The Messaging Times

Ten years ago, I stood before fifty young software localization workers during a staff meeting in our Irish office. “We’ll need to work late this week” I announced. Sure enough, at least half of the office worked several hours extra each day that week to meet a project deadline. There was no overtime pay or other financial incentive for them to do this. It was just something that had to be done – and it was expected of them (even knowing that it was a lot to ask.)

Perhaps they were inspired by my regular motivational talks about how each person is the most important person in the company; how excellence requires a commitment to the most menial of tasks; how the biggest advances come from focusing on the smallest jobs? Whatever it was, something motivated them to work until ten o’clock at night each night that week. They were only earning 14k/year then.

Scanning local job announcements over the years, I see over and over again positions listed with two pages of specifications and responsibilities — many offering a very mediocre remuneration package.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Create a Wholesale 12-month IT roadmap and create the forum and mechanisms to communicate to the Wholesale Partners. Ensure the timelines, resources (people and budget) and requirements are documented to achieve.
• Establish governance forums and mechanisms to ensure alignment between the Wholesale Partners and the cross-functional teams (e.g. regular IT Steering Committee Meetings). Provide regular Wholesale IT status updates to the Wholesale PMO and create mechanisms to de-conflict priorities internally and externally.
• Drive collection of the Wholesale Partners use cases, requirements and timelines for leveraging the Wholesale IT platform. Facilitate evaluation of IT Platform requirements and create a prioritization framework to appropriately package requests working with IT.
• Partner with IT to define the framework for implementing releases that recognizes the uniqueness of a Wholesale business model that includes the requirements gathering and prioritization process, testing timeline and environments required, defect classification and resolution, and implementation support.
• Engage the Operational Support teams to ensure preparedness for new IT Platform releases to ensure the processes and SLA are defined. Ensure the day-to-day operational issues are tracked, evaluated and a plan is developed to resolve.
• Establish a Change Management methodology that supports a process for Wholesale Partners to submit change requests and integrates the Wholesale Operations team into the IT Change Management Process. Define and manage a process for Wholesale Partners to submit change request, have those change requests evaluated by the appropriate teams within the company, and communicated recommended path to support to the Wholesale Partners.
• Establish metrics that define success defining and delivering IT Platform capabilities, including quality, timelines, resources, and Wholesale Partner satisfaction.
• Define the resources (people, budget, systems/infrastructure) needed to support the IT roadmap from the functional teams and ensure plans are in place to manage
• Responsible for hiring, training, motivating and success of team member(s)

QUALIFICATIONS:
• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 10+ years experience managing end-to-end IT Platform in wireless, internet or technology sectors.
• Experience managing direct reports.
• Proven experience managing an IT Platform roadmap, planning and execution in a Wholesale business model.
• Experience working with and an understanding of the Amdocs CRM/Billing platform.
• Demonstrated ability to manage customer relationships that result in mutual success thru frequent communication, prioritization of work efforts, and issues resolution.
• Proven experience in managing IT account management that directs the full lifecycle, from requirements thru delivery, in a matrix work environment and managing multiple stakeholders to deliver results.
• Experience managing a change management process including definition of SLAs, implementation of tools to support execution, and creation of a prioritization methodology.
• Exceptional communications skills with the ability to interact regularly at the executive level both internally and externally.
• Ability to effectively manage subordinates to deliver results in an extremely fast paced environment.
• Honed program management skills to deliver cross-functional team results.
• Exceptional troubleshooting, problem resolution, and customer management skills and abilities.

Remuneration:

Decent base salary and potential for more based on performance.

The example above is evidence of a trend. We seek so much for so little. The salary for the position above is similar to, or less than, a sanitation worker in my town.

When did we start expecting so much for so little?

Motivational speakers and inspirational books appear on stages and shelves in abundance today, each seeking to raise everyone from mediocre workers to confident, driven, dynamic and innovative leaders.

But what would happen if everyone in America was a self-driven, super-motivated, entrepreneurial-minded go getter in search of excellence? What would happen if everyone in America was inspired to continually improve themselves professionally — to continually strive for excellence — to continually advance themselves — to want more and expect more from themselves and others each day? Who would do the work? How much disruption would the constant hierarchical shifting cause? If someone is driven to do more each day — to be more each day; how long will they spend doing the job that needs to be done, like  updating database records or responding to support queries? And what will it cost to replace them?

America was built by a solid mediocre work practice. Factory workers, assembly line operators, construction crews and production facility staff came to work each day because they needed a job. They did a decent days work for a decent days pay. Then, they gladly left work behind each evening and enjoyed a few beers with their friends, complaining about how much they had to work and how they wished there was more time for fishing, or family, or friends.

For most people in the world, work is more a necessary unpleasantry of life than it is a quest for personal or professional greatness. It is something we do to earn our keep in society. If we are really lucky, we spend our time working at something that we really enjoy. And yet, there is this growing sense that we should all be continually striving to do great things and maximizing our potential.

Well, thank God there are so many people who just want to do their job rather than spending their days trying to figure out how to be better or more than they were the day before. This spirit of mediocrity built things in America. It manufactured roads, bridges, cars, machines, clothes, electronics, tools and so many other things. Workers didn’t work because they were inspired to be excellent, or because they thought it was noble to sacrifice themselves for some greater good — for a chance to improve themselves and be more effective contributors to their industry.

They did it because they got paid to do it. It was a fair, even exchange of moderate expectations for a moderate salary.

We’ve shifted a bit in the last several decades. Today, we have great expectations of ourselves and others – regardless of salary. And with everyone so fueled up on high expectations and greatness, not enough people are interested in those important, mediocre jobs that need to get done — or they simply can’t afford to do them because we have stopped investing in mediocrity.

Perhaps we should start to invest more in mediocrity than the potential for greatness?

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