Pivot or Press On?

It is OK to change the plan! As businesses we are all trying to find ways to earn revenue and meet our strategic goals as we adapt to the “new normal” of the virtual business market and world. With social distancing, work-from-home orders still in place for some, and the novel Coronavirus pandemic still not completely controlled, businesses are pivoting to survive during this unforeseen health and economic crisis.

“A pivot is a change in strategy without a change in vision.” Eric Ries, Author and Entrepreneur

A business pivot is a restatement of your business model. It is typically intended to help entrepreneurs recover from a difficult period or persevere after facing new competition, loss in revenue, or other factors that make the original business model unsustainable. Consequently, owners know that their business cannot survive in the unsustainable state, therefore, a pivot is sometimes the only plausible option for survival, according to the article “Is Pivoting a Last-Ditch Effort or a Sound Business Strategy?”.

There are some businesses that are currently thriving during this pandemic. Perhaps they offered a product or service designed for “such a time as this” or they were able to pivot and capitalize on market demands. Winery and distillery companies across the country were able to successfully shift into making hand sanitizer, filling the void and capitalizing using their alcohol products.

At some point all businesses will need to pivot in one area or another and this is where iSeek Solutions comes in. At iSeek, we subscribe to the notion that standardized, highly-repeatable processes produce predictable outcomes. iSeek Solutions equips organizations to create value and maximize growth through alignment of business and technology transformation and innovation. Over the years we have developed resources that assist us and our clients in successfully navigating the complexities of alignment.

In our consulting engagements, we utilize our internal resources to facilitate the engagement. Traditionally, our resources have only been available to our clients as part of a consulting contract. However, iSeek Solutions has pivoted by going digital, making our products and resources available to you without a formal contract, along with advisory assistance on how to maximize use of the resources in your organization.

To assist our clients in achieving alignment, which positions them to reach their strategic and tactical goals, we have developed a set of resources listed below that are available for use out-of-the-box or through collaboration with iSeek for client-specific customization.

iDMX© – Project Decision Matrix

A strategic, factor-based measurement tool that utilizes scientific practices to assess the benefits and constraints of an organization’s strategic factors and removes subjectivity from project decisioning and prioritization.

iPMM© – Project Management Methodology

A guide consisting of industry standard steps, processes & procedures for managing strategic projects through the project management lifecycle (PMLC) from ideation to implementation

iPMPlaybook© – Project Management Playbook

A suite of best practice, standardized tools & templates integral to managing projects through the project management lifecycle (PMLC) from ideation to implementation.

iBAPP

A framework that defines processes, tools & deliverables expected during each phase of the business analysis lifecycle (BALC) and can be referred to as a sub-methodology of the iPMM© specifically addressing the process & procedures of the Business Analyst (BA) role.

There are numerous factors that must be considered before embarking on a successful pivot and iSeek professionals possess the expertise and tools to assist your business in proactively developing future-facing strategies that mitigate the impact of COVID 19 and capitalize on growth opportunities.

To help your business adapt, change, and pivot for long term success, take a look at iSeek’s suite of resources to learn more about how you can access and obtain them.

Visit our websitesubscribe to our blog or follow us on LinkedIn to be one of the first to know when new Resources and Insights are available. Contact us directly at info@iseeksolutionsinc.com.

Mastering The Music

In this world of PMOs, PMPs, PgMPs, PfMPs and more, we forget that there are quite a number of organizations that have never adopted a standardized project management methodology, never hired PMPs to run projects, never built a PMO or sought out a portfolio or program manager.  But, without a doubt, these same organizations are executing projects.  The question is, how successful are those projects in meeting their goals and producing the desired deliverables, and how could they improve their success rate?

Use of essential project templates to generate meaningful project documentation is vital to ensuring a well-organized, efficient project.  The documents are collaboration tools for the team and visibility devices for leadership.  According to Leyna O’Quinn in her article,  “Why Organizations Need Project Management”,

  • Documentation stimulates and structures critical thinking in planning the project’s goals, risks, and constraints. The document is the evidence and chronicle of this critical thinking.
  • It provides memory containers for managing a level of detail that cannot be kept in people’s heads. This includes the small details easily overlooked during day-to-day project work, as well as the larger things easily remembered today, but potentially lost or forgotten due to the passage of time or critical personnel changes.
  • It keeps the team and other stakeholders synced up and informed about project changes, issues, and progress.

