Lessons in IT Transformation E-Book

Larry Bonfante

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 312

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

Important insights into the true purpose of IT?from a CIO's perspective Focusing on the qualities required to transform an organization through the lens of the CIO, this book provides practical advice on how to address key issues, as well as create a context for the type of leadership qualities required to broaden the CIO's impact in every aspect of the corporation. * Provides practical advice on key issues for leadership qualities * Looks at the differences between leadership and management and the need for effectiveness in both disciplines * Explores relationship management, communication skills, change management, developing human capital, sustainability, alignment, and qualities of great leaders A timely look at how the IT function can become totally aligned with the strategies and operational direction of the business enterprise, Lessons in IT Transformation reveals how CIOs can?and should?evolve from managers of utility services to business leaders who can drive revenue, value, and process redesign.

Leseprobe

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Preface

What Is a CIO?

It's Common Sense

Introduction

Chapter 1: First Things First: What Is Leadership?

Defining Leadership

Leadership versus Management

Misconceptions about Leadership

Leadership Roles

Chapter 2: That Vision Thing

Importance of Vision

Deciding Whose Vision It Is

Helping Employees Feel Ownership

Creating the Vision

Aligning Your Vision with the Vision of Your People

Inspiring Others to Share the Vision

Making the Vision Real for People

Chapter 3: It's the Business, Stupid!

The Purpose of IT

The Foolishness of Alignment

Three Questions about IT's Role in the Organization's Mission

Fiscal Management—IT Is an Investment, Not a Cost

IT as a Tool to Drive Revenue

Ways to Engage the Board

The CIO as a Business Leader, Not Technologist

Meaningful Metrics

Focus on What Matters

Managing Perception versus Reality

Chapter 4: Communication

The Importance of Communication

The Importance of Listening

Who Do I Need to Communicate With?

How Should I Communicate with Them?

How Often Should I Communicate?

The Need for Marketing

What Is Your Brand?

Leading a Volunteer Army

Communicating Tough Messages

Focusing on the Issue, Not the Person

Honesty and Transparency

Chapter 5: Relationship Management

No Man (or Woman) Is an Island

Helping Other People Succeed

Being a Team Builder

Building Credibility

The Law of WIFM—What's in it for Me?

Leading by Serving

What People Feel about You Is More Important than Reality

Chapter 6: Developing Human Capital

Leading “Persons”

Leveraging People's Unique Talents

Engaging the Whole Person

Focusing on Strengths

Recruiting/Retaining/Developing

Making Sure a Person Is Better Off for Having Had the Experience

Recognizing and Rewarding Your People's Efforts and Successes

Chapter 7: Leading the Process of Change

Change Is Uncomfortable

Selling the Need for Change

Personalizing the Need for Change

Making Change a Part of Your Culture

Building Community

Ensuring Buy-in

Breaking Change into Bite-sized Chunks

Supporting Progress along the Way

Celebrating and Communicating Progress/Success

Comparing Position versus Influence

Balancing Change with Disciplined Project Management

Developing a Culture of Innovation

Developing a Culture of Accountability

Chapter 8: Partnering for Success

Some Words Are Used Too Loosely

Creating an Empowered, Team-oriented Environment

Adjusting to the Twenty-first-century Workforce

Partnering with Your Team

Partnering with Your Clients

Partnering with Your Executive Management and Board of Directors

Sourcing—Expanding Your Team to Include Outside Partners

Networking in the Industry

Chapter 9: Developing the Qualities of a Great Leader

Being Authentic

Inspiring Others

Building Trust

Showing Humility

Having a Bias Toward Action

Leveraging Collective Wisdom

Building Personal Relationships

Influencing Others

Showing Your Humanity

Empowering the People around You

Being Receptive to Feedback

Being Likable

Being Accountable

The Most Important Characteristic of a Leader—Having Integrity

Chapter 10: Sustainability

Accomplishing Short-term Success Is Only the First Step

Individual Leaders Can Drive Short-term Success

You Need a Culture of Leadership to Ensure Long-term Viability

A Leader's Job Is Not Only Creating Success—It is Creating Other Leaders

Chapter 11: Homework and Parting Thoughts

Leadership Begins with Me!

I am IT!

Be Wary of Linda Ronstadt Disease

Seek Alignment versus Consensus

God Gave You Two Ears and One Mouth

How Do You Feel When You Are the Customer?

Leadership Is a Responsibility, Not a Privilege

You Are Either Part of the Solution or Part of the Problem—the Choice Is Yours

There Are Three Kinds of People in the World

When You Change, Your World Changes

About the Author

Index

Copyright © 2011 by Larry Bonfante. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Bonfante, Larry

Lessons in IT transformation : technology expert to business leader / Larry Bonfante.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-118-00447-0 (cloth); 978-1-118-04447-6 (ebk); 978-1-118-04448-3 (ebk); 978-1-118-04450-6 (ebk)

1. Information technology—Management. 2. Leadership. I. Title.

HD30.2.B657 2011

004.068'4–dc22

2010053513

To the greatest teachers in my life:

My mother, Josephine, who taught me the meaning of selflessness

My grandfather, Jerome, who taught me the meaning of integrity

My wife, Denise, who taught me the meaning of strength

My daughters, Danielle and Christine, who taught me what really matters in life

Thank you for your lessons and your love.

