ISACA Now Chats with NACACS Keynote Speaker Tim Sanders

ISACA Now recently talked to Tim Sanders, a keynote speaker at the North America CACS 2016 2-4 May in New Orleans. Sanders is the New York Times best-selling author of Love Is The Killer App: How to Win Business & Influence Friends and an Internet pioneer. He advises Fortune 500 executives on leadership, marketing and new media strategies to grow business.

ISACA Now:  Your new book Dealstorming: The Secret Weapon That Can Solve Your Toughest Sales Challenges suggests a team approach to sales. What are the keys to developing a best-in-class team, no matter its function?

Sanders:  Effective problem solving teams are diverse in thinking and united in shared vision. So ask yourself:  Who has a stake in the outcome? Who has expertise about our problem? These are your blockers, tacklers and skill position players for your team. Every team has an overarching goal or purpose, so make sure yours cuts across the lines. In sales, you can’t lead with just the revenue opportunity; you need to elevate the discussion to winning a rivalry, pursuing excellence or building your brand. Same goes for any other problem area at work. A bigger why creates a stronger team, especially when finding a solution takes a lot of meetings and time.

ISACA Now:  You recently tweeted that nurturing team building and team players is more important than hiring rock stars. Why is that?

Sanders:  From business to technology, complexity is rising fast. This puts pressure on organizations to quickly innovate, keeping up with the times. In my research, I’ve found that genius is a team sport…not the work of a lone creative type. There are bodies of research (such as The Myths of Creativity by David Burkus) that debunk the stories of lone-invention. It’s a romantic notion, really. We want to think that the rock star programmer, sales person or marketer will save the day. But really, the effective team builder and player will harness group genius to move things forward more quickly. Additionally, many “rock stars” on paper are the product of their previous working environment. That’s why so often as they move to new opportunities, they can’t replicate their success. And making matters worse, because they were a rock star at their previous job, they’ve likely developed the lone-wolf mentality.

ISACA Now:  Many IT professionals are introverted or work remotely. How can they become lovecats?

Sanders:  A lovecat is a person who is strong and intelligent but at the same time, generous and empathetic to their colleagues. One way we can be generous is knowledge sharing or mentoring. This can be done now online, in a series of very helpful emails. For networking, another way to be generous at work, email introductions or LinkedIn endorsements offer a way to connect others that “should meet.” Finally, introverts are naturally great listeners. Helping others be heard is a valuable offering in organizations where there is constant change.

ISACA Now:  You will be speaking at the NACACS conference 2-4 May 2016 in New Orleans. Give us a brief preview of what you’ll discuss and what attendees will take away.

Sanders:  I’ll be talking about the power of great relationships, team work, collaboration and leading from the heart. Main takeaways will include insights on how to be an effective mentor, a power networker and a great listener. Also, I’ll reveal the collaboration process I’ve developed over my career, and how when fueled by relationships, it can triple your chances at solving your toughest challenges.

[ISACA Now Blog]