An organization which iSeek recently assisted in establishing a PMO and adopting a standardized project management methodology utilized iSeek Solutions’ iPMPlaybook©containing important project document templates.  The documents that had the most immediate impact on project management activities were as follows:

  1. A number of the organization’s novice project managers, who had no familiarity with project charters, gave iSeek’s Project Charter template strong reviews.  They found value in this document as a foundational tool used to capture the problem that originated the project, the solution to the problem and the goals, objectives, high level budget, anticipated risks, assumptions, and more.  Indeed, some departments began using the template for internal projects for which they were not required.
  2. Project team members and leadership came to rely upon the DRACI Log which merges several project management logs that are typically maintained and managed separately.  This template has been a game changer for some of these teams because the DRACI Log provides ‘one stop shopping’, a central location in which the project manager and team members can access descriptions and current statuses of decisions, risks, action items, change requests and issues.  Teams have come to depend on a weekly review of its content and ask for it by name. 

The Project Charter and DRACI Log are just two examples of the comprehensive, easy-to-use templates included in the iPMPlaybook©.  Among other essential templates included are a Business Requirements Document (BRD), Stakeholder Register, Communications Log, and Project Closure Form.

Imagine, if you will, that a project manager is much like a symphony conductor.  The conductor’s goal is to keep all the various instruments well blended and in tune, to offer balance in volume and tone, and to achieve a particularly rich sound, working as a team to deliver to the audience a single, cohesive performance.  Envision sheet music as the tool that keeps the orchestra in synch; it is the ‘memory container’ that the conductor uses to manage details and drive the orchestra to performance success.  Without the conductor and the sheet music, the performance would fall shy of the goal.

To help your organization create your sheet music and conduct your projects to success, check out iSeek’s suite of resources that includes a playbook of industry standard tools and essential templates.

Visit our website, subscribe to our blog or follow us on LinkedIn to be one of the first to know when new Resources and Insights are available. Contact us directly at info@iseeksolutionsinc.com.

Leadership in a State of Crisis

Is leadership an essential component in resolving a crisis? It’s a yes or no question.  Fairly easy to answer if you have witnessed the profound impact that effective leadership has had on a society, country or organization in crisis.  In times of great difficulty, history has shown us the extraordinary difference that good leadership has made to counter the detrimental harm caused by mismanagement, mistreatment, and misuse. The question can also be answered by anyone who has witnessed the absence of good leadership in a crisis.

During the global financial crisis of 08’ & 09’, we witnessed a highly touted CEO named Martin Winterkorn come to Volkswagen to turn the automobile manufacturer around. While competitive brands such as Nissan, Toyota and Honda began to surface from the financial crisis, Winterkorn’s challenge was compounded by Volkswagen’s difficulties in dealing with new emissions standards.  In an attempt to address the challenges, Winterkorn made examples out of employees he perceived as lack-luster performers. He also sought to publicly humiliate workers who did not meet his standards of perfection. Trust and respect with his employees were absent resulting in distrust between leaders and workers. Using a command and power approach to leadership, Winterkorn failed to reduce the damaging impact of the crisis on Volkswagen.

Around the time of Winterkorn’s tumultuous failure at Volkswagen, a relationship-oriented leader named John Donahoe was at the helm of a fledgling online company called eBay. At this time, eBay had performed inoperably in an online market that was transforming into the new digital age.  Although eBay was one of the first online stores to reach prominence in the global marketplace, it was facing a financial crisis that would make or break its future.  eBay’s competition was against the likes of internet giant Amazon who had the majority share of the market. Donahoe had his work cut out for him, but his “human touch” approach to leading people was reciprocated immediately.  By engineering a culture of corporate loyalty through listening and acting on a social agenda, Donahoe captured deep seated loyalty amongst employees and investors. His capacity to apprehend the needs of people and connect them with corporate goals was key to a positive shift out of the crisis.

