Generac Power Systems的Tim Dickson是一位屡获殊荣的CIO，他通过技术和人才推动变革。他被称为数字游戏规则的改变者，在先进技术和商业战略的交叉点上运作。他通过履行四个“CEO”角色来做到这一点：首席支持官、首席提升官、首席浓缩官和首席能源官。
Dan Roberts：近年来，CIO的角色得到了提升，虽然不适合胆小的人，但大多数人会说，现在是成为CIO或IT专业人员的最佳时机。您如何看待首席信息官不断变化的角色？
蒂姆·迪克森：我有一个有趣的故事，有点包含它。首席信息官在接受新工作时口袋里的一件事是什么？这是90天计划。每个人都知道这一点。它精通，写得很好。因此，我带着我的 90 天计划的方法来到了 Generac。我的老板，首席执行官，说，’这是一个很好的计划，蒂姆。两周后我需要它。
这总结了首席信息官的角色是如何变化的。旧方法不再真正有效。传统的CIO不是公司正在寻找的。我想每个人都知道，在这个角色中，你应该做更多的事情，你必须做得更多，你可以做更多的事情来与你的公司和你的老板更相关。在这种特殊情况下，我很幸运能够直接为首席执行官工作。他预料到了这一点。我可以有任何头衔，但如果数字战略、数据和人工智能的组成部分可以帮忙，他会希望我这样做。如果商业战略有一个方面，他希望我这样做。如果有一个方面需要联络中心，这通常不在IT配置文件中，他希望我这样做。因此，作为首席信息官，你应该做更多的事情，我认为这就是这个角色正在发生变化的原因。
你现在围绕数据和人工智能写的故事是什么？
这是很酷的一个。这就是我们在今年的CIO 100研讨会和奖项活动中获得的奖项。它被称为PowerINSIGHTS，我认为这是许多制造公司可以学习的。这也是威斯康星州的故事。威斯康星州有很多传统的制造公司，当制造公司运送所有这些具有保修和类似性质的资产时，这些年来会发生什么？他们自然而然地进入了物联网领域。这些资产开始发出数据。这只是某物的自然演变。哈雷戴维森摩托车发出数据。Generac 生成器发出数据。罗克韦尔就在这里——他们有大量的东西可以发出数据。
因此，这些在某些业务或流程方式上遗留下来的老牌制造公司现在可以成为很酷的科技公司，因为它们正在发出数据。他们现在处于物联网领域，您对物联网数据的处理可以通过 AI 帮助您的业务受益，也可以通过 AI 使您的客户受益。对我来说，这是Generac的一个了不起的演变。在我加入的时候，大门是敞开的，可以从我们来自全国和世界各地的所有产品中收集和整合所有这些物联网数据，在地理空间可视化地图中显示这些数据，然后在趋势、停电和预测模型方面将一大堆人工智能包裹在上面，以及我们有可能在我们以前没有的领域产生更多业务的地方。
所有这些事情现在都是可能的，因为我们将所有数据集中在一个地方。我们让它在视觉上吸引人们。我们将人工智能包裹在其中，它现在是一股不可忽视的力量。这不仅是我们的内部销售和营销团队用来推动更多业务到 Generac 的工具，而且现在它也掌握在我们的经销商、我们的客户手中，以利用他们来销售更多我们的东西。
使这成为可能的是，您可以掌握数据，连接，整合数据，并在一个位置的一个平台上获取数据。因为你永远不知道将要创建什么，以及由于两个不同的数据片段现在连接之前从未连接过，会发生什么。我有一句话是我用的：你能把这些点连接起来吗？如果你能把这些点连接起来，看看当通常不会这样做的东西聚集在一起时会发生什么，那么就会有一个充满机会的美好世界。这是眼前的挑战，这就是我们对PowerINSIGHTS所做的。
我们不能独自完成，这意味着您需要依靠技术供应商合作伙伴关系。您用什么标准来确定投资谁？
三年前我是镇上的新人，所以我会给任何人怀疑的好处。但是对于我的任何战略供应商合作伙伴和任何新的供应商合作伙伴来说，如果他们接受我的愿景，接受我的战略，并且愿意很早就合作——不一定是赠送免费软件，而是培训我的团队，向他们展示如何使用它，让它不仅仅是一笔交易，并在开始时放弃一点东西，以可能获得更长期的业务——这些都是我喜欢工作的人。跟。
首席信息官不会当场购买软件。他们希望看到供应商合作伙伴能够成为战略供应商合作伙伴，并愿意在开始时付出一点并投资于您的战略和愿景，以实现长期业务。对我来说，这是一个了不起的哲学。Microsoft，Databricks，UiPath和其他一些公司一直是我们的大合作伙伴，因为他们愿意坐下来了解我作为这家公司的首席信息官想做什么，以及我希望我的团队如何被视为那些现在了解这项新兴技术的技术专家，并且可以与公司一起支持它。这就是我们在过去三年中能够做很多事情的原因。不是每个供应商合作伙伴都会这样做，但那些确实拥有这种持久关系的合作伙伴。
你非常积极地让他们进来吃午饭和学习，真正帮助教育你的团队并扩大他们的视野。
