A lesson in honesty for IT from reality TV

[stephenmann]

I'm not a great cook, in fact I'm not even a cook, but I do enjoy reality-TV cooking shows. Not the somewhat-bland British ones, where everyone is way too polite to each other, but the far more "competitive" US ones — where anything can be said about one's competitors. In fact saying mean things about others often appears to be actively encouraged by the program makers and judges. I guess I'm proof that it makes for "better TV."

But this blog isn't about being mean to one another; instead an unnamed contestant on an unnamed reality-TV cooking show, who seems to have no sense of his "cooking reality," inspired it. Let's call him contestant X and, as per usual, I get round to IT service management (ITSM) eventually.

So what's the (OK, "my") issue with contestant X?

This is going to sound mean (and after I said this blog isn't about being mean to others) but contestant X could be described as a very good cook who thinks they're the best cook in the competition (and possibly on the planet). In his mind every dish he cooks is perfect and superior to those of others; and he fully expects to win every round despite not necessarily performing well.

Nigh on every week he has underperformed relative to the cooking challenges but he just can't see it. The judges critique his dishes and give him advice. He nods and says "yes" but most viewers (I assume) know that he's not prepared to take the advice to heart because he doesn't think the judges are right. They are wrong and he is right. He is always right AND he is always great. Sound familiar of some IT organizations yet?

"Nothing wrong with being confident" I hear you cry. I agree. It's not the over-confidence or even arrogance I see as the issue — the issue is that contestant X can't see when his cooking is below par, he can't take "criticism," and therefore he will struggle to improve on those non-winning performances.

So what's this go to do with IT service management (ITSM)?

This unfortunate character (and I appreciate that reality TV shows tend to turn people into caricatures — emphasizing certain qualities, good or bad) seemed appropriate to the world of ITSM in two ways:

1. At a personal level — how we view our individual performance.
2. At an IT service delivery level — how our customers might have a different view of our collective performance.

So how close is the way we see ourselves (and our IT service delivery) rooted in reality? How "honest" are we being with others AND ourselves?

Understanding and communicating our own performance...

Performance reviews are usually seen as the corporate barometer of whether we are good, bad, or indifferent in our work lives. But how many of us have, in the past, been so focused on the performance mark — and probably the recompense that is associated with achieving the best possible mark — that we focus on the upside of performance, conveniently forgetting (if not hiding) the things that weren't so great.

Unfortunately we're possibly the victims of ill-devised corporate performance-review-and-reward-systems such that it's driven us to said behavior; but ask yourself: "Am I doing my customers, my employer, and myself a disservice to get a short-term benefit over longer-term improvement?"

I'm probably (OK, definitely) not the best person to give advise on "matters of the HR" but I can point you at this HBR blog: "How to Write the Dreaded Self-Appraisal" by Amy Gallo. On self-appraisals, Amy recommends that we should:

1. Know how our boss will use the performance appraisal
2. Emphasize our accomplishments
3. Acknowledge mistakes — carefully
4. Keep the focus on us.

Amongst other things, IMO many of us have a lot to learn about point number 3 — not just personally but also at an organizational level.

Understanding how well we deliver IT services...

If only this was as "easy" as personal performance reviews. I'm not going to start to preach about how best to do this but I am going to return to contestant X with a few probing questions for any IT organization:

• How is our appreciation of our performance rooted in reality?
• What do our "judges" really think of our performance (and is it completely different to our own view)?
• Are our judges offering "advice" and, even if we hear it, do we ignore it on the basis that they are "wrong"?
• Is there an equivalent of the reality-TV exit door and are we moving towards it?

The bottom line for me is: "How honest are we being with ourselves?" "Do we do the great job that we think we do?" and "Are we able to improve?"

Do you know a corporate contestant X?

As always your thoughts and comments are both encouraged and appreciated.