Leadership is an essential component in resolving crises. Corporate leaders such as Donahoe at eBay utilized the “human touch” approach to influence, impact and imagine positive change. New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani called it a “social contract” that established a relationship of trust between leaders and followers during the 9/11 crisis. In this current period of unparalleled crisis, leadership is needed to create a coalition of reciprocal trust between employees, investors, and consumers.

Well known leadership author, educator, and businessman Stephen Covey said, “Leaders are not born or made – they are self made.”  A “self made” leader is one that becomes successful by his or her own efforts, often through educational pursuits, mentors, or professional development.

At iSeek, we believe that an investment in Professional Development, regardless of the type, reaps numerous benefits for your organization. Professional Development positions your organization to create effective leaders with enhanced skills and greater insight to guide their teams through crises.

iSeek’s Learning & Professional Development professionals are educated and certified in industry-leading leadership curriculums. We facilitate bootcamps for those preparing to sit for the Project Management Professional (PMP®) and Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP®) certification exams offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). Additionally, we provide training to enhance leadership skills. Our leadership series are based on the teachings of transformational leaders such as David Cottrell, best-selling author of the Monday Morning Series and John Maxwell, a world-renowned leadership expert.

To learn more about iSeek’s Learning and Professional Development programs visit our website. Subscribe to our blog or follow us on LinkedIn. To create or customize a program to meet your organization’s Learning and Professional Development needs, you may contact us directly at info@iseeksolutionsinc.com.

The Difference Between Success and Failure Begins with a Good Decision

Management Guru, Peter Drucker said “Most discussions of decision making assume that only senior executives make decisions or that only senior executives’ decisions matter. This is a dangerous mistake.

Organizations struggle to balance their existing portfolio of projects with a growing list of new demands. While managing competing projects, these organizations are expected to maintain peak performance in their core services and operations.  Therefore, deciding how to prioritize and separate the strategic and high priority projects from lower priority projects can be a grueling task.  Emotions can run high when people debate what is important to them.  This is why a structured and objective approach can be helpful in achieving consensus and balancing the needs of the entire organization, along with the priorities of each stakeholder.  Using a decision matrix is a proven technique for making tough decisions in an unbiased way.

iSeek’s Decision Matrix (iDMX©) has been used by several organizations to support structured decision-making. Our clients have benefited greatly by using our tool to objectively weigh each of their competing priorities in an effort to select what is most strategic, transformational and operationally important to their organization and stakeholders. When deciding which decision matrix tool is right for your organization, you should consider what’s included in it.  The iDMX© provides:

  • Help to consider complex and unclear constraints when there is a substantial number of benefits and value determining importance
  • A quick and easy, yet consistent, method for evaluating options
  • Enhanced objectivity by taking some of the emotion out of the process
  • A quantified way to consider decisions with numeric rankings
  • Adaptability to any priority-setting needs (projects, services, products, etc.)
  • Flexibility when used by a single person or group of stakeholders who require engagement and agreement

 

To learn more about iSeek’s Decision Matrix (iDMX©) tool, visit the Resources page on our website. Subscribe to our blog or follow us on LinkedIn to be one of the first to know when new Resources and Insights are available. Contact us directly at info@iseeksolutionsinc.com.

Thriving, Surviving or Failing?

Now, more than ever, the ability to effectively pivot might very well be the difference between thriving, surviving, or outright failing. Pivot, by definition, is a fundamental change in a company’s business model.

Whether the change is equipping the workforce to effectively work from home or shifting production from automotive parts to ventilators or deploying new business and technology platforms – change is challenging.

Over the past few months, we’ve highlighted the discipline, “Organization Change Management” (OCM), which addresses “the people side of change”. Change management has many moving parts, but the most important pieces are understanding the part people play, getting people on board and participating in the change.

In last month’s blog post, Organizational Change Management – Is your Organization Effectively Leading Change?, we identified two perspectives that are required to effectively manage change within a company: an individual perspective and an organizational perspective.

