Name: Todd McKinnon
Title/Employer: Vice President of Development, salesforce.com
Age: 35
Education: Masters in computer science
Tenure In IT Industry: 12yrs
First Tech Job: My first tech job was in college building purchasing applications for my campus department about 14 yrs ago.
Current Role: I am currently the vice president of development for salesforce.com and manage the teams that develop the salesforce.com platform and application.
What's been your best job and why?
The best job I've had is my current role at salesforce.com. It is quite a rush to work with a key team within such an important company that is leading the industry to on demand.
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What do you think is the number one non-IT skill IT professionals need today?
Communication. That communication needs to happen at all levels, at every area of the IT department, with every project, across teams. If you aren't able to communicate, it's difficult to be effective and add value to your team and the projects at hand.
What do you credit your career success to?
It comes down to the basics of hard work and focus. You also have to be able to select the right organization " an organization where your skills can directly contribute to its success. Once you get the chance, work hard, focus and prove yourself. Make the most of each opportunity.
What are the top three skills a high-level IT manager needs today?
You can have all the necessary technical skills, but if you aren't able to communicate your ideas effectively, you're at a disadvantage. Additionally, you have to have a deep understanding of the real business value of the projects you're working on - not the hype, not the stated. You have to know the right contacts and sources at your organization and in the industry. Lastly be a good leader. Show your team the shared vision and lead by example.
What's your favorite IT resource site and why?
I use Google alerts, read different blogs and websites about software development and salesforce.com. For books, I often read O Reilly books to familiarize myself with new technologies.
What is the best career advice you've ever received?
A project I was working on was not going well. The advice was to stick with it and help turn the project around rather than look for a different opportunity. After a lot of hard work, the project was a success and directly related to the overall success of the company.
What's the top advice you'd give to a new IT staffer?
Make sure the project you're working on is strategic to the company, get yourself involved in leading it as much as possible and of course work hard.
What would you advise someone looking to find the type of role you currently have?
My current role is very developer focused. As a software engineer you have to be able to show that you can contribute at all levels " as an individual, and as part of a team. You must have manager level experience as well as the technical expertise. Above all else, you should seek out opportunities to work at the companies that are seen as innovators and thought leaders in their industries.
What is the one career decision you would change if you could?
Honestly I'm pretty happy with my decision so far, but give me another 10 years and I'll likely have made some mistakes.
If you had the choice to jump into any other job, tech or non-tech, what would it be?
General Manager for an NBA team.
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