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Only as good as those around you
They say that you are only as good as those around you. Other “they“‘s say that steel sharpens steel. Still other “they“‘s say that it takes one to know one. There are probably a thousand ways of saying it. Good people are good because not only are they good, but they associate with others that are good. They improve by being around others who make them better.
Personally, I have been in this position. Several of the people that I consider very good friends certainly qualify. Some of them because of their professional abilities, some of them because of their personal abilities, and still others for other reasons - from compassion, to character, to knowledge, to ability to share. I have been truly blessed by those that I have been associated with. Even those that I have only known a short time - such as some from Washington State - have been a great inspiration to me personally, professionally, spiritually, and in other ways.
One of those people who fall into this overall category is Paul Dupree. Paul is the head of IT at Asbury College. Over the 8-10 years I lived in Lexington this last time he and I have developed a solid professional relationship. There are many reasons why I put Paul into this category. However, this posting is not about me and my relationship with Paul. This posting is about an instance where others have recognized Paul. I, along with most of the world, get to sit back and say, “Yeah, I knew that was true, and it is nice to see others recognizing it.”
In this case, we have the following story released on Reuters on Monday, September 21, 2009 titled “Everything Channel Announces the CIO 50 West Winners” and a copy can be found at http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS85075+21-Sep-2009+PRN20090921. This news release talks about CIO’s being honored for “IT Executives for Influence, Innovation and Ability to Collaborate with Integrators and Vendors” and is given to the “top 50” mid-sized organizations’ CIO type people. Number 22 on that list is Paul Dupree. I would invite you to read the entire article. The award was sponsored by IBM, HP, and others.
I am very proud to be associated with Paul and I am very happy for him to have been honored in this way. I hope that his employer takes notice, because I know their competitors will. In my current position, I am getting to be known for the statement, “What does success look like”? Obviously such a question is highly variable and is based on the situation. However, being named “one of the 50 best CIO’s nationally (oh, and the highest rated college/university CIO on the list, if you didn’t notice) certainly takes a bunch of variables into consideration. It is also nice because it compares apples to apples. It is hard to compare an IT manager to a CFO or a HR Executive or a President. This is a great example of what success looks like.
Paul has stated that such an award is actually an honor to the staff that work for him. I agree that it does show this. However, If you look at any professions organization, you find that it is more than the basic talent. There is a reason why certain teams in professional sports are perennial winners - Texas Longhorns Football, Kentucky Wildcats Basketball, Alabama Football in the 50’s, and the list goes on and on. While they do generally get really good talent, it is the coach that turns really good into great. Likewise it is the manager of a professional organization that does the same thing. Paul has hired some fantastic professionals. These professionals have followed Paul’s game plan and have succeeded in doing so. I know and have worked with a number of his current and former staff. They are indeed outstanding talented individuals. My personal opinion is that Paul has turned them into a good enough team where others have recognized his excellence. I can imagine that the future looks even brighter as he continues to work his game plan and develops his staff even more.
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