这就像一场三连胜。供应商合作伙伴有机会向他们以前可能从未合作过的公司展示他们的东西。他们遇到了我的团队，如果你从事IT工作，你自然会对学习新技术感到好奇和感兴趣。如果你能在午餐时以一种有趣和协作的方式做到这一点，通过一些培训或一些视频以及他们与其他客户一起做的一些最佳实践，那就是协作和成功的秘诀。你让学习变得有趣，你让技能变得有趣，你让新兴技术变得容易学习，有人会抓住它并带着它跑。这就是你最终所希望的。
您是否发现他们经常会陷入与我们自己行业的人相同的陷阱，即以功能繁重、事务性的方式出现和沟通，而不是专注于业务成果和关系建立？
我称之为PowerPoint和产品之间的区别。你从那个伴侣那里寻找的是，他们愿意听你说的话吗？他们是否愿意相信你对业务有足够的了解，如果他们要投入时间、金钱和技术，他们会从中得到一些东西？因为这也是他们这边的赌注。
在这个时代，这是一个很棒的食谱。他们赢了，你赢了，这种关系和信任是你想要的，不仅在那家公司，而且如果你去另一家公司，你会信任那些合作伙伴，你会把这些人带进来。因此，他们必须看到，除了交易之外，还有一种不同的销售方式。如果他们愿意花时间倾听，并为长期回报预先付出一点点，那么在我的投资组合中就有他们的一席之地。
您如何保持领先趋势、预测模式并与合作伙伴携手合作，为您的业务带来优势？
我会这么说，这是你性格档案的一部分，现在避险不是一件好事。如果你不愿意冒险，看看新技术能做什么，你就把一些东西留在了桌面上，这些东西需要数年时间才能找回来，事实上，你甚至可以把它找回来。
以ChatGPT为例。每个人都从圣诞节假期回来，突然之间ChatGPT出现在我们的脸上。如果你在一个典型的技术会议上问观众，我敢打赌50%的人会说他们当时关闭或阻止了ChatGPT。我们认为这是一个机会。我们认为，这不仅是 IT 部门加强并了解这件事以及如何利用它的机会，而且是潜在地推动业务价值的机会，包括客户体验、用户体验，无论可能是什么。
所以我们马上发布了一项政策，教育人们这个东西是什么。我们很早就举办了一个 ChatGPT 黑客马拉松，我们有一个战略供应商合作伙伴进来，向我们展示其他人在做什么。他们教我们内部用例和外部用例。现在，在接下来的一两个月里，我们在这里发布了三次我们自己生成的 ChatGPT 私有实例。这对公司来说是巨大的举措，他们肯定会改变方向。
如果我们不愿意冒一些风险，我们就不可能做到。我有网络安全，但我也有数字、数据和人工智能。这是一种健康的紧张感。我必须让我的网络人沿着我的数字主管想要去的地方前进，这是一个独特的范式，我认为很多人都没有。但是，如果你在ChatGPT出现时厌恶风险，你可能没有看到现在明显的可能性。我认为在接下来的几个月左右的时间里，你将开始看到一些组织正在做的非常酷的事情——希望也是我们的——使用OpenAI和生成AI。
获得先发优势是一件大事，但你不能只是用人工智能按下开关并参与这个游戏。就所涉及的内容而言，业务需要注意什么？
任何以前构建过AI模型的人都知道，它可能不是一开始最准确的，这是企业可能还没有准备好的一件事。您必须拥有IT的运营方面，不断提供可能提供不同类型的见解的新数据。你必须训练这个模型。随着时间的推移，它肯定会变得更好，但你需要对你的一些业务合作伙伴有耐心，并帮助他们理解，为了真正微调和提供洞察力，必须这样做。我认为这可能是其中一些可能令人沮丧的地方。它最初可能不会产生这个结果，但如果你坚持下去并为引擎供电，可以这么说，它会随着时间的推移而产生。
我们发现，这可能与任何利用这一点的人一致，它成为一个因素，一个模型或几个模型，或者一个选项。我不认为它会在早期取代很多东西，但它会增强一个人，它会增强一个过程，它可能会增强另一项技术，这是一件健康的事情。与工具箱中的一些东西相比，它显示了它的价值。现在，如果您愿意，它被用作附加选项，这将提供额外的见解。我认为随着时间的推移，它将在我们的决策中发挥更大的作用。
随着速度、速度、复杂性和对做更多事情的期望，是什么让它成为从事这个职业的好时机？
那里有这么多新技术，你对这一切有一种完整的权限。看看网络安全领域就知道了。那里正在进行的投资以及由于网络而现在可以做的事情令人难以置信。因此，如果你能理解这项技术，并且作为一名首席信息官，这是第一职位描述，那么利用这些知识和力量来推动公司向前发展、改变你的组织或创建新的商业模式有很多很棒的可能性，这就是数字化转型的全部意义——创建新的商业模式或收购新公司可能会带你进入一个新的空间。
它始于理解技术的基础。因为你处于优势地位。业务人员应该了解业务。但是，如果你非常了解这项技术，并且知道这些想法、这些潜在的解决方案、这些创新、这些新的上市产品如何影响业务，那么你对公司的价值就会大得多，你会被视为不仅仅是首席信息官，你会被看到更多。
英文原文：
Generac’s Tim Dickson on the evolving CIO role
