i.c. stars and the proverbial leg-up

The job market has taken a toll on new graduates, with greater numbers either staying in school or coming back home for the time being, and the information technology field is no exception.

i.c. stars founder Sandee Kastrul says economics and competition have increased the need for a "longer runway" for the program's inner-city technology graduates after their four months of concentrated business, leadership and technology training.

Among other business leaders, Bob Kress at Accenture has been at the end of that runway with a good fit for the skills being developed at i.c. stars, hiring almost a dozen graduates over the past few years.

The Chicago Tribune has done a nice write-up of what i.c. stars is doing in their article this past weekend.

Ten Questions on Practical Technology Transformation with Antonio Hylton

Any idea where the largest county* in the US is? You might expect it to be in the state of Texas, but that's not it. The number two county on the list also edges out Harris County, TX by just a bit, and that distinction is held by Cook County, Illinois.

The CIO of Cook County's massive infrastructure is the founder of Broadband Technology Associates, Antonio Hylton, and he is transforming the technology throughout a complex set of layers in the organization with his "Vision 2010" plan, including the city of Chicago and a total budget of more than three billion dollars.

In this interview with Antonio, which just came out in TechRepublic magazine (you really ought to be a subscriber), he talks with me about the dangers of technological procrastination and what it has taken to reach the point where he can get the ball rolling.

You can always download the PDF version of these articles from the TR site, as well as add your comments and perspectives to the list.

*the largest county is Los Angeles County, CA

Do you have a mystique?

Every business needs a defining quality, call it a mystique or whatever you like. It's not your purpose statement or your elevator pitch, although it's probably included in those. It's that attribute your competition just can't duplicate - the thing you go to the trouble to do better than anyone else.

I attended a briefing this week at the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago and was impressed with one of their employees in particular. He's the head parking valet and his name is Kofi Boasiako. Kofi did his job so well, I honestly don't think anyone else could replace him. He took his work seriously, put things on a personal level and went the extra mile when there was a complication. I'm not easily impressed and I'm more than glad to mention it when I am.

As it turns out, Kofi works at the Ritz-Carlton for a reason. He's part of the mystique. That same afternoon, someone asked me if I had seen this article (I had not mentioned anything about the R-C in the conversation). If you can imitate this kind of attitude, you will stand out from the competition.

Whether it's your business or your own personal brand, what will ensure your success in tough times? Mystique (and your commitment to it).

A Moment of Silence

One quiet minute. Controversial? You bet.

As of today Chicago schools are mandating a moment of silence at the beginning of the school day. As in "stop talking." By a vote of 74-37, the house joined the senate in an override of the governor's veto(!) Does it seem at all ironic that this is a point of contention in government-run pedagogy?

The problem? You guessed it -- those kids might be tempted to do some praying or other contemplative activity on government time.

I'm not going to talk about "back when I was in school" because of course before the internet the world was a different place, but suffice it to say my chums and I wouldn't have thought a requirement to be quiet would ever be a shocker. The plan's opponents focus on the testy move from "you can" to "you will."

Our media culture makes a business of bandying about the offensiveness of exactly how casual we can be in speaking to both the vulgar and the divine. But the offensiveness of not speaking for a minute?

Mayor Daley came through in great form: "I believe we always have to move forward." Write it down.

Do Technology Jobs Require Creativity?

The shortage of talent in IT is an increasing problem, as interest in hard skills like math, science and technology courses has been waning recently. GenY'ers have a great opportunity to fill the gap and create an alternative to outsourcing our technology demand overseas.

Here's a video clip from a recent CIO conference I attended at the Chicago Cultural Center on the IT talent shortage. The brainstorming session was led by Michael Krauss of the Market Strategy Group at the i.c. stars annual "iOpener" event.

Some of the questions to the audience included the need for creativity in IT, and how technology jobs compare to a job in accounting (accounting is about what happened; IT is about what's going to happen).

Broad Shoulders and Clean Hands

Recruiters: Another reason to choose Chicago for your next job fair -- you're going to be shaking a lot of hands. On a good day you may shake hands with hundreds of people. Don't give it a second thought... as long as you're in the second city, which came in first in a new survey by Harris Interactive on personal hygiene, specifically hand-washing habits.

A Big Little Book from Seth Godin

Do you remember Big Little books when you were a kid? I must have had twenty or thirty of them (Gentle Ben, Johnny Quest,...) and dog-eared the pages on every one. There's something handy about a pocket-sized version of a good book.

Seth Godin's new book, The Dip is "a little book that teaches you when to quit (and when to stick)," although it would require a hip-hop size pocket in your britches.

The house was packed this morning for Seth's Chicago installment of the book tour at Maggiano's. The point of Seth's presentation, although he says it's not meant to be motivational, is to encourage you that the "dips" you find yourself in from time to time may be cul-de-sacs where you need to recognize a lack of potential, but more often are setbacks that real visionary success doesn't often come without.

For example, Seth predicts the Zune's failure for not doing what something with real vision, something that's worth the investment of sticking through the dips, does - being the best in the world. It's objective is to be an iPod challenger, but not to be the best. Microsoft is destined for a cul-de-sac on this one, even with the new Halo-3 version.

So pick something you can be the best in the world at and stick to it and work through the dips. Good advice from someone who's the best in the world at writing powerful big-little books on marketing!

ITIL In the USA

What a great presentation by Malcolm Fry yesterday at the Westin in Chicago -- put together the affable nature of Gromit's companion Wallace with the spontaneous contemplative vision of Yoda, and throw in a bit of John Cleese for good measure and there's Malcolm Fry.

He claims Jimmy Buffett "stole his life" (see photo), but he seems to have a pretty good life traveling around the world talking about configuration management databases and the best-practice guide called ITIL. Not a bad gig for a poor British kid who hails from a family of longshoremen and Romany gypsies.

Talking with Malcolm earlier this week, I was struck by how well-traveled and well-read he is and his ability to put his own not-entirely-occidental perspective on things. Outside the speaking tour he's on perpetually, his latest (anniversary) trip with his wife was to the jungle temples of Angkor Wot at Siem Reap in Cambodia, but you name anyplace in the world and he's likely to be able -- and glad to -- talk with you about it.

Malcolm is also quick to expand your list of reading requirements -- his latest recommendations being "The Devil in the White City" and "Civilization One" (about the "megalithic yard,") and anything by James Michener. He's also got his own book out recently which is a part of the current tour - Step-by-Step to Building a CMDB, (say-em-day-bay in Britspeak) which follows up a series of booklets he wrote on ITIL and a DVD series with the Help Desk Institute.

If you're in southern Wisconsin or Central California, Malcolm will be in the states for another briefing at the Milwaukee itSMF this week and then at the Hilton in San Francisco for a briefing next Wednesday. Drop me an e-mail if you'd like details.