We stated that, according to Prosci, the organizational perspective is the process and activities that project teams utilize to support successful individual change. The individual perspective is an understanding of how people experience change.

As mentioned in our previous blog, change has become a constant. However, with change comes the natural reaction of employee resistance that organizations and leaders must be prepared for or what Prosci calls “proactive resistance management”. Resistance to change is one of the top obstacles to successful change. Here are 5 likely sources of resistance for almost any project:

  • Uncertainty: Employees who are highly invested in the current way of doing work
  • Pride of ownership: People who created the current way of doing work that will be changed
  • Increased workload: Employees who expect more work as a result of the change
  • Loss of Control: Those who advocated a particular alternative, say Option B, when Option A was ultimately selected
  • Fear of the unknown: People who have been very successful and rewarded in the current way of doing work

 

Prosci | The Global Leader in Change Management Solutions states: How many times have you heard, “our employees are our most important asset”? Then, when it comes time for a change to be implemented, employees are sent an email on Monday for training on Tuesday for go-live on Wednesday. That is not the right way to treat people, especially the people that are your most valuable asset. By proactively engaging and supporting people in times of change, we demonstrate in action that we value them.

Investing the time and energy to manage the people side of your organizational efforts pays off in the end – in terms of success of the effort and avoidance of the numerous costs that plague poorly managed change.

Prosci’s ADKAR® Model describes change as successful when an individual has:

  • Awareness of the need for change
  • Desire to participate in and support the change
  • Knowledge on how to change
  • Ability to implement required skills and behaviors
  • Reinforcement to sustain the change

 

If an individual is missing any of these five building blocks, then the change will not be successful. The goal, then, in leading the people side of change is ensuring that individuals have Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement.

Along with identifying why change is difficult and why some changes succeed while others are unsuccessful, the ADKAR® model also helps leaders identify what steps to take to prevent or mitigate resistance before it emerges and impacts the project and the organization.

Ultimately, change management focuses on how to help employees embrace, adopt and utilize a change in their day-to-day work. iSeek professionals trust and implement the Prosci ADKAR® Model to ensure thorough processes, minimal resistance and impact, and lasting change.

If you’re in the midst of pivoting, rethinking your strategy post-COVID-19 or making the necessary enhancements required to keep market share, don’t forget the “people side of change”. Let us help you navigate the change management process to mitigate change resistance and reach the intended ROI. Contact us today at info@iseeksolutionsinc.com. Check out our website, subscribe to our blog, or follow us on LinkedIn for more insights!

Organizational Change Management – Is your Organization Effectively Leading Change?

In last month’s blog post If you build it, they will come. Really? we highlighted the discipline “Organization Change Management” (OCM), which addresses “the people side of change.”

Organization Change Management is defined as the process, tools and techniques to manage the people side of change to achieve a required business outcome.

In order to stay relevant and thriving, companies must respond to changing markets, technical advances and customer demands.

Change management is one of the disciplines that is applied to a variety of organizational changes to improve the likelihood of success and return on investments.

To effectively manage change within a company, two perspectives are required: an individual perspective and an organizational perspective. The organizational perspective is the process and activities that project teams utilize to support successful individual change, according to Procsi.

Change can only be successful if the change takes place simultaneously on both levels – individual and organizational, according to Management Skills, Personal Effectiveness and Business Communication expert, Patty Mulder.

It is often said that an organization is only as strong as its leadership. As a leader in your organization, are you effectively endorsing, advocating and managing change? Below are a few traits of effective change leaders. How well do you measure up?

  • Leaders understand they are ultimately accountable and responsible for the successful implementation of change, which is ensuring the benefits of change are fully realized.
  • Leaders are role-models. Leading by example; providing visible, active support of the change.
  • Leaders embrace change management disciplines and create a strong network of sponsors throughout the organization.
  • Leaders support change management throughout the project lifecycle in various ways, to include assessing the need for specific change management skills and training and/or acquiring the necessary resources.

 

No company or organization is exempt from organizational changes. Change has become a constant. However, with change comes the natural reaction of resistance from employees that organizations and leaders must be prepared for; a proactive resistance management. Resistance to change is one of the top obstacles to successful change.

By outlining the goals and outcomes of successful change, the Prosci ADKAR® Model is an effective tool for planning change management activities, equipping leaders facilitating change, and supporting employees throughout the change.

The model helps leaders and organizations identify why change is difficult and why some changes succeed while others do not. The model also helps leaders determine what steps to take to prevent or mitigate employee resistance before it emerges and impacts the project and the organization.

The Prosci ADKAR® Model is a goal-oriented change management model that iSeek change management professionals trust and execute to develop thorough change management plans that mitigate resistance and ensure successful change.

Our next blog will discuss more insights on the Prosci ADKAR® Model and the individual/employee perspective of Organizational Change Management. So, stay tuned for more! Check out our website, subscribe to our blog, or follow us on LinkedIn. Again, if you’re about to kick-off a new project, or perhaps you’re already in the midst of one, and you want to ensure a thorough change management process exists to mitigate change resistance, contact us today at info@iseeksolutionsinc.com to get started on a change management plan.

If you build it, they will come. Really?

As Project Management Professionals, we’re experts at ensuring projects are delivered on time, on budget and meet the predefined scope and level of quality. Our project management methodology also advocates for well-defined project metrics and manages benefits realization. Often, our role entails managing “the people side of change”, which has its own professional discipline known as “Organizational Change Management”.

Far too long organizations have operated using the metaphor from the movie FIELD OF DREAMS, “If you build it, they will come.” Well, the statement is not exactly as it was quoted in the movie and the sentiment is not the answer to ensuring intended project outcomes are achieved. This reality is true whether the project is internal business transformation, a new product, or technology innovation.

Prosci | The Global Leader in Change Management Solutions states, There is a common denominator for achieving the intended outcomes of your initiative: people. Your initiatives impact how individual people do their work: their processes, job roles, workflows, reporting structures, behaviors and even their identity within the organization.”

We happen to agree with Prosci, which is why we became Prosci ADKAR® Certified. As was stated earlier, as project managers we were already managing the “people side of change”, so becoming certified change managers, better understanding the science behind it, and acquiring the tools and techniques elevated our game to a new level. We’re now better equipped to help our clients enhance change adoption, decrease change resistance and achieve the people-dependent portion of the project’s return on investment (ROI).

Our next 2 blogs will contain more insights on Organizational Change Management. So, stay tuned! Check out our website, subscribe to our blog, or follow us on LinkedIn. If you’re about to kick-off a new project, or perhaps you’re already in the midst of one, and you want to mitigate change resistance and ensure you achieve the people-dependent portion of the project’s return on investment (ROI), contact us today at info@iseeksolutionsinc.com to get started on a change management plan.

Black History Month 2020: Innovator, Booker Taliaferro Washington

Founder of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (now known as Tuskegee University) in Tuskegee, Alabama in 1881, Booker Taliaferro Washington (1856-1915) was an educator, orator, author, and one of the most influential African American leaders of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Washington was committed to improving the lives of African Americans after the Civil War. He advocated economic independence through self-help, hard work, and a practical education. His drive and vision built the historically black college of Tuskegee University into a major African American presence and place of higher learning. The university focused on training African Americans in agricultural pursuits, grew immensely, and became a monument to his life’s work. Through progress at Tuskegee, Washington showed that an oppressed people could advance.

On April 5, 1856, Washington was born into slavery on a plantation in Franklin County, Virginia. His mother, Jane, worked as a cook for plantation owner James Burroughs and his father was an unknown white man from a nearby plantation. At an early age, Washington went to work carrying sacks of grain to the plantation’s mill. With his size, hauling 100-pound sacks was hard work for a small boy, and he was occasionally beaten for not performing his duties satisfactorily. Peering into a schoolhouse near the plantation seeing children his age sitting at desks and reading books was Washington’s first introduction to education. He wanted to do what those children were doing, but he was a slave, and it was illegal to teach slaves to read and write.

