Career Profile: Mark Slaga, Dimension Data CTO

Name: Mark Slaga Title/Employer: CTO/ Dimension Data Age: 37 Education: Virginia Tech, Bachelor of Science. Management Science"Decision Support Systems Tenure in IT industry: 15 years Did you set out to work in IT or some other job? I studied marketing in college so my intent upon graduation was to find a position in that field; however, a summer job with the Air Force changed all that. What drew you to a technology career? Following college graduation, I secured a summer job working in the telecommunications group for the Air Force (7th Communications Group) at the Pentagon where I gathered requirements for phone system upgrades. The officers and civilians in the group helped to cultivate my interest in technology and were always available to answer questions. That experience ultimately changed my career focus. What's been your best job and why? My best job was my most rewarding thus far: building the voice practice for Dimension Data. The marketing, engineering, and business management skills I had acquired throughout my career came into play in this one role. This position required me to work with my team to develop the infrastructure for a national organization including establishing clear lines of communication, a mechanism to compile and implement best practices, a balanced scorecard for measuring performance, and incentive programs to align performance with goals. The infrastructure made it easier for the team to succeed--what began as a start-up entity within the company grew to become Cisco's Voice Partner of the Year for both 2004 and 2005 and Cisco's second largest voice partner in the U.S.

		For more expert career advice and articles on career issues and topics, visit TechCareers.

What do you attribute to your advancement in IT

1. Consistently moving out of my comfort zone to take on a variety of different career roles (from marketing to CCIE engineer to manager to practice lead within my domain of expertise to practice lead outside of my domain of expertise to CIO/CTO)
2. Maintaining a balance of reactive and proactive activities in every job I do.
3. Having fun at work. Find and focus on the good things. People notice, and it will often impact others in a positive way.
4. Listening. This isn't a skill that comes natural to me; it takes constant attention.

I have also worked with some solid mentors over the years. Whether they came from sales/marketing or operational management, I have incorporated many of their recommendations and best practices into my career. Their coaching and guidance have been instrumental. Last, but certainly not least, the support of my family has definitely assisted my career growth.

How do you define the role of CTO? Dimension Data defines the CTO role differently from most since there are two sides to the role. One facet is external facing and one is internal facing. The external facing side of the role involves understanding the market we serve, understanding Dimension Data's vision, and developing executable strategies to align the company vision to the market needs. This job function focuses on what we take to market and how we take it to market. The internal side of the role includes the functions of a traditional CIO. This job function entails responsibility for all the systems and infrastructure that support our $481 million business in North America. The intersection of the CIO and CTO is an interesting one. Since Dimension Data is a global IT services and solutions company, we believe it is important to "practice what we preach." The same business cases we build for our clients have already been built for our internal use. If we can make the business case for Dimension Data and realize the benefits of a given technology implementation, then we can do the same for our clients--confident that our solutions will indeed meet their needs. The intersection of the two roles allows Dimension Data to stay on the cutting edge of technology (and gain competitive advantage) by leveraging the solutions we offer to our customers. What is your first job task going to be? I always review an old Harvard Business Review article when starting a new job. It's called "The First 100 Days" by Theodore Kinni (article C0310A) and that has served me well. The two bullets below describe how I have applied two key points from the article to my career:

• Gain a comprehensive grasp of the organization's needs and capabilities. I frequently meet with my stakeholders and employees, and I ask a lot of questions and do a lot of listening so that I can better understand the needs and skills of the team. I am a firm believer that strong channels of communication are fundamental to employee satisfaction--and fundamental to the overall success of the company.
• Clearly convey working style and expectations. I make it a point to share with my team my goals, style and expectations at the outset of our working relationship—and to learn from them the same. This helps to foster a positive working relationship. I then encourage constant feedback to ensure that we are all moving in the right direction.

What's the best thing about the job? Dimension Data prides itself in its people--and it is true. Our team is not only focused on our clients and their needs, but also on the needs of each other. The people that I work with on a daily basis truly embody our corporate values of teamwork, personal commitment and professional excellence. What's the worst thing? As a national CTO, I am required to travel extensively which takes a toll on my family. What's your favorite IT resource site and why? Google.com as I can find just about anything using this site as the starting point. What is the best career advice you've ever received? The Golden Rule applies at work just like at home. What's the top advice you'd give to a new IT staffer? Take care of your clients. How do you know when it's time to leave a job? A good early warning sign is when you get to the point that you don't have the desire to focus on the proactive components of your job. What is the one career decision you would change if you could? Although there have been plenty of small decisions I would change, I wouldn't make any changes to the major decisions such as job changes, company changes, etc. If you could jump into any non-tech job what would it be? Professional Bass Fisherman For those looking to move ahead in IT, what's the best advice you'd give them?

1. Consistently push yourself out of your comfort zone
2. Maintain a balance of reactive and proactive activities in every job you do
3. Listen to your clients and your employees
4. Ask for advice from people you respect

Other recent articles from TechCareers Career Profile: SSH Founder Tatu Ylonen Today's Job Search Requires A Proactive Approach

Search jobs on TechCareers Keyword(s):   Function: Information Technology Engineering State:   Post Your Resume |  Employers Area

Most recent posts: