Offering regional and national programs, CIO (and CSO) events bring together some of the most respected names and thought leaders in information technology and security. Presented by CIOs and other senior level executives, these invitation-only programs offer timely topics and strong networking. Learn More »
Mid-Market CIO Panel: Tips and Techniques for Improving Vendor Relationships
July 15, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM U.S./Eastern (GMT-4)
We'll highlight relationship priorities and best practices identified in a Council study, and we'll interact with a CIO panel on the approaches they've used to improve strategic vendor partnerships.
Secrets of Successful Vendor Contract Negotiations for the Mid-Market
Sept. 10, 2009, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM U.S./Eastern (GMT-4)
On this free public Council teleconference, Matthew A. Karlyn, attorney at Foley & Lardner in Boston, will share tips on negotiating tactics and new, creative contract terms to help mid-market CIOs make better deals.
Executive Competencies Assessment Tool
Assess Your Business Leadership Skills with the Council's new benchmarking tool. Rate yourself in change leadership, strategy, customer focus and more.
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March 07, 2006 — CIO —
News coming from Washington these days reflects the discord of politicians arguing over issues from judicial nominations to Social Security. Civility and collaboration among political adversaries greased the wheels of the American political process for much of the 20th century. No longer! Given the polarity of the American electorate, compromise has come to be equated with selling out. Comity between adversaries has gone by the wayside
By contrast, business demonstrates in many ways how to prosper through compromise. In a free market society, conceiving, developing and delivering a product or service is filled with hundreds of compromises that balance the needs of the consumer to obtain value with the needs of the producer to make a profit.
Creating Unity
Compromise is not a betrayal of values. It is an agreement over a position where both sides come away with something to their liking. Not every compromise is a good one. General Motors’ compromise with its unions over health and pensions in the late 1990s has resulted in legacy costs today approaching $2,500 per vehicle, which the company can ill afford to absorb. On the other hand, compromise between oil producers and the environmentalists has resulted in the implementation of drilling methods that are more ecologically compatible, in addition to the creation and preservation of natural habitats.
Compromise ensures the common interest, and so is a valuable practice for managers to learn and implement. Why? Because compromise is a means by which the talent and skills of a diverse team can be harnessed for the completion of a project. Compromise ensures that people participate and their collaboration overcomes not only inertia but also resistance. Here are some ways to encourage compromise.
Compromise is considered an art because it does not result from a process diagram or an employee handbook. Genuine compromise emerges from looking to the hearts and minds of your people to find best possible solutions. Ideally, compromise creates win win situations, but not always. Very often the one who compromises the most is the one who has the most to lose. For example, a project manager who is willing step back from the team and allow others to add their ideas, as well as their labor, to make the project come along may sacrifice her own pet ideas for the good of the whole. That is compromise of the highest order. And it is also known by another name – leadership.