO. Hard to know how seriously to take that. Barton couldn't quite get past the sense that he had seen the real Williams on that fateful Saturday morning in June. And he wasn't sure he really liked the man. 290 This document is authorized for use only by Kemo Camara in CIS41050 Fall 2023 taught by Gregory Reinhardt, University of Louisville from Aug 2023 to Dec 2023. Looking Forward On the other hand, he would hate to leave his team. They had done a lot of good work together. There was so much still to be completed. How would he ever be able to tell them? Barton was about to call Maggie, to get her reaction, when a glance at his watch reminded him of his 11:30 meeting. He grabbed a notepad and hustled down the hall. He couldn't recall the purpose of the meet- ing, and it hadn't been entered in his calendar. It wasn't in the room where his team usually met. For some reason, someone had booked the biggest conference room in the building. Perhaps a project team had needed the room they usually used for these meetings. When Barton turned the corner into the room, he was startled to see that it was packed with people. The room exploded with ap- plause. It looked like, more or less, the entire IT department. There in front were Ruben, Gordon, Iuvvani, and Fenton. A bit further back, he saw Iohn Cho in his signature black skull T-shirt, smiling broadly, clapping earnestly. Not far from him were Ellen Ripley and Gary Geisler. On the conference room table, he saw a huge cake. The writing on it said \"Congratulations, Jim, on your one-year an- niversary! \" The ovation went on and on. Barton had received many acco- lades and frequent acknowledgments of achievement during his life, beginning with success in sports in school, continuing with academic achievement in college, and carrying on into his career. People had often showed appreciation for Jim Barton's work. But no acknowledgment, he realized, had ever meant more to him than this one. These people had undoubtedly been skeptical of him as a C10 choice; to a person, they had surely experienced deep anxieties about what kind of boss he would be. But somehow he had earned their respect. And it felt great. Finally, the applause subsided and the room became still. They were all waiting now, wanting to hear what he would say. He took a deep breath, intending to comply with their wishes. But for the third time in one year, one day, and thirty minutes, Iim Barton was speechless. 291 This document is authorized for use only by Kemo Camara in CIS41050 Fall 2023 taught by Gregory Reinhardt, University of Louisville from Aug 2023 to Dec 2023. Master of Two Worlds Monday, March 24, 7:55 PM . .. Barton rarely ventured out socially on a weekday, but on this Monday he decided to go have a drink. He'd wanted to celebrate with Maggie she was in town, but tied up in a client meeting running late. They'd made plans to meet up at Vinnie's when she nished. He'd gone early to talk with the kid, if he was there. Barton had gotten the impression that the kid ate at Vinnie's most nights. Just before 8:00, about halfway through Barton's beer, in wandered the kid. \"Hey, I don't usually see you on a weekday. Don't tell me you got red?\" \"Not exactly,\" Barton smiled. \"I'm meeting Maggie here. We're going out for dinner. Hey, I'll introduce you to her.\" \"I feel like I know her already.\" Barton laughed. The kid continued: \"So, you're looking . . . something. What's wrong?\" \"Nothing's wrong.\" \"What's happened then? Something has.\" \"What, we have a few drinks together and you think you can read me?\" \"You're right,\" the kid conceded. \"Sorry for presuming. So what happened?\" \"You know all those times I've offered you a job?\" \"Sure. I began to think you might even be serious after a while.\" \"You bet I was. But now, well, I'm afraid you've missed your chance.\" \"What do you mean? Come on, quit toying with me.\" \"What I mean is that I might not be with IVK much longer.\" \"Aaaaah . . .\" the kid said in a low voice. \"I got a call today from the chairman of Earlington Financial. They want me as their new COO.\" \"You mean they want you to come in to talk with some board mem- bers and executives.\" \"No. I mean he offered me the job. Don't tell anybody.\" The kid whistled softly. \"That Goldman,\" he said. \"I had no idea that he was so shifty.\" 292 This document is authorized for use only by Kemo Camara in ClS41050 Fall 2023 taught by Gregory Reinhardt, University of Louisville from Aug 2023 to Dec 2023. Looking Forward "You know Goldman?" The kid ordered a root beer and turned to Barton. He frowned and started to say something, then stopped, as if deciding what he should say. Then his face changed, and Barton could tell that he had decided, whatever it was. "Yes, I know Bob pretty well." "You know Bob Goldman?" The kid looked a little hurt. Barton add- ed quickly, "I mean-I didn't mean to be insulting. But you've never given me any reason to think you might know anyone like Bob Gold- man. All your geek jokes, I mean. What, you related to him or some- thing?" "No," said the kid. He paused for effect before adding: "He and I are on a couple of boards together." "You're on a couple of boards with Bob Goldman?" "Now, now, you just did it again." Barton winced. "I'm sorry." "Yes," continued the kid. "He and I have even talked about you a time or two. That shifty dude, I should have guessed he was up to something. I had a hard time figuring out how he knew you. Probably, now that I think about it, through Carraro. He's on the IVK board, right? Now there's a guy who can't putt to save his life. You play golf?" Barton shook his head. "Who the heck are you?" "We never have discussed that, have we?" The kid laughed. "I'm Jon- athan Luce." "The Jonathan Luce? The one who founded Dazzle, the computer graphics company? The computer graphics company purchased by Mi- crosoft for billions?" 