From establishing win-win partnerships to making the most of emerging technologies such as generative AI, business strategy is at the center of everything IT leaders commit to, Dickson says.
Generac Power Systems’ Tim Dickson is an award-winning CIO who drives transformative change through technology and talent. He’s known as a digital game changer who operates at the intersection of advanced technology and business strategy. And he does it by fulfilling four “CEO” roles: chief enablement officer, chief elevation officer, chief enrichment officer, and chief energy officer.
Dan Roberts: The role of the CIO has been elevated in recent years, and though it’s not for the faint of heart, most would say there’s never been a better time to be a CIO or an IT professional. What’s your take on the changing role of the CIO?
Tim Dickson: I have a funny story that sort of encompasses it. What is the one thing a CIO has in his back pocket when he takes a new job? It’s the 90-day plan. Everybody knows that. It’s well versed and well written. So I came into Generac with my approach for my 90-day plan. My boss, who’s the CEO, said, ‘That’s a great plan, Tim. I need that in two weeks.’
That summarizes how the role of the CIO is changing. The old approaches don’t really work anymore. The traditional CIO isn’t what companies are looking for. I think everyone knows, in this role, you’re expected to do more, you have to do more, and you can do more to be more relevant for your company and your boss. In this particular case, I’m very fortunate to work directly for the CEO.
He expected that. I could have any title, but if there’s a component of digital strategy and data and AI that I can help with, he’s going to expect me to do that. If there’s an aspect of business strategy, he expects me to do that. If there’s an aspect of taking on the contact center, which is not normally in an IT profile, he expects me to do that. So you’re expected to do more in your role as the CIO, and I think that’s why the role is changing.
