McGarahan & Associates is in the business of providing Global 2000 companies IT Service Management (ITIL best practice processes) consulting and training.

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Favorite Quotations

Notable & Quotable

“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less”

US Army Chief of Staff (ret.) General Eric Shinseki

I’m sorry I wrote you this long letter. I didn’t have time to write a short one.

Mark Twain
"In God we trust. Everyone else bring data."

W. Edwards Deming
Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.

Mark Twain

Never, Never, Never Quit.

Winston Churchill
Nothing in this world is impossible to a willing heart.

Abraham Lincoln
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

Thomas Edison

A quitter never wins and a winner never quits.

Napoleon Hill
I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work
the more I have of it.
Thomas Jefferson

Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.
Mark Twain
Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.

Peter Drucker

Plan your work and work your plan.

Napoloen Hill

If you plan to go the distance, YOU have to do the roadwork.

Chuck Parker

Nothing in this world is impossible to a willing heart.

Abraham Lincoln

If you don't know where you're going, you'll end up somewhere else.

Yogi Berra

The Power of a Leader - "True leaders are not those who strive to be first but those who are first to strive and who give their all for the success of the team. True leaders are first to see the need, envision the plan, and empower the team for action. By the strength of the leader's commitment, the power of the team is unleashed."

Unknown

Management works in the system. Leadership works on the system.

Stephen R. Covey

Managers are people who do things right, and leaders are people who do the right thing.

Warren Bennis

Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.

Lou Holtz

To try and fail is at least to learn. To fail to try is to suffer the loss of what might have been.

Ben Franklin
I’m all for progress. It’s change I don’t like.

Mark Twain

"Greatness is not in where we stand, but in what direction we are moving. We must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it—but sail we must, and not drift, nor lie at anchor."

Oliver Wendell Holmes
"No plan survives intact the first contact with the enemy."

Carl von Clausewitz

"Put all your eggs in one basket, then guard that basket!"
Mark Twain

"Money is a stupid measure of achievement, but unfortunately it is the only universal measure we have. "

Charles Steinmetz

"Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes."

Chinese Proverb

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Change or Irrelevance: Career Changing Technologies
07/14/2011

Change or Irrelevance: Career Changing Technologies

Rapid, breathtaking technology advances are forcing radical changes not only in how IT organizations function, but also in terms of their culture, leadership, and even careers. Combined with business, social and global trends, as well as technology investing (spending), IT organizations must accelerate their organizational change plans in order to survive and thrive. They must assess and plan for complete transformation - strategy, structure, people, processes, and tools.

Are we preparing our IT professionals to plan for and make these changes? Are we helping them position themselves and their organizations for success in this dynamically evolving world?

This Cutter Consortium article assess and addresses the impacting wave of the rapidly changing IT and business trends on traditional IT careers, positions, and skill sets.

This wake-up call is best described by a quote from four-star US General (Ret.) Eric Shineski: "If you don't like change, you'll like irrelevance even less."

The “Business” Service Leadership Agenda
07/14/2011

BSMReview.com
Next Practices in Business Service Management
The “Business” Service Leadership Agenda by Peter J. McGarahan

The Defining Moment of Truth

Why do some companies consistently exceed their business customers’ expectations and others fail to meet their customer’s basic demands and needs? Why do smaller, flexible companies seem to care more about the business impact of customer service than larger credit card, banking and cable organizations? Does the exuberant profits and size of these larger companies (“Too Big To Fail”) create a situation where customer service is no longer a competitive differentiator nor a strategic imperative? MSN Money’s fifth annual Customer Service Survey was recently published revealing the top ten companies earning a place in their Customer Service Hall of Shame and Hall of Fame. The “business” service differentiation comes down to knowledgeable and friendly staff, available and responsive staff, trust, transparency, genuine care and understanding of their customer. Simple you say, obviously not!

The Service Leadership Agenda
11/21/2011

The Service Leadership Agenda

The Defining Moment of Truth

Why do some companies consistently exceed their customers’ expectations and others fail to meet their customer’s basic demands and needs? Why do smaller, flexible companies seem to care more about customer service than larger credit card, banking and cable organizations? Does the exuberant profits and size of these larger companies (“Too Big To Fail”) create a situation where customer service is no longer a competitive differentiator nor a strategic imperative?

Learn How to Create a Highly Efficient and Effective Support Organization
04/21/2011

SupportIndustry.com Webinar:
Best Practice Strategies for Creating a Highly Efficient
and Effective Support Organization

In case you missed it, SupportIndustry.com recently conducted a webinar on Best Practice Strategies for Creating a Highly Efficient and Effective Support Organization, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive by attendees. In response to this, we are offering the on-demand version to you to watch at your convenience. More information about the event is below!

Professionalism in the Contact Center
04/21/2011

What is professionalism anyway & why does it matter?

Dana Pigford, founder of Professionalism Matters, Inc, defines professionalism as "being responsible and accountable and treating people the way you would like to be treated."¹ Service and support consultants, Pete McGarahan and Ric Mims, in an excellent article, "The Essence of Professionalism,"² suggest that professionalism is composed of such values as courtesy, respect in dealing with clients and, "Do they take pride in their appearance, their work ethic, and the quality of the work they do?"³ In addition, they observe that "In simpler days, professionalism had everything to do with customer service, relationship building, and creating the foundation for effective, persuasive communication across all levels of the organization."⁴ They also suggest that a good definition of professionalism "...isn’t your appearance and your aptitude, its attitude: knowing what to do, and doing it with passion and purpose."⁵

A CRM Approach to Business Service Management?
04/21/2011

A CRM Approach to Business Service Management?
by Peter J. McGarahan

I have been designing, delivering and supporting IT services for most of my 27 years as an IT professional. Time and time again I’ve encountered IT organizations that didn’t keep the customer or their business top of mind when designing and delivering services. Instead, they delivered “cool” technologies or strategies that met IT’s expectation and requirements, but didn’t directly benefit the business customers.

Are You Missing The Point About Customer Care?
12/04/2010

Are You Missing The Point About Customer Care?
By Peter J. McGarahan
Inbound Magazine - Issue 01:2010
Design customer centric services that improve service deliver.

Reducing Support Costs!
06/01/2010

Reducing Support Costs with a "Shift-Left" Strategy: An Interview with Pete McGarahan
By Cinda Daly

"Arise, ye service leader! The time is now!" proclaims Pete McGarahan, an industry thought leader and respected consultant for twenty-five years. It's not a new concept that service leaders need to run their support organization like a business. Achieving that point, however, is challenging. With continuing pressures to drive down support costs, service leaders need to optimize the business model: determine what's really important, then dive deep into the detail of structure, process, people, and tools. [More]