After the Civil War, Washington, his siblings, and his mother moved to Malden, West Virginia, where she married freedman Washington Ferguson. Coming from a poor family, nine-year-old Washington went to work in the nearby salt furnaces with his stepfather instead of going to school. Washington’s mother noticed his interest in learning and got him a book from which he learned the alphabet and how to read and write basic words. He was still working at the time, so he got up nearly every morning at 4 a.m. to practice and study before work. It was around this time, Booker took the first name of his stepfather as his last name, Washington.

In 1866, Booker T. Washington got a job as a houseboy for Viola Ruffner, the wife of coal mine owner Lewis Ruffner. Mrs. Ruffner was known for being very strict with her servants, especially boys. Ruffner saw something in Washington — his maturity, intelligence and integrity — and soon warmed up to him. Over the two years he worked for her, she understood his desire for an education and allowed him to go to school for an hour a day during the winter months.

Determined to educate himself, in 1872, Washington left home and traveled 500 miles under great hardship until he arrived – broke, tired, and dirty – at Hampton Normal Agricultural Institute in Virginia. Along the way, he took odd jobs to support himself. He convinced administrators to let him attend the school and took a job as a janitor to help pay his tuition. The school’s founder and headmaster, General Samuel C. Armstrong, soon discovered the hardworking Washington and offered him a scholarship, sponsored by a white man. Armstrong had been a commander of a Union African American regiment during the Civil War and was a strong supporter of providing newly freed slaves with a practical education. Armstrong became Washington’s mentor, strengthening his values of hard work and strong moral character.

Washington graduated from Hampton in 1875 with high marks and taught at his old grade school in Malden, Virginia. In 1879, he was chosen to speak at Hampton’s graduation ceremonies, where afterward General Armstrong offered Washington a job teaching at Hampton. Two years later, in 1881, the Alabama legislature approved $2,000 for a “colored” school, the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute. General Armstrong was asked to recommend a white man to run the school but instead recommended Washington. Classes were first held in an old church, while Washington traveled extensively all over the countryside promoting the school and raising money. His achievements at Tuskegee earned him widespread support. An assertive, hands-on principal, Washington attended to every detail, from overseeing faculty and students, to school publications. He monitored the quality of instruction, inspected campus grounds and buildings, and scrutinized students. The university grew immensely and focused on training African Americans in agricultural pursuits.

Washington personally made sure that Tuskegee maintained its excellent reputation. On the other hand, he also reassured whites that nothing in the Tuskegee program would threaten white supremacy or pose any economic competition to whites.

A skilled politician and major political force, Washington developed relationships with blacks, whites, farmers and businessmen in the North and the South, but not everyone agreed with his views. Washington urged blacks to accept discrimination for the time being and concentrate on elevating themselves through hard work and material prosperity. While politicians and presidents sought him out, some in the African American community, such as W.E.B. Du Bois, saw him as a traitor and criticized the extent and use of his power and influence. President William McKinley visited Tuskegee. In 1901, Washington dined at the White House with President Theodore Roosevelt making him the first African American to be so honored. However, the fact that Roosevelt asked Washington to dine with him (inferring the two were equal) was unprecedented and controversial, causing an uproar among whites. Both President Roosevelt and his successor, President William Howard Taft, used Washington as an adviser on racial matters, partly because he accepted racial subservience.

Washington’s controversial Atlanta Exposition speech in 1895 (Atlanta Compromise) appeared to support separate development as a “”necessary condition for economic cooperation between the races.”” He said “”In all things that are purely social, we can be as separate as the fingers, yet as one hand in all things essential to mutual progress.”” The speech brought him fame as well as criticism. Many believe that Washington’s address laid the ground for state supported segregation. Dedicated to the continued existence of Tuskegee, Washington secretly supported many black causes for equality. For Washington, education and hard work led to economic independence, and then to political rights.

Washington remained the head of Tuskegee Institute until his death on November 14, 1915, at the age of 59, of congestive heart failure. Washington’s funeral was held on November 17, 1915, in the Tuskegee Institute Chapel, and was attended by nearly 8,000 people. He was buried on campus in a brick tomb, made by students, on a hill commanding a view of the entire campus.

