Careers Newsletter
 
NEWSLETTERS
 

CIO.com updates, insights and advice on technology, management and your career.

 CIO BlackBerry News and Tips
 CIO Research and Analysis
 CIO Microsoft
 CIO Insider
 
 
 
LEADERSHIP
 
CIO Executive Programs
The Leader in Face-to-Face Education for Senior Executives

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 »

 
CIO Executive Council
A Peer-Advisory Service and Professional Association for CIOs

Public Council Teleconference: Application Rationalization — Hidden Costs and Smart Decisions

November 17 at 11:00 am US/Eastern (GMT-5)

Join Honorio Padrón, of The Hackett Group, who will share the drivers for companies to tackle application rationalization and the results of research that define the hidden cost of complexity. Additionally, we will discuss key decision milestones—to start or not, holding the course steady and fulfilling expectations.

Virtual Desktop Cost-Benefit Analysis — Michael Jacobs, Catlin Group

The analysis contained in this presentation measures the cost of everything from the machines and licenses to the infrastructure for virtual vs. traditional desktop environments.

Honor your best senior team members - Apply for the CIO Ones to Watch Award

Get well-earned public recognition for your top up-and-coming team members, your IT organization and your enterprise. Award winners will be announced, publicized and feted in May 2010, great timing to help attract new IT recruits to your company.

More / Register »

Learn more about the CIO Executive Council »



 
 
RESOURCE CENTER
 
 
 
 

Yau-Man Chan, a Fan Favorite of "Survivor" TV Show Applies Resourcefulness as a Real IT Leader

The reality television series "Survivor" may seem like an improbable teaching tool for an IT executive. But in today's changing workplace -- where business users wield more tech choice and power -- Yau-Man Chan has found kindness and smarts can be powerful weapons in an IT leader's toolkit.

 

April 08, 2008CIO

What does IT have in common with the reality television game show Survivor, which tests contestants' survival skills in remote locations as they compete for the grand prize?

For Yau-Man Chan, quite a lot. Both call on his defining traits of kindness and intelligence.

Here's one illustrative scene. Last year on a deserted island in the South Pacific, burly men tried to open a wooden crate filled with supplies. Their muscles were flexed for cameras filming the first episode of Survivor: Fiji, but their attempts were in vain.

Then, a slim Asian man with glasses picked up the crate and smashed its corner against a rock. The crate broke into pieces. “The corner is a rectangle's weakest point,” says Chan.

IMG Image Alt Description
Yau-Man Chan, "Survivor" contestant and CTO.
Photo courtesy of CBS Television.

"Muscle for muscle, I know I cannot compete with them, so I have to use every resource to advance things to the next level," says Chan, who holds a physics degree from MIT. Intelligence and resourcefulness, particularly as an underdog, were two of Chan's best tools during Survivor: Fiji—and at his full-time job as CTO of the College of Chemistry at the University of California Berkeley.

Chan bolsters his smarts with kindness. In Survivor: Fiji, Chan, 55, wasn't expected to last long against his younger, more athletic rivals. But thirty-nine days after the crate bashing, Chan finished the show in fourth place, he also became a favorite of millions of techies' and reality-television viewers, receiving the highest popularity rating on that season's show.

Applying 'Survivor' Instincts at Work

Chan's obstacles on the job are in some ways similar to his Survivor challenges: He must use his intelligence and personality to do well. "Like on the show, I have to tread very gently and make sure not to offend anyone while convincing them to go along with me," he says.

At UC Berkeley, Chan's IT team has little authority over the researchers: Policy allows them to use whatever technology they want; Chan can only pull the plug on technology that poses an outright legal or security risk, such as an infected computer. What makes the situation more difficult are the rogue IT departments: Within a research group, says Chan, there's usually a "computer guru"—a chemistry grad student "masquerading" as a computer expert—who troubleshoots computers, for example, or sets up a rogue wireless hub or loads software.

More IT leaders are finding themselves in a similar predicament as business users take control of technology. Free Internet tools such as Google Apps mean business users can use technology without IT's knowledge or permission more easily than ever. Emboldened by such freedom and finding strength in numbers, tech-savvy business users are demanding that IT support consumer devices like the iPhone.

 
 
Loading...
 
WHITE PAPERS

Exclusive Economist Intelligence Unit Research

Find out why - and how technology can help balance centralized control and individual autonomy.
 

