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Build IT Together is all about two things: IT and community, and we’re aiming to bring these together under our monthly blog series, 12 for 12.

By interviewing 12 IT leaders over 12 questions, we’ll get to know each other a little better, and get unique perspectives on the industry. This month, we meet with Michael Cross of Greenleaf Hospitality Group, based out of Kalamazoo, Michigan.

What is your official title?

Director of Technology Services at Greenleaf Hospitality Group

What does “IT” mean to you?

Oh boy… Can I phone a friend? Technology has become absolutely essential for the success of any business anywhere. It used to be that you could get by without any technology, or limited technology, or that’s what differentiates you from your competition, but nowadays, technology is such an integral component to business that you can’t survive without it.

So for me, what IT means is (and what my responsibilities are)—it’s not about managing the pieces and the parts and making the computers talk to each other and all that. It’s about understanding what the business is trying to accomplish, and how we can apply technology to help make that happen.

What daily task in your job do you find most fulfilling?

Leading and developing my team. Absolutely. Seeing my team take on a task or project and have it be successful—that is very fulfilling for me.

You can choose one common IT problem that you can instantly solve with the snap of your fingers, every time. What problem would that be?

Security. In my mind, security is going to be the next big focus for technology professionals, given the current state of things, and the recent issues that we’ve had. Heck, I mean we have countries going after each other, and teenagers hacking billion-dollar companies, and it’s only getting worse.

So if I could snap my fingers and take care of all the security concerns for Greenleaf, I’d absolutely do that. In a heartbeat.

If you could instill one habit in every one of your clients and colleagues, what would that be?

Recognizing effort, and what I mean by that is—so many people forget the power and the value of a thank you. I don’t get the luxury of paying top-dollar for my team—I have great people and great talent on my team, and the way I feel I’m able to keep them here is not just because of a paycheck, but because I genuinely appreciate their efforts and try to recognize them for it. So just say thank you!

What’s one step that you never miss when taking on a large project?

A project plan. Document the challenge that you’re trying to solve, what’s the plan for solving this challenge, and what do I need to get from step A to step B? What are the deliverables, what’s the timeline, what’s the budget? That kind of stuff.

So many times, projects get started with the cart before the horse, you know? “Oh, we’ve created this solution, time to go make it happen!” Well first, what’s the problem that you’re trying to solve? Have you tried to think about this and see if the solution truly fits the problem?

What has been your most memorable support issue in IT?

When I was just starting off in IT, I was working for the helpdesk at a company, and I had a user report that their computer was running very slow. So I went out to try and troubleshoot the issues and I found a folder on the root of the user’s C drive. When I opened it I found VERY explicit images—thousands upon thousands of them—in this folder on the user’s WORK laptop!

And due to the company’s policies at the time, somebody had to catalog all of those files, and so I spent the better part of two or three days looking through images that I don’t ever want to see again—when I close my eyes I can still see them! And at the end of the day, the user still didn’t lose their job!

Can you tell us more about your background, or a passion you have outside of IT/technology?

I love to golf, although I’m not very good at it. I’m also becoming a beer connoisseur, although that’s not difficult considering the city I’m in—I love going out and checking out all the new places in Kalamazoo and around Michigan. Other than that, I love spending time with my family. My four-year-old daughter is growing up way too fast.

What was your favorite 1990s (or fading) piece of technology?

In the mid-90s I was a teenager, and I operated my own bulletin board—my own BBS. I had an X86 computer with a 14.4 modem on it, and it was set up as a server so I could host my own bulletin board. My parents even bought an extra telephone line so I could have a dedicated line for it, so that was pretty cool! Of course, as time went on and the internet began to blow up, the BBS fell by the wayside, but it was a lot of fun.

What is the Medieval equivalent of an IT professional?

The first thing that came to mind was court jester, haha. But really, I’m thinking of the king’s advisor, the king’s right hand man, moving the pieces from behind the scenes. With the way that business is going, and the value that I think technology plays in any business, decisions at a very high level cannot be made without thinking about technology, and having the conversations, and it’s sort of a habit I’m trying to break in this organization—making decisions without first thinking about technology.

If you could have lunch with any technologist that’s ever lived who would it be?

It would have to be Steve Jobs. I’m sure that’s probably what a lot of people will answer for this one, but I would love to pick his brain on how he was able to create the hype. What I mean by that is I watched the Windows 10 release last week—pieces of it—and while there are some really cool things that they’re doing with the release, there was no energy! No passion.

Steve Jobs, when he did a product launch, it was always a huge thing. Even today, people stand outside of Best Buy overnight waiting for a new Apple product. How did he create that? It’s just mindblowing to me. And I’d love to have even a tenth of a percent of that energy, because it would make my job so much easier.

If you could make one piece of SciFi or futuristic piece of technology a reality, what would it be?

Teleportation. I think one of the reasons that we, as a society, are gravitating more and more towards thin devices and mobility is because of transportation challenges. I’ve got a friend in California and if I want to have a chat face-to-face, these devices are the only way that I’m able to do it without hopping on a plane. If I could just snap my fingers and jump to California in an instant, I think it would change society—I think it would really increase connectedness within our society.
 
Keep up with Michael on Linkedin. Learn more about Greenleaf Hospitality on Linkedin and Facebook. For more IT stories subscribe to the Build IT Together newsletter! And be sure to check back next month for our next IT leader.