IT Leadership at USAID
Building a legacy for passion, people, and performance
Anyone who knows me knows that I enjoy renovation projects that make my home a better place. Although spending quality time with sawdust, grout, or pipe fittings isn’t often glorious, the improvements are immensely satisfying.
I often see parallels with my work at USAID. For instance, I suspect that readers of this blog are not salivating for the latest updates on our network failover options, cybersecurity scanning protocols, or the newest patches to our enterprise software.
At the same time, I find it equally satisfying to know that thousands of our staff worldwide — from Tanzania to Texas — are collaborating in a secure technology environment, attending meetings at the click of a button, and accessing mission-critical data and information.
Those who know me also know that I am an introvert by nature. This means I’d probably rather be exploring ways to enhance USAID’s technology offerings rather than drawing attention to my selection as one of the Best Bosses in Federal IT earlier this year. While I won’t pretend to know what specific attributes landed me on this list, I have been asked to share a few of my thoughts on leadership. The value of information sharing is certainly important to me as a Chief Information Officer, so here are a few thoughts:
1. Passion
I am at USAID for a reason. As a native of Guyana, I have personally seen the value of U.S. foreign assistance in bolstering the local capacities and self-reliance of vulnerable populations. I wake up every morning with a passion to improve the technologies by which we deliver aid and to enhance the effectiveness of our staff and partners on the front lines. The most effective members of my staff share this passion, which serves as a unifying force in all we do. Addressing network issues, cybersecurity controls, or mobile device configurations may not be sexy in the day-to-day, but the beauty becomes apparent when the Agency mobilizes these technologies to improve lives around the globe. I seek to recruit and maintain a workforce that shares a passion for using state-of-the-art technologies to improve lives, even if our daily work may take place outside the limelight.
2. People
I view myself as a contributor to the team. I recognize that my team’s priorities often need to be my own, and I must adjust my approach accordingly. I need to help them be successful at the tactical level if we are going to succeed together more strategically. We have so many ambitious, fast-moving initiatives underway that I also need to assume the best about my staff and rely on their professional judgement. I don’t have all the answers, but I am constantly amazed at the creativity and commitment of my staff to addressing some of the most complex data and technology challenges faced by the Agency. I believe in the value of making myself available to listen and maintain objectivity.
3. Performance
In some ways, it’s easy to establish and report performance metrics in the realm of information technology. Numbers related to help desk ticket resolution, remote access logins, and network downtime are easy to come by. However, these are output measures that fall short of capturing true impact. I constantly remind myself (and my staff) that we exist to support the business of the Agency. What really matters is whether we are creating an enabling environment for USAID to respond more efficiently, manage more effectively, and make decisions that are informed by sound evidence. These are the optics through which I establish expectations for our projects so that we can remain focused on strategic results rather than tactical outputs.
In the digital world, it’s easy to get distracted by opportunities to sit on a stage or participate in discussion panels that tout the promise of the newest technologies. While there is some merit in these discussions, I think it is important to recognize that they represent the tip of the iceberg. The vast majority of the work in making these technologies sing takes place behind the scenes, wrestling with complex issues related to information architecture, data curation, cybersecurity, and legal compliance.
Like me, many of the USAID professionals that tackle these challenges on a daily basis would rather deliver a concrete solution than a technology talk in the spotlight. Dealing with the digital equivalent of sawdust, grout, and pipefitting is immensely satisfying when we see the improvements our work facilitates in the lives of our staff, our partners, and the people we serve around the world.
This month, USAID earned its fourth “A” rating on the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) 10.0 Scorecard. That makes USAID the only federal agency to receive four “A” ratings since the Committee published the first FITARA Scorecard in November 2015.
About the Author
Jay Mahanand is USAID’s CIO.