Under Washington’s leadership, Tuskegee became a leading school in the country. At his death, it had more than 100 well-equipped buildings, 1,500 students, a 200-member faculty teaching 38 trades and professions, and a nearly $2 million endowment. Washington put much of himself into the school’s curriculum, stressing the virtues of patience, enterprise, and thrift. He taught that economic success for African Americans would take time, and that subordination to whites was a necessary evil until African Americans could prove they were worthy of full economic and political rights. He believed that if African Americans worked hard and obtained financial independence and cultural advancement, they would eventually win acceptance and respect from the white community.

In addition to his contributions in education, Washington contributed to the Progressive Era by forming the National Negro Business League. It encouraged entrepreneurship among black businessmen, establishing a national network. Washington also authored and co-authored many books that reflected his ideas on education and society. Up Slavery, his autobiography written in 1901, has been translated into many languages and is still widely read today. He was awarded many honorary degrees, including degrees from Harvard and Dartmouth Universities. The American people recognized his extraordinary achievements with a commemorative US postage stamp in 1940; in 1956 when his birthplace became Booker T. Washington National Monument; and again in 1974, when his residence at Tuskegee Institute, The Oaks, became part of the NPS Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site.”

His work greatly helped blacks to achieve education, financial power, and understanding of the U.S. legal system. This contributed to blacks’ attaining the skills to create and support the civil rights movement, leading to the passage in the later 20th century of important federal civil rights laws.

At iSeek we admire Booker T. Washington’s passion for education and hard work and understand the importance of professional and personal development. We are proud to recognize and celebrate Washington’s accomplishments, legacy, and leadership.

To learn more about Booker T. Washington and his contributions to history visit: https://www.tuskegee.edu/discover-tu/tu-presidents/booker-t-washington

To learn more about iSeek Solutions and our contributions, visit our websitesubscribe to our blog, or follow us on LinkedIn!

Black History Month 2020: Innovator, Annie Jean Easley

Raised by a single mother who told her she could do anything she wanted as long as she worked at it, Annie Easley (1933-2011) born in Birmingham, Alabama became one of the first African American computer and rocket scientists. She became one of the first African American women to be hired by NASA, specializing in computer programming and alternative energy technologies over the course of her 34-year career.

The daughter of Samuel Bird Easley and Mary Melvina Hoover was born April 23, 1933 and grew up in pre-Civil Rights Movement Birmingham. From the fifth grade through high school, Easley attended Holy Family High School, a private, Roman Catholic high school in the Ensley neighborhood of Birmingham, where she was valedictorian of her graduating class.

In 1950, Easley attended Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans for two years where she majored in pharmacology. In 1954, the Birmingham native briefly returned home and used her college education to help African Americans pass a Jim Crow-era discriminatory literacy test on Alabama’s history to secure their right to vote. Also, while in Birmingham, she briefly served as a substitute teacher in Jefferson County, AL., before marrying and moving with her husband to Cleveland, Ohio.

After moving to Cleveland in 1955, Easley was informed that the only pharmacy program in the region had just closed, so she had to find a different career. Easley ran across an article in a local Cleveland newspaper about twin sisters who worked as “human computers” at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) that piqued her interest. Easley applied for a job the next day and was hired two weeks later – she was one of four African Americans of about 2500 employees. Easley began her career as a mathematician performing complex mathematical calculations for the engineers by hand at the NACA Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory, which is now known as the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center in Ohio. She continued her education while working for the agency, and in 1977, obtained a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Cleveland State University. As part of a continuing education, Easley worked through specialization courses offered by NASA.

Letting nothing stop or discourage her, when human computers were replaced by machines, Easley evolved along with the technology and learned computer programming. She developed computer code for analyzing alternative energy technologies for electric vehicles, and some of her work led to battery development for hybrid cars. She was a leading member of the team which developed software for the Centaur, a booster rocket that launched spacecrafts such as Cassini. While at NASA, Easley also took on the role of equal employment opportunity counselor, helping address discrimination complaints regarding race, gender, and age.

