Building an IT Community

Status Go Podcast: Episode 31

” [Participants] get an understanding that they’re not in it alone, that many people have the same issues they have. They get to know other people who are doing similar work.” – Doug Theis

Status Go Podcast: Episode 31

” Bringing something valuable to an IT Community is the best way to build trust.” – Doug Theis

Status Go Podcast: Episode 31

” I’ve seen firsthand in my career the lack of leadership training in IT and other technical disciplines. The most logical thing to me was to help organizations develop better leadership skills inside of their IT team.” – Doug Theis

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Episode 31: Building an IT Community

As an IT leader in today’s challenging and exciting environment it is vitally important to be a part of a strong IT community. Our guest today, Doug Theis, Director of Market Strategy at Expedient and Founder of IT Leaders Indianapolis, says one of the biggest benefits realized by the group’s members are the understanding they are not alone in their quests, they are meeting people tackling similar issues and doing similar work. Doug joins Jeff Ton, of InterVision and Founder of the Indy CIO Network, to talk about their respective organizations: how they are structured, how they’ve grown and where to look if you’d like to join a similar group or better yet, how to start one yourself.

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Time Stamped Table of Contents

1:33 The start of the Indy CIO Network

3:20 Doug’s background and the why behind IT Leaders Indianapolis

8:26 Mentorship opportunities

10:40 Criteria for membership

14:07 Meeting cadence & structure

21:01 Tangible benefits

23:37 Supporting two groups in one market

25:09 How to find a group in your area

26:13 Starting your own community

30:59 Key takeaways

33:38 Funding

35:59 Summary

Doug Theis is the Director of Market Strategy in Expedient’s Indianapolis market. Doug focuses on engaging with and improving the regional IT community through planning, sponsoring and attending community events. Additionally, Doug facilitates IT-focused continuing education opportunities with an emphasis on sharing strategies, tactics, and research to help IT professionals stay abreast of best practices and industry trends. Follow Doug on Twitter and LinkedIn.