Information Interview — A Seasoned Finance Professional

Name: Mark Haggerty

Title/Position: IBM Systems Finance Transformation Project Manager

Company: IBM

Industry: IT

Years with IBM: 32 Years

Formal Education: Bachelors in Accounting from Marist College

Questions about the Contact:

1. What do you do? What are the duties/functions/responsibilities of the job?

Mark’s current role is undefined. It was created at the request of senior finance executives within IBM and it was to be a liaison between IBM Systems and the Corporate Finance Transformation Team. He primarily implements projects for IT support, such as dashboards and analytical tools. His day to day activities are to bring teams together to brainstorm on what processes need to be fixed, help them determine a course of actions to fix that process, and guide them along to implement that fix.

2. Why did this type of work interest you, and how did you get started?

Mark told me how he was very familiar with IBM Systems Finance after being in the Systems brand his entire career. He knows all the key contacts and knows how most of the finance processes work. It was a natural fit for him to slide into this role. He was also interested in becoming Agile certified as a project manager. This role gave him an opportunity to continue working with those he was most familiar with, but to take on new challenges without having traditional finance responsibilities.

3. What part of this job do you personally find most satisfying? Most challenging?

The challenge of this role is that most people think its Mark’s job to fix their problem. In reality, he is there to support the teams as they work to find and implement solutions for their own problems. He connects the leadership with those people that have the solutions. He gets the right subject matter experts to help implement the changes.

4. What is your professional background? Where did you start, and how did you get to where you are now?

Mark first started as a cost accountant for Raw Material Operating Supply Chain within our Microelectronics business unit. In that position he costed materials that went into the processor chips. After that role, he held multiple positions in accounting, including management roles. He then moved on to a business controls position before transitioning to the finance side of the business. He continued to hold a variety of roles in finance consolidation. Most recently, he was the Systems SG&A and OIOC Expense Controller, a role he held for over 7 years.

5. Why did you decide to work for IBM?

Location was a key decision point in why Mark decided to work for IBM. He held two other positions at companies other than IBM, but to have a career in those would require him to move outside of the New York area. IBM also provided multiple career path opportunities, including those outside of accounting. This is evident by his stint in business controls and his ultimate transition into finance.

6. What skills or talents are essential to being effective in your job?

Interpersonal and communication skills are critical to Mark’s success at IBM thus far. He really enjoys being a manager of people, and the ability to communicate difficult concepts as well as the businesses strategy to your employees is key. This also helps to treat your employees fairly.

7. Is there something you wish you’d known or a skill you wish you had when starting out at IBM? Or, is there something you wish you had done differently starting out?

A better game plan of where he was headed in his career is one thing Mark wished he would have had when he started out after college. He, just like many of his colleagues, just went with what his manager suggested. In IBM, your first line manager has significant influence on which jobs to take. To get to where you want to go, you need to take the initiative to proactively seek out which jobs you should take next. Then you let your manager know what your short and long term career goals are. You must take the initiative and set the tone of conversations to indicate your goals.

Questions about Communicating for Leadership:

1. How would you describe yourself as a leader?

Mark described himself as a good communicator with his teams that he has managed. As life was changing in the finance consolidation teams, he saw communication as a critical tool to keep people feeling like they were part of the team. The ability to clearly and succinctly communicate the mission and goals of the company are qualities of true leaders.

2. Could you tell me story about challenge you faced as leader? How did you solve it? How did it change you?

As things were changing in finance consolidation, he knew that the team had to be light on its feet and willing to change as the business needs changed. The key was to communicate with the team that they needed to ensure their skills were up to date and that as the business changed, they would be able to keep up. Adaptability was a key trait that he preached to his extended team.

3. Could you tell me a story about a time you needed to deal with a difficult person or have a difficult conversation?

As a manager, he did have to inform employees on more than one instance that their position was being eliminated and they would no longer be employed by IBM. The key to that was to keep the conversation factual, and to keep emotion out of the conversation. A critical component is to be prepared for multiple potential responses. Mark informed me that he utilized role play conversations with his manager to prepare for these conversations.

4. Could you tell me story about a time you need to communicate to get a group of people to change?

Mark spent a lot of time communicating with his employees as the business was changing significantly. The key change he needed his team to be aware of is that reorganizations were imminent and they would need to be willing to move on to different roles, some roles may even be outside their comfort zone. These changes were crucial for Mark to be able to protect his employees and to avoid the potential of being laid off if they were unwilling or unable to move on to new roles.

Questions seeking Advice:

1. Do you have special words of warning or encouragement as a result of your experience?

The first thing Mark told me when I asked this question is that communication is key. This is very appropriate given the topic of the course I am currently in. The days of being able to come in, sit at your desk all day working away, and not communicate with others are no longer an option.

2. Would you mind taking a look at my resume?

Mark looked at my resume, and informed me that I should add that I am pursuing my MBA to the education section. There were no other significant comments.

3. How would you assess my experience in terms of advancing at IBM?

According to Mark, I have built a good base so far in my career. I have demonstrated leadership in my role as team lead. He commented that I have expense nailed, referring to the fact that my 4 ½ career with IBM has all been in Systems expense, albeit in a few different subsections of it.

4. Where might my skills fit in field outside of finance but within IBM?

Mark recommended a few different areas that would still be within the finance/accounting function of IBM, but would be either outside of IBM Systems finance, the Rochester Center of Excellence, or both. The first, Business Controls, could be in or outside of finance. It would afford me an opportunity to work in a cross-functional nature, and get exposure across many teams. The next was in a role that would be either pricing, revenue, or gross profit centered. I should look at the P&L and see where I could get experience, essentially somewhere outside of expense. Lastly, he strongly suggested that I get out of IBM Systems, regardless of what type of role I may end up in. He suggested that I go work for GTS, GBS, or S&D, which are other business units inside of IBM.