Preface

Every generation must deal with the challenges of a constantly changing world. Although many of the issues and dynamics we face may change over time, the one variable that remains constant is the need for quality leaders to help us navigate difficult and uncharted waters. There have been countless books written on the subject of leadership. I have read many of these books and learned a great deal from the experience. While all of them were valuable, no book written by another human being can capture an individual's personal evolution as a leader. This book is meant to share my own journey to date in the hope that the lessons I have learned will be of value to other leaders. It is also written from the point of view of a CIO so that it can be of specific value to technology leaders. It is by no means meant to be the definitive tome on the topic of leadership. Many of the lessons contained within these pages are certainly reflected in other books on this topic.

What Is a CIO?

CIO is a term that means many things in various organizations. The idea of creating a position of chief information officer is about 25 years old. CIOs have historically been entrusted with operating the technology services and assets of modern organizations. However, today more than ever, the shift in focus is away from simply being a “utility provider” who keeps the lights on. The modern CIO has to be an evangelist, an innovator, a revenue producer, a consumer expert, and an executive relationship manager. These are skills that are not always naturally inborn into many IT executives who have grown up through the ranks of technology organizations. We will focus on the traits and talents that you must be able to incorporate into your portfolio if you hope to be a successful CIO in the year 2011 and beyond.

It's Common Sense

Over the years, I have noticed that the teams who win on Sunday are not the teams with the best trick plays, but rather those who block and tackle the best. Much of what is contained in this book will seem like common sense, but as a wise man once told me, common sense is not that common! It is amazing how often we don't leverage the lessons we've learned over time to improve our relationships and outcomes. This book is not intended to impress the reader with complex concepts. It is meant to help share the simple concepts that I have seen make a meaningful difference in leading successful teams.

The older I get, the more I realize that I will always be a student of leadership. I am not arrogant enough to believe that I am an expert or that I have all the answers. My desire is to continue to learn until my last day on this planet. I hope that readers will take away from my experiences some useful bits of knowledge that will help them become a better leader and help them to develop the leadership qualities in the people around them. As a person who has a great passion about the subject of leadership, writing this book has been a labor of love.

Introduction

Why should I read this book? Be honest—that's what you are really trying to figure out before you decide to invest the time and money required to read any book. There are thousands of books available on the topic of leadership. Why is this book different, and why should you care? Here are a few answers to your question.

First of all, this book is written for the IT professional as its stated audience. It focuses on the topic of leadership through the unique perspective of an IT practitioner. It is also written through the lens of an actively practicing CIO who lives the challenges of leading and managing a complex technology organization every day.

The book is also very different from many resources written for the IT community in that it focuses on what I lovingly refer to as the human side of IT leadership. Many IT executives have risen through the technical ranks and already have a great handle on leading IT projects, implementing technical solutions, and handling the day-to-day operations of a technology organization. What most CIOs or aspiring CIOs don't always have is a great deal of experience or focused education in dealing with the human elements of leading an organization that ultimately will decide whether you, as well as your organization, succeed. In this book we will focus on real, pragmatic issues that are critical for executive success. These topics include:

Helping to create a vision that your team will embraceThe real purpose of IT—driving business valueDeveloping effective communication skillsBecoming an effective relationship managerDeveloping the people on your team for maximum contributionLeading a major change effortCreating an atmosphere of partnership with your people, clients, and vendorsDeveloping the qualities of great leadersSustaining success once it's achieved

These topics are critical to executive success but are not often taught in MBA programs or easily learned on the job. I will cram nearly 30 years of lessons from the school of hard knocks into these pages in the hope that you can avoid having to invest as much time (and make as many mistakes!) as I have.

Finally, the book has two major focuses—helping the individual evolve from a technical expert to a business executive and helping his/her organization evolve from a utility service provider to a trusted business partner that drives true business value. If these are goals you hope to accomplish, then this is the right book for you at the right time.

Chapter 1

First Things First: What Is Leadership?

Before we get into the “nuts and bolts” of what is involved in transforming an IT organization, we will spend some time defining some key concepts. Specifically, we will focus on the following concepts:

Defining what I mean by leadershipComparing and contrasting leadership and managementReviewing common misperceptions regarding leadershipExamining the critical roles that a transformational leader has to play

Defining Leadership

There are probably as many definitions of leadership as there are people who have an interest in the topic. Many of us have formed our thoughts and definitions based on the people in our lives from whom we have learned our lessons of leadership. For many people, the image of leadership comes along with formal power and authority. For others, it elicits a vision of eloquent orators who can inspire with their thoughts and words. Some may conjure up emotional pictures of military leaders or sports coaches who “fire up” the troops.