An eclectic IT career: Mayo Takeuchi

Controversial opinion: leaders who think or convince themselves into believing that supporting RTO (return to office) policies is the right thing to do are less likely to truly understand and support their teams. I joined IBM half a lifetime (literally!) ago, after an intensive, in person/on site experience at a dot com startup which succumbed to the IT bubble bursting. Ever since then I have only held geographically distributed, cross cultural, and often cross-functional roles.  A two year consulting engagement I had with a customer also involved my running mini-projects with stakeholders in six different countries with distinct cultures, languages, and approaches to problem solving. So by the time I became a People Manager in 2021, not only was I well versed in remotely supporting colleagues, upline, and clients, it had become my way of working.  With the trend in many companies bringing people back to the office, I am firmly on the side of honouring the remote option for mo...

Since being selected in 1Q 2022 to represent not only my organization, its division, but also my country location as a member of the IBM Manager Champion Group for that year, I frequently used the above virtual background in my web based calls. Working remotely had been my norm since well before the pandemic: that in itself deserves a separate post, especially since I have returned to a 3/2 split of office/home working in 2024. Yet it's inextricably linked to the main topic I've been ruminating on lately: corporate culture. The terms of manager and leader have been co-cited often by IBM HR. However, I believe we are all capable of behaving like leaders, whether or not we have the responsibilities and privileges afforded to us to perform managerial duties. The Growth Behaviours (note my Canadian spelling, unlike in the picture) as we have been encouraged to embody, consist of the following topics:   Growth Minded   by staying curious and open to feedback, experimentation, learn...

Mid December in 2021 marked six months since I moved from an Individual Contributor role of coordinating Infosec (although mainly electronic rather than paper based data related) Incident Response for my employer, to managing my former peers in the squad I'd been a part of for the prior two years. Since I'd had a 22 year career prior to my arrival in Cybersecurity, I'd had a long time to reflect upon what styles of management I would like to model, especially since I've experienced different styles of management as a practitioner. Generally speaking, the Golden Rule - treating others as I wish to be treated - resonates with me strongest. Being trusted, respected, and given constructive, timely feedback. Allowed to voice my views freely and perceived as a multi faceted individual rather than fitting into some mold of what someone in my role is supposed to be like, or limited by what I've already demonstrated rather than having my potential nurtured. I also hope that ...

Congruent, yet independent. A Mallard mother and part of her brood, Stadtpark Pond in Vienna (July 2013) The above photo, of a duck and her ducklings, was one of my (unsuccessful) entries in an intra-organizational contest just last month. Coincidentally, the notion of "treasuring wild ducks", metaphorically speaking, had been one of the subjects covered during my employer's Centennial commemoration. There is a 14 minute video with beautiful animation and story-telling, if you happen to have the time and inclination. As those following my  +Mayo Takeuchi Plus  presence may have realized some years ago, ducks are the most common type of wildfowl that I can readily record, in both still and moving images. This year in particular, the local park has seen a bumper crop of ducklings. Their precocial abilities still manage to impress me: aside from the youngest ones emitting a high pitched, urgent peeping call when they lose sight of their mother, they know how to indep...