DBI Software Blog :: Performance :: Maximum Performance Is Only Possible When You Consider the Entire System

Maximum Performance Is Only Possible When You Consider the Entire System By Scott Hayes, President and Founder, DBI Software

Considering the system as a whole is crucial. In the world of databases, it makes all the difference in the world to understand how queries are actually used in the business.

In their March 2011 article in Harvard Business Review, Boris Groysberg, L. Kevin Kelly, and Bryan MacDonald write:

“One strikingly consistent finding: Once people reach the C-suite, technical and functional expertise matters less than leadership skills and a strong grasp of business fundamentals. Chief information officers need to know how to create business models; chief financial officers, how to develop risk management strategies; chief human resource officers, how to design a succession plan and a talent structure that will provide a competitive edge."

"In other words, the skills that help you climb to the top won’t suffice once you get there. We’re beginning to see C-level executives who have more in common with their executive peers than they do with the people in the functions they run. And today members of senior management are expected not only to support the CEO on business strategies but also to offer their own insights and contribute to key decisions.”

Translation - the best accountants aren’t becoming CFOs, the best salespeople aren’t becoming CSOs or CMOs, and the best techs aren’t becoming CIOs. Instead the chief skill that destines you for the C-suite is the ability to consider the business as a whole. CFOs can’t just think about how to cut expenditures, they have to think about how to increase revenue—and do that on an international scale. Chief marketing officers have to create campaigns that follow sales. And CIOs must mesh systems that lay the foundation for all elements of the organization to collaborate and grow. In my line of work, considering the system as a whole is crucial.

In fact, most of my business comes from helping companies who run into problems because they didn’t consider the system as a whole: they saw one tiny, un-indexed database query and dismissed it because it was so small. But in looking myopically at a single small query, they failed to grasp the whole: that across the business this single query was run hundreds - or thousands - or millions of times a day, and in so doing slowing the database to a crawl, and bringing a company to its knees.

As a C-level leader, you’re evaluated - and rewarded - by your ability to consider how your areas affect and accelerate the entire business. In the world of databases, it makes all the difference in the world to understand how queries are actually used in the business. What are the areas in your span of control that you need to reconsider from the point of view of the entire business?

What You Need to Know
The leaders who advance to the highest levels have the ability to think about the business as a whole.

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Maximum Performance Is Only Possible When You Consider the Entire System

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