IT Leadership Manual

Savvy advice for developing the necessary skills to become a vital part of any management team

Today's IT leaders are faced with an unprecedented leadership and organizational challenge. The entire landscape has changed over the past few years and it is now time for leaders and organizations to re-invent themselves to meet the new order. IT leaders need to redefine their role into one of being a trusted business advisor. IT Leadership Manual provides you with a set of specific recommendations and suggestions to assist you in your self-evaluations and to develop a personal plan for the future. It helps you build the leader in you, as well as how to become a formidable competitor in your own right.

• Essential coverage of one of the most demanded IT topics

• Helps you redefine your role from IT leader into trusted business advisor

• Discusses leadership style, building out your network, achieving balance, the art of sales, and more

• Written for IT managers and executives

• Helps you transform from the backroom support service to a recognized member of the leadership team

• Gives you the tools to migrate to today's expectations; Innovation, collaboration, influencer, trusted advisor

Traditional skills no longer apply. Organizations are now demanding a new set of expectations from IT leaders. IT Leadership Manual reveals how you can adopt new styles to make the transformation from IT manager to top management.

Autorentext

ALAN R. GUIBORD has more than thirty years of global IT leadership experience. The founder and Chairman of The Advisory Council (TAC), Guibord is considered an IT visionary. He has held CIO positions in small to midsized organizations as well as Global Fortune 500 corporations. He served as a member of their top executive teams. Additionally, Guibord has lectured at leading universities, presented to IT leadership groups around the world, and acted as an advisor to several key firms, including Oracle, 3Com, and Microsoft. He is also a coach and mentor to several IT executives.

Inhalt

Foreword xi

Preface xv

Acknowledgments xxi

Chapter 1 The Journey: Today's Leadership Challenges 1

The New World Order and the IT Challenge 4

Today's Cultures 8

Objective of This Book 12

Chapter 2 We are All Unique 15

Look within Yourself First 16

Self-Evaluation Process 17

Reading Others 18

Make Time for Yourself 19

Know What You Don't Know 22

Journey to Self-Awareness 22

Self-Awareness Exercise 23

Be Prepared 25

Make Time for You and Live in the Moment 26

Seek a Mentor 28

Are You in Balance? 30

What Motivates You? 31

Do You Have Passion? 33

What Will I Be When I Grow Up? 34

Notes 36

Chapter 3 Are You Ready to Make a Move? 37

Evaluate Yourself and the New Position 40

Dealing with the Change 43

Do Your Homework 46

The Integration Process 49

Building the Foundation of Trust 52

Chapter 4 Developing Your Leadership Style 57

Cast Your Own Shadow 59

Consult a Mentor 63

Leaders Succeed from the Bottom Up, Not the Top Down 66

Building a Strong Team 71

It is Okay to Be Passionate 75

Chapter 5 Soft Stuff is What Really Matters 79

The Generation Gap 81

Combining Cultures 83

Match Your Style to the Market 85

Ego Gets You Fired 89

Be a Good Communicator 93

Chapter 6 How Do You Compete? 99

Competing on the Job is Not Enough 100

It Isn't Just about Winning 103

Instill Competition in Your Organization 105

Controlled Aggression 106

Politics 109

Understand the Uniqueness of the Environment 113

Chapter 7 Do You Have Enough Friends? 119

You Need Friends to Succeed 121

Building a Network is Critical 124

No Man is an Island 126

Building a Network 129

Always Be Willing to Help 132

It is All about Relationships 134

Networks are Connected 136

Chapter 8 What is Your Balance? 139

Striving and Never Arriving 140

Make Every Day Unique 142

Filter Your Input and Make the Right Decisions 149

Slow Down to the Pace of Life 154

Chapter 9 How Good are You at Sales? 159

Presenting is Entertaining 162

CEO Means Chief Sales Officer 166

Sales is Influencing Behavior 169

What is Your Sales Style? 170

Sales is the Most Difficult Part of Starting a Business 173

Are You Trustworthy? 174

Chapter 10 Are You Ready to Make the Change? 179

Getting Acclimated to the New Company 182

Preparing for the Interview 184

Getting Comfortable in Your New Role 187

Understanding the Culture 192

Learning the Language 193

Identifying and Building Relationships with Power Brokers 197

Integration is an Ongoing Process 199

Chapter 11 Today's New World and How We Cope 201

The Influence of the Internet 202

What is the Market Looking for in a Leader? 206

The Distributed Workplace 208

Create a Plan for You 210

Become a Mentor Yourself 212

Learn to Present to the Interest of the Audience 214

Bringing it All Together 218

About the Author 223

Index 225