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Me in 20 seconds

There has been a lot written lately or maybe I am missing the bus, about being able to defectively describe who you are and what you do. In IT we can get the deer in headlights look or become to wordy, so I took a stab at this for me. How would I introduce myself to a potential new customer, employer, business partner, new management team member etc., all in 20 seconds or less.

I know I am not the most eloquent writer, as I leave that to my future published wife, but I feel I need to refine this skill. Who better to assit me that my fellow Thwackers. SOOOOOOOOOOO..... Below is me, well what I feel I could say about me anyway. I would love to see what you would say about yourself or help me fix my description.

First, I am a 21 year vet of IT, currently the IT Director for a great company, I am the most Sr IT position in my company. I have seen a lot, made a lot of mistakes, but been successful along the way as well. I am the jack of all trades type, but master very few. So with that brief description, i leave you my Me in 20....

Me in 20 seconds. (or less)

I help people optimize and utilize technology to efficiently communicate and increase their productivity and capacity toward job performance and growth. Furthermore, I facilitate growth and efficiency in organizations and lead business toward new visions and goals. I help direct to focus an organization will take with its approach to technology and ultimately I have found success in doing so.

So, what do you think, can I make tweaks? What would you say about you?

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tallyrich

Sounds a bit like a mission statement - as such, maybe.

Aid people in optimizing and utilizing technology to efficiently communicate and increase their productivity and capacity toward job performance and growth. Facilitate growth and efficiency in organizations and lead business toward new visions and goals. Direct the focus an organization will take with its approach to technology. Gain personal success in doing so.

jeremymayfield

Thank you, i don't want to be a mission statement. I want it to sound more personable, but still effectively communicate my IT role to others who might or might no know exactly what it is I do.

tallyrich

Yup, I get that. I envision someone saying "what do you do" and you relying I - then the statement, still personal, but removes all the I statements in the phrase. Ultimately it needs to be in your language and what is comfortable to you so that it doesn't come across as "canned."

jeremymayfield

That's my goal. I want to get better at that, with out being so wordy. I love to talk tech but there is a time and place. I have been reading a lot in leadership articles about how to be brief and effective. they suggested creating a statement like this and memorize it so you can use it at a moments notice so you are always prepared in those moments. That awkward moment when someone says, so, tell me a little about yourself. The enter statement, boom #dropthemic then its back to them. Keeping you from being that guy... you know the one that gets the deer in teh headlights looks from everyone. Etc....

designerfx

jeremymayfield not to go outside of thwack too much, but it might be a good time for you to find a *good* resume service, and have some open talks with one or many of them. The questions they may ask of you may help you understand your purpose.

Also remember that IT titles vs actual skillsets tend to have nothing in common whatsoever. What you're saying sounds a bit like a CIO, but it depends on the size of the company.

jeremymayfield

Yeah i understand that. Partly that is where i am at the moment, and targeting CIO status. But also its for business leadership meetings etc. I am not looking to write a resume, but more so be prepared for when i might need to call it to action. You never know where the road of life will lead. Thanks, designerfx

meech

jeremymayfield I think so much depends on the context of who you are talking to. Are you talking to others in IT? Are you talking to people who don't really understand what a Sr. IT Director (or CIO) does? --Two very different audiences, two very different approaches. If you were talking to a new acquaintance of yours who worked in a completely unrelated field, what would you tell them you do that would make it so they understand? Examples are always good, if you can fit even one in in your 20 second speech. As an example: "I ensure that people in my organization can access the applications and systems they need to do their jobs" or "I lead projects to ensure the safety and security of the people and the data in my organization". Also, someone once told me the follow up to this which I've liked, which is, be able to tell three stories of success which illustrate how you made your company money, stopped a bad thing from happening, or met some other metric.

And, as you know, I'm not an IT professional except by relation to you, so, take what's useful and ignore the rest. Good luck!

--meech

jeremymayfield

Thanks meech I am simply trying for the icebreaker. I am doing more and more work group exercises with our parent company and doing several things that relate to IT but are also outside of my company. An example i am going to be sitting on a marketing panel tomorrow for HP in Orlando. They for some reason want to know why i would or usually would not buy their products. So i need to be ready for those situations so i don't sit there with nothing to day, and so I can represent myself well to maintain a good reputation in the IT community. Feedback noted and will use it to further hone my blurbs....

meech

Good luck on your panel, Jeremy!

Jfrazier

One of the biggest things that stood out is that many of the sentences in your "me in 20" started with 'I'. From an outside observer that kind of puts me off as it is all 'I'.

You appear to have about 10 seconds of speaking there... meech was spot on in the approach aspect.

So you are wanting to say that you are 'the IT director for a great company and that you oversee the entire IT department'. This establishes management

and not having to state you are in the most Sr IT position and opens up a chance to express thoughts on who you are.

Just an observation....hopefully this helps some.