Easley’s work at NASA provided the technological foundations for some of the most important inventions of the 20th century including launches of communications, military satellites, weather satellites, and storage batteries. Her work contributed to the 1997 flight to Saturn of the Cassini probe, the launcher of which had the Centaur as its upper stage. Throughout her career, Easley contributed to numerous programs as a computer scientist, inspired many through her enthusiastic participation in outreach programs, broke down barriers for women and people of color in science, technology, engineering, and mathematic (STEM) fields, and won the admiration and respect of her coworkers. Many who knew her would say that it was not just the work that she did that made a difference; it was her energy and positive attitude that had a tremendous impact.

Similar to Easley’s tech work at NASA, iSeek’s technology consulting professionals develop winning strategies that align the right technologies with business goals. At iSeek Solutions, we exceed for our clients when we are tasked with analyzing and enhancing hardware and software investments when performing technology evaluations and benefit analysis, architecting and deploying technology to ensure alignment between business and technology, and optimizing performance and managing expenses.

Easley retired from NASA in 1989. She skied, played tennis, and volunteered. She worked part-time in real estate and occasionally tutored. She passed away at age 78 in 2011, but her legacy, impact, contributions, and groundbreaking work continues to shape and advance our world today.

At iSeek, we admire Annie Easley’s tenacity and understand the importance of contributing and giving back to the community. We are proud to recognize and celebrate Easley’s accomplishments.

To learn more about Annie Easley and her contributions to history visit: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/annie-easley-computer-scientist

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Cyber Security: The Insider Threat

In an article posted by RSA Conference, the premier provider of global events and year-round online cybersecurity content, the contributor stated,

“In 2019, worldwide spending on information security products and services is estimated to reach over $124 billion.

However, the lack of internal collaboration contributes directly to data breaches in a number of ways. Studies of recent data breaches reveal that 70 percent of breaches are actually caused by people and process failures within the company. Contrast this with the fact that 60 percent of C-level executives believe that their current company solutions protect them well enough against hackers, vs only 29 percent of IT pros who believe the same.”

According to IBM’s 2015 Cyber Security Intelligence Index report, human error is almost always a factor in breaches. Although only 23.5% of cyber-attacks were carried out by inadvertent insiders (compared to 31.5% by malicious insiders), 95% of all breaches involved someone making a mistake.

And, in its 2019 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index report, IBM researchers observed that two of the most prolific ways inadvertent insiders leave organizations open to attack is by falling for phishing scams or social engineering, and through the improper configuration of systems, servers, and cloud environments, and by foregoing password best practices.

According to a Dell study which surveyed cyber security professionals, 59% listed managers as one of the biggest insider threats in cyber security, followed by contractors (48%), regular employees (46%), IT admin and staff (41%) and 3rd party service providers (30%).

So, what do all these quotes and statistics have in common? Cyber Threats and People, e.g., Insider Threat.

An insider threat is defined as a malicious threat to an organization that comes from people within the organization, such as employees, former employees, contractors or business associates, who have inside information concerning the organization’s security practices, data and computer systems. The threat may involve fraud, the theft of confidential or commercially valuable information, the theft of intellectual property, or the sabotage of computer systems.

The insider threat comes in three categories: 1) malicious insiders, which are people who take advantage of their access to inflict harm on an organization; 2) negligent insiders, which are people who make errors and disregard policies, which place their organizations at risk; and 3) infiltrators, who are external actors that obtain legitimate access credentials without authorization.

Of the estimated $124 billion spent on Cyber Security, how much is aimed at protecting your organizations information and systems from unauthorized insider misuse?

iSeek’s Insider Threat (InT) Assessment is an in-depth health check that identifies potential vulnerabilities, gaps in or lack of adherence to business processes, policies, procedures and governance, and management issues that open the door for insider threat incidents.

Our team of experts will devise a Roadmap to Develop, Adjust or Improve your organization’s Insider Threat program to proactively mitigate or recover from insider threat incidents.

For details about our Insider Threat (InT) Assessment, contact us today at info@iseeksolutionsinc.com. To learn more about iSeek’s solutions, check out our website, subscribe to our blog, or follow us on LinkedIn!