You want to be recognized as a valuable asset to your organization. How can you make that happen?

One of the challenges that IT strategy professionals have is changing the stigma that IT is just an operational department that incurs costs. An IT strategist can show his value by: 1) measure the positive impacts that IT initiatives are generating in business results and show them to the organization. 2) Bring cases from other companies to show how a good IT strategy can increase a company's competitive advantage. 3) work closely with business areas, offering support, planning initiatives together, and agreeing on common OKRs.

I can make that happen by consistently delivering high-quality work, actively seeking opportunities to contribute to the success of the team or project, demonstrating strong problem-solving skills, being proactive in suggesting improvements or efficiencies, continuously learning and developing new skills, building positive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders, and consistently displaying a strong work ethic and dedication to the organization's goals and objectives.

Main challenge here is to build the company vision. Indeed, what usually happens is the vision is defined by some people only in the organisation. From a statistic point of view already, the less people contribute to create a company vision, the higher the risk the vision doesn't reflects the entire organizations. It's also the case in practice I've witnessed. In some case, vision is also some BS Marketing stuff no one on earth can ever do anything with. Vision is easily aligned, shared, understood and implemented when it's the result of a co-building at organisation level. This becomes less easy if the vision only reflects the interests of a small group of people. Trust your employees, believe me they are smarter than you might think.

Demonstrating the value: Consistently strive to exceed expectations in the role. Deliver high-quality work, meet deadlines reliably, and go the extra mile whenever possible. Become a subject matter expert in the field. Stay up-to-date on industry trends and continuously develop the skills through training, certifications, or online courses. Maintain a positive and enthusiastic attitude. Be a source of inspiration and motivation for those around you. The business landscape is constantly evolving. Be adaptable and embrace change. Demonstrate the willingness to learn new skills and take on new challenges. Keep track of the accomplishments and the impact you've made on the organization.

Ensuring that your IT strategy aligns with the overarching business vision and goals is paramount. This entails grasping the needs and aspirations of your clients, partners, and leadership, and devising IT solutions that actively contribute to their success. By harmonizing your objectives with the broader business vision, you not only showcase your technical prowess but also position yourself as a strategic collaborator, essential for driving organizational growth. This synchronization also enables your IT department to remain nimble, swiftly adapting to evolving business dynamics and capitalizing on new prospects as they arise.

Think of each initiative as a building block in your organization's digital strategy: One of the most powerful ways to communicate your value and impact is by using metrics that effectively track the progress of your digital initiatives. They help you demonstrate the value and impact of your digital initiatives in a clear, objective, and evidence-based manner. By measuring effectiveness at key milestones, these metrics serve as guiding points rather than mere numbers, helping you showcase your progress, enhance credibility, and unlock opportunities for substantial growth. This credibility not only validates your efforts but also streamlines the process of securing additional investments for scaling.

Only one part of leading is doing the leading - another part is effectively communicating that you're leading. There is a line to walk here, as your efforts to showcase your value and impact has to be sincere, authentic, and subtle enough to not make it seem like you are self-promoting. A great part of being an IT Strategy leader is that your boundaries are fairly clear: your job is most often to clarify and steer the role of technology and how it will align with the business goals. Collaborative communication with other stakeholders and making an effort to help and support their goals will reinforce your value and impact, driving the perception of you as a valued contributor.

I think, here are key points : 1. Understanding the company's objectives and vision is crucial for aligning efforts effectively. 2. Solving practical issues and supporting frontline workers contributes to overall organizational success. 3. Clear communication of one's impact and value added is essential for recognition within the organization. 4. Demonstrating consistent delivery of results establishes oneself as an indispensable contributor. 5. Aligning efforts with company goals fosters trust and appreciation among colleagues.

Don't just tell people you're valuable, show them! Track your accomplishments and the impact you've made on the organization. Use metrics and data whenever possible to quantify your contributions. Example: "Increased team productivity by 15% through implementing a new workflow." Highlight Your Problem-Solving Skills: Showcase instances where you identified problems and developed solutions that saved the company time, money, or resources. Connect the Dots: Clearly communicate how your daily tasks and projects contribute to the bigger picture. Find opportunities to regularly communicate the value and impact. This could be through progress reports, presentations, or simply keeping the manager informed about the accomplishments.

Question is: what is value ? Second question, is what is value for who ? It's a complex tree to build value, and also reflects the conflicts that sometime happen on : expected value, actual value, perceived value, ...

Everytime I finish a workshop and at the end of most meetings, i always ask my counterparts to evaluate the time we spent together on a scale from 1 to 5, and ask what i could improve for next time. It's also a great opportunity to get to know what is important to your client.

Brainstorming with a teammate from a different department might expose you to a new approach or perspective, ultimately improving your own work. Connecting with a mentor who has experience in a specific IT Strategy area you're interested in can provide invaluable knowledge and guidance. As you collaborate effectively and contribute meaningfully to projects, your colleagues and network members observe your skills and work ethic. This positive exposure spreads your brand (your reputation and skillset) within the organization and the wider industry.

i quit smoking, but luckily i still drink coffee. How many issues have been solved in the break areas... an incredible number I think. Now, online requires other strategies. But it's also very much doable to build strong professional relationships remotely.

Network building is such a critical part of career growth - we learn from our mistakes and feedback. Where does feedback come from? Network!!! Networking also spread one’s brand across the community. Resulting expansion network and wider reach

To me, there's a conflict there: resilience doesn't actually reflects Innovation and Adaptation, completely opposite in my view. Anyway, i get the point though, and of course innovation and adaptation is key for most people. Every context is different, and unlike Big4"Consulting" who own the words of thruth, any normal and effective consultant rather focusses on making things effectively work :)

Develop Anti-Fragile Capabilities Digital transformers must possess the resilience to navigate a dynamic work environment and swiftly adapt to technological shifts and market forces.

Understand in what your company is investing and what are key returns it is expecting, go work on projects and activities related to that. If you sre in highest ROI tasks for your company, you will be more valuable.