What’s the story you’re writing around data and AI right now?
It’s pretty cool one. It’s what we won the award for at the CIO 100 Symposium & Awards event this year. It’s called PowerINSIGHTS, and I think it’s one that a lot of manufacturing companies can learn from. It’s also a Wisconsin story. There’s a lot of legacy manufacturing companies in the state of Wisconsin, and what happens over the course of the years when manufacturing companies ship all these assets that have warranties and things of that nature? They naturally get into the IoT space. These assets start emitting data. It’s just the natural evolution of something. A Harley-Davidson motorcycle emits data. A Generac generator emits data. Rockwell is here — they have a ton of stuff that emits data.
So these older manufacturing companies that were legacy in some of their ways of doing business or processes now can be cool tech companies because they’re emitting data. They’re now in the IoT space, and what you do with IoT data can help benefit your business through AI and also your customers through AI. To me, it was an awesome evolution of Generac. At the time I was joining, the door was wide open to collect and consolidate all this IoT data from all of our products from across the country and across the world, show that in a geospatial visualization map, and then wrap a whole bunch of AI on top of that in terms of trends and power outages and predictive models and where we potentially could generate more business in areas we weren’t in before.
All these things are now possible because we brought all the data together into one place.
We made that visually appealing to people. We wrapped AI into it, and it’s now a force to be reckoned with. This is a tool that not only our internal sales and marketing teams use to drive more business to Generac, but it’s also now in the hands of our dealers, our customers, to leverage them to sell more of our stuff as well.
What makes this possible is getting your arms around the data, connecting, consolidating, and getting that in one platform in one location. Because you never know what is going to be created and what’s possible as a result of two different pieces of data that have never been connected before now being connected. I have this phrase that I use: Can you connect the dots? And if you can connect the dots and see what could be possible when things are brought together that don’t normally do so, then there’s a wonderful world of opportunity. That was the challenge at hand and that’s what we did with PowerINSIGHTS.
We can’t do it alone, which means you need to lean on your technology vendor partnerships. What criteria do you use for determining who to invest in?
I was the new guy in town three years ago, so I’ll give anyone the benefit of the doubt. But for any of my strategic vendor partners and any new vendor partner, if they buy into my vision, buy into my strategy, and are willing to partner very early on — not necessarily give away free software, but train my team, show them how it’s used, make it more than a transaction, and give up a little something in the beginning to potentially get the business longer term — those are the folks I enjoy working with.
CIOs are not going to buy software on the spot. They want to see that the vendor partner can become a strategic vendor partner and is willing to give a little and invest in your strategy and vision in the beginning to get that longer-term business down the road. To me, that’s been an awesome philosophy. Microsoft, Databricks, UiPath, and a few others have been big partners of ours because they were willing to sit down and understand what I wanted to do as CIO of this company and how I wanted my team to be viewed as those tech experts who now knew this new emerging tech and could champion that with the company. That’s what has allowed us to do so much over these last three years. Not every vendor partner is going to do that, but the ones that do have that long-lasting relationship.
You’re pretty proactive about having them come in and do lunch and learns and really help educate your team and expand their horizons.
It’s like a trifecta kind of win. The vendor partner gets a chance to show their stuff to a company they may never have worked with before. They get to meet my team, who, just naturally if you’re in IT, you are curious and interested about learning new tech. And if you can do that in a fun and collaborative way over lunch with some training or some videos and some best practices from how they’ve done it with other customers, that is a recipe for collaboration and success. You make learning fun, you make upskilling fun, you make emerging tech easy to learn in that way, and somebody is going to grab hold of it and run with it. That’s what you hope at the end of the day.
Do you find that they can often fall into the same trap as those in our own profession sometimes do in terms of showing up and communicating in a features-heavy, transactional way as opposed to focusing on business outcomes and relationship building?
I call that the difference between PowerPoint and product. What you’re looking for from that partner is, are they willing to listen to what you have to say? Are they willing to trust that you know enough about the business, that if they’re going to invest their time, their money, their technology, that they will get something out of it? Because it’s a bet on their side as well.