'Actually, we were first purchased by MediaSpark in a stock deal, then Microsoft bought MediaSpark." "Why didn't you tell me?" Luce shrugged. "You never asked." "All this time I've been treating you like some kind of kid." Barton buried his face in his hands. "Hey," said Luce, "don't worry. You were essentially correct. I am a nerd, and I'm twenty-nine. I just happen to do some investing, venture capital, and philanthropic work, and I'm on some boards." 293 This document is authorized for use only by Kemo Camara in CIS410-50 Fall 2023 taught by Gregory Reinhardt, University of Louisville from Aug 2023 to Dec 2023.Master of Two Worlds Barton could only sigh. It had been a day of surprises. \"Who's been toying with whom?\" Barton said. \"Maybe I should have told you,\" conceded Luce. \"Listen,\" he contin- ued, \"I don't want to complicate your life or anything, but you know that job you've been offering me?\" \"Huh? Yes. How embarrassing . . . me offering you a job.\" \"Well, I've been giving very serious thought to returning the favor. Looks like Goldman's got the jump on mesneaky buggerbut I've got another proposition for you to consider.\" Barton looked at him suspiciously: \"What?\" \"I'm on the board of directors of a pretty good-sized, international bank. It's got to be ten times the size of IVK, at least. We need a really good CIO. What do you think? Want to be that guy?\" Barton shook his head, to clear it. \"I'm not a C10. You know that. I've told you pretty much everything I've done wrong in the past year.\" \"I think you are a C10, if you want to be. I'm not coming up with this out of the blue. We've talked about it at board meetings. You had emerged as our number-one candidate. I'm improvising a little here by springing it on you like this, but I'm sure the others won't mind when they hear what Goldman has been up to. It was only a matter of time before we would have contacted you.\" \"But I don't know anything about IT. Doesn't anybody ever listen to me?\" \"Oh, come on. I said you have to know what you don't know, but you can't cling to not knowing.\" \"I should add that one to my whiteboard.\" \"Huh?\" \"Nothing,\" said Barton. \"I'm just blown away, that's all.\" \"I'll stop pressing. When does Goldman want an answer?\" \"He wants to talk again Wednesday morning.\" \"Wow, that's soon. Do me a favordon't give him a rm answer until I can get back to you with an offer. I guarantee you it will be a strong package. This is a much bigger company we're talking about. More staff, more resources, more responsibility. And I guarantee you that being CIO won't take you off the CEO track.\" Barton remained silent, thinking. 294 This document is authorized for use only by Kemo Camara in ClS41050 Fall 2023 taught by Gregory Reinhardt, University of Louisville from Aug 2023 to Dec 2023. Looking Forward \"Well?\" repeated the kid. \"Okay,\" said Barton, \"but it would be good if you could get the offer to me as soon as possible, preferably before the call with Goldman. I don't want to keep Robert Goldman waiting. He's always been a hero to me, ever since I read a case about him in business school. I'd like to stay on good terms with him. There's no way I'll do anything like jerk- ing him around.\" \"That's why we all want you, Jim. You make doing the right thing a habit. And you make it work. It's been quite a day for you, hasn't it?\" \"You could say that.\" \"How long have you been CIO at IVK now? A year at least, right?\" \"A year and a day, actually.\" \"It's been quite a year.\" \"It sure has,\" said Barton. \"It surely, most certainly has.\" Just then Maggie walked through the door and caught Iim's eye with a wave. She smiled at the kid with recognition. \"Jonathan!\" she exclaimed, crossing to the bar with her hand outstretched. \"It seems I run into you everywhere these days. So, do you know Jim?\" PEFZEL' 7'10\" Why would Goldman and Luce now be competing to hire Barton based on his year's experience as CIO and previous experience as a business manager? Which job offer should Barton accept? How important is (ID leadership to the viability and success of twenty-first- century companies? How should senior managers and the board of directors work togetherto effectively manage the assets and capabilities ofa firm? 295 This document is authorized for use only by Kemo Camara in ClS41050 Fall 2023 taught by Gregory Reinhardt. University of Louisville from Aug 2023 to Dec 2023