Off the Cuff

Fernando Gonzalez

AGE: 59

TITLE: CIO

COMPANY: Byer California, San Francisco

ANNUAL REVENUE: More than $300 million

INDUSTRY SECTOR: Garment manufacturing

TIME IN JOB: 18 months at Byer; 42 years in IT

BEST ADVICE EVER GIVEN: Remove the word "but" in any sentence and use the word "and." It keeps the dialogue going.

TO WHOM: To anyone who says, "Yes, but ..."

IF YOU WEREN'T A CIO, WHAT WOULD YOU BE?: A college math teacher

BEST AND WORST PERSONALITY TRAITS: I'm always open to a new idea. But sometimes I don't wait for others to catch up while I'm off and running with one.

BEST TECHNOLOGY DECISION EVER MADE: Implementing VoIP [Voice over Internet Protocol]

WORST TECHNOLOGY DECISION EVER MADE: Implementing VoIP

LAST BUSINESS BOOK YOU READ: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell

WORST JOB YOU'VE EVER HAD: Card sorter. I'd come in at midnight and sort hundreds of thousands of punched cards for eight hours. I never saw anyone but the security people and the janitors. But hey, I was in "data processing"!

TECHNOLOGY YOU COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT: TiVo because it's so easy to use. My wife doesn't ask me how to program it.

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