In this day and age, that’s an awesome recipe. They win, you win, and that relationship and that trust is where you want it, not only in that company, but if you go on to a different company, you’re going to trust those partners and you’re going to bring those folks in. So they have to see that there’s a different way of selling than just a transaction. If they’re willing to put in the time and listen and give just a little bit upfront for that longer-term return, then there’s a spot for them in my portfolio.
How do you stay ahead of trends, anticipate patterns, and lean in with your partners to give your business an edge?
I will say this, and this is a part of your personality profile, risk aversion right now is not a great thing. If you’re not willing to take a chance and see what that new tech can do, you’re leaving something on the table that is going to take years to try to get back if, in fact, you can even get it back.
Take ChatGPT. Everyone comes back from Christmas holiday and all of a sudden ChatGPT is in our face. If you asked the audience at a typical tech conference, I bet 50% would say they turned off or blocked ChatGPT at that time. We saw it as an opportunity. We saw it as an opportunity not only for IT to step up and learn about this thing and how to leverage it, but as an opportunity to potentially drive business value, in customer experience, user experience, whatever that may be.
So we issued a policy right off the bat and educated people about what this thing was.
We had a ChatGPT hackathon early on where we had a strategic vendor partner come in and show us what other folks are doing with this thing. They taught us about internal use cases and external use cases. And now we have three launches happening here over the next month or two of our own private instance of ChatGPT we generated. They’re huge initiatives for the company and they’re definitely going to move the needle.
If we were not willing to take some risks, we couldn’t have done it. I’ve got cybersecurity but I also have digital, data, and AI. That’s a healthy tension. I had to get my cyber guy along the ride with where my head of digital wanted to go, and that’s a unique paradigm that I think a lot of people don’t have. But if you were risk averse when ChatGPT came out, you probably didn’t see the possibilities that are now evident. I think over the course of the next few months or so, you’re going to start seeing some pretty cool things that some organizations are doing — hopefully ours as well — with OpenAI and generative AI.
Getting first mover advantage is a big deal. But you can’t just hit a switch with AI and be in this game. What does the business need to be aware in terms of what is involved?
Anyone who’s built an AI model before knows it might not be the most accurate in the beginning, and that’s the one thing the business might not be ready for. You have to have that operations aspect of IT where you are constantly feeding new data that might lend to different types of insights. You have to have that model trained. It absolutely is going to get better over time, but you need to have patience with some of your business partners and help them understand that that is going to have to take place for it to be really fine-tuned and deliver on the insights. I think that’s potentially where some of the frustration could be with some of this. It might not yield that result initially. But if you stick with it and feed the engine, so to speak, it will over time.
What we’re finding, which is probably consistent with anyone who’s leveraging this, is that it becomes a factor, a model or couple of models, or an option to look at. I don’t think it’s going to replace a lot of things early on, but it will augment a person. It will augment a process, it might augment another piece of tech, and that’s a healthy thing. It’s showing its value compared to some of the things that are currently in the toolbox. Right now, it is being used as an additional option, if you will, that will provide additional insights. I think over time, it will take on a bigger role in our decision-making.
With the speed, the pace, the complexity. And the expectation to do more, what makes it such a great time to be in this profession?
There is so much new tech out there, and you have a sort of complete purview of it all. Just look at the cybersecurity space. The investments going on there and what potentially can be done now as a result of cyber is mind boggling. So if you can understand the tech, and as a CIO, that’s job description number one. There are so many awesome possibilities of leveraging that knowledge and power to either move the company forward. To transform your organization, or create new business models. Which is what digital transformation is all about. Creating new business models or acquiring new companies maybe that take you into a new space.
It starts with that foundation of understanding the tech. Because you’re at an advantage. The business folks are expected to know the business. But if you know the tech really well and know how that can impact the business with these ideas. These potential solutions, these innovations, these new go-to-market products. You’re that much more valuable to the company and you’ll be seen as not just the CIO. You’ll be seen as much more.
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