CTRL-ALT-LEAD with David Hinson

Episode Title: Change Management

Date: November 25, 2024
Host: David Hinson (Campus CIO, Boldyn Networks)

Overview

In this episode, David Hinson explores the critical but often overlooked discipline of change management in higher education IT leadership. With a pragmatic lens, he challenges technology leaders to intentionally design for change, rather than reacting to it—or worse, avoiding it outright. Drawing on personal experience and referencing risk management literature, Hinson offers actionable strategies for embedding change-readiness into organizational DNA, ultimately advocating for a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to technology governance and leadership.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Ubiquity and Challenge of Change

• Change is constant in higher education: leadership, staffing, budgets, platforms, vendors, processes, requirements.

• Despite this, organizations rarely design explicitly for change; responses are often ad hoc or aimed at avoidance.

• Misguided coping tactics include over-engineering, under-promising, or “leaving the problem” for successors.

  Quote:
  “In fact, change itself is about the only constant we have in our leadership practice. So why is it that we rarely, if ever, explicitly design for change?” (00:16)

The Pitfalls of Avoidance and Short-term Thinking

• Leaders often avoid confronting unknowns, which undermines effective planning.

• Examples:

  • Excessive platform customization traps organizations, hindering future upgrades.
  • Hardware procurement without a comprehensive roadmap leads to inefficiencies and security risks.
  • Over-reliance on “heroes” creates organizational vulnerability when key people leave.

  Quote:
  “It’s quite common in my practice as a fractional CIO that I do encounter systems that can't be upgraded because of substantial customizations that make it nearly impossible to move forward…” (02:11)

“Left of Bang” — Proactive Change as Risk Management

• Cites “Left of Bang” by Patrick Van Horne and Jason Riley, advocating situational awareness and risk prevention.

• Being “left of bang” means planning for threats before they happen, not just responding after the fact.

  Quote:
  “Being Left of Bang is a practice of increased situational awareness, early threat detection, and developing plans for acting on those threats. Planning for risk—designing for change—long before change inevitably occurs.” (03:04)

Why Organizations Find Themselves Unprepared

• Not a failure of imagination, but a failure to imagine the unthinkable could happen to them.
• “Succession crises” and legacy technology jams aren’t due to stupidity, but a lack of proactive planning.

Sustainable Best Practices for Change Mastery

David offers a concise set of actionable recommendations:

• Recognize and Accept Change Is Inevitable

  • Don’t assume things will “always be this way.”
  • People grow and leave; technology advances.

  Quote:
  “Plan, design, and manage with that front of mind.” (04:12)

• Minimize the Impacts of Change

  • Reduce unnecessary customizations and integrations.
  • Engage managed service providers when appropriate, freeing staff for higher-value work.

• Budget for Change: OPEX vs. CAPEX Thinking

  • Prefer OPEX (operating expenses) for flexibility and predictability; scale rapidly as needs shift.
  • CAPEX (capital expenditures) are less predictable and constrain adaptability.

  Quote:
  “OPEX…afford[s] greater flexibility in managing your budget because costs are more predictable with the added ability to scale operations quickly based upon needs.” (05:30)

• Embed Change into Leadership Vocabulary

  • Make change-management intrinsic to daily leadership, communication, risk management, and accountability at every level.

  Quote:
  “Change management should be a natural part of your daily leadership walk…it should permeate your risk management, your systems of accountability, your communications, the entirety of your management style.” (06:00)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Manifesto on Denial and Cost:
  “How often do we explicitly articulate our unknowns and uncertainty so that planning for change can be understood and managed to, instead of avoiding the subject altogether, simply hoping for the best? It seems hardly ever. And that’s entirely to our detriment—and to the detriment of the institutions that we serve.” (01:28)

• Closing Insight:
  “Because change is inevitable. Failing to plan for change, however, is not.” (07:04)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:06 — Introduction and framing the core challenge of change in higher ed IT
• 01:00 — Common avoidance habits and their consequences
• 02:11 — Real-world examples from CIO practice
• 03:04 — “Left of Bang” and the case for proactive change design
• 04:12 — Best Practices, part 1: acceptance and planning
• 05:30 — Best Practices, part 2: OPEX vs. CAPEX budgeting
• 06:00 — Embedding change in leadership and organizational culture
• 07:04 — Final takeaway and closing quote

Summary

David Hinson’s “Change Management” episode is a concise, actionable meditation on the necessity of intentional, proactive planning for change in higher education IT leadership. By dissecting common pitfalls and outlining a clear set of best practices, he equips listeners with not only a compelling call to action but a roadmap for making change-readiness a core operational and leadership principle. The episode speaks directly to experienced professionals navigating complex institutions, using frank language and relatable scenarios to drive home the urgency—and possibility—of mastering change before it masters us.