How Data Mining Can Rock Your Career

Recently, U.S. News & World Report listed "data miner" as one of only a handful of careers core to today's digital enterprises. The University of Illinois at Chicago takes a look.
 

Service Level Reporting and Communication

Service level reporting is the most visible output and often the most time-consuming activity in SLM.
 

Data Center Cost Analysis

Read this white paper to see how a server refresh can actually save money and meet green initiatives.
 

The Future Data Center

Building the next-generation data center requires a forward-thinking strategy that encompasses a broad range of new technologies.
 

Informatica Platform and Integration Competency Centers

Forrester used its total economic impact methodology to interview seven companies that have standardized their data integration practices.
 

WEBCASTS

Profit from Power Savings

Cut Costs & Green Your IT Operations with PC Power Management

Find out how and why 400 organizations have d...
 

IT Consolidation Made Easy

The Primary IT Initiative for Reducing Costs
 

CIOs Weigh In On Virtualization

Date: November 19, 2009 Time: 2:00 PM EST

Gary Beach, publisher emeritus of CIO magazine,...
 

Webcast- Vantage 11: Redefining Application Performance Management

Redefining Application Performance Management
 

Architecting Business Intelligence Applications for Change: The Open Solution

Architecting BI Applications for Change
 

Taking a Seat at the Executive Table: The Reality of Virtualization

This year, for the first time, the number of virtual machines is on track to exceed the number of physical machines...
 

Resource Alerts

Get instant email notifications by topic when white papers, webcasts, and case studies are added to our library.

 
IT Jobs
 
 
 
FEATURED SPONSORS
 
 
 
SPONSORED LINKS
 

The Total Economic Impact of Network Security Intrusion Prevention

See how AT&T can help protect your network.

Top Five CIO Challenges

Streamline IT Costs. Boost Performance with WAN Optimization.

Want to know how you can maximize employee productivity?

Build your 1st app FREE with Force.com

TDWI checklist helps define data readiness for analytics. Download report.

Increase UPS efficiency without sacrificing protection.

A Clear View Toward Virtualization

Virtualization Technology as a Business Solution

The rules of infrastructure management just changed.

A Clear View Toward Virtualization

Interactive Q&A helps you discover key ways to maximize IT assets.

Ready to virtualize tier one applications? Check your virtualization maturity.

Think you can't afford a Cisco Switch? Cisco Catalyst Switches are now more affordable.

Five minute business analytics assessment. Immediate results.

The Case for Investing in Business Analytics Technology. Read white paper.

Cut Costs & Green Your IT Operations with PC Power Management

White Paper: 4 Customer Service Myths

Mobile Security: The Essential Ingredient for Today's Enterprise

White Paper: Improve Agility with Operational Responsiveness

White Paper: 5 Best Practices for Smartphone Support

Global Research: CIOs Weigh In On Virtualization

5 Key Virtualization Management Challenges

Learn How Web Site Performance Impacts Shopper Behavior

Disciplined Autonomy: Resolving the Tension Between Flexibility and Control

Join us at the US-Brazil IT-BPO Summit, on November 10th in New York.

Unified Communications: Thoughts, Strategies and Predictions. Join the discussion

Read the RSA report: Security for Business Innovation

Webcast: Looking to the Cloud for Email and Collaboration Services

64-page prescriptive guide to security, compliance, and IT operations.

Keep your IT expertise up to date. Join the Intel Premier IT Professionals.

A new fleet of PCs with a total ROI in 10 months. Find your ROI.

eZine: A Roadmap to Reducing IT Complexity

Reduce risk, gain agility. See how Progress can help your business.

Virtualization Technology as a Business Solution

eZine: A Roadmap to Reducing IT Complexity

World-class trading technology solutions from NYSE Technologies.

If You're Paying for Telecom, You're Paying Too Much. Contact Asentinel Today.

Trade-In your old printer and save up to $1,000 plus free recycling!

infoBOOM! - The Mid-Sized Company CIO's Exclusive Community

Live Webinar: Applying Business Analytics. Click here to learn more

White Paper: Right-Sizing Your Power Infrastructure

Webcast: Unleashing the Power of Customer Data

White Paper: Managed Security for a Not-So-Secure World

SharePoint - Unchecked growth of content is unsustainable.

White Paper: Legacy Tools: Not Built for the Helpdesk

Taking a Seat at the Executive Table: The Reality of Virtualization

Five-Step Mobility Management Plan

White Paper: Next Generation Remote Infrastructure Management