Lessons in IT Transformation Technology Expert to Business Leader

by Bonfante, Larry

• ISBN13: 9781118004470
• ISBN10: 1118004477
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-05-03
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

The book will focus on the qualities required to transform an organization through the lens of the CIO. It will provide practical advice on how to address key issues as well as create a context for the type of leadership qualities required to not only transform an IT organization but more importantly to broaden the impact of this transformation to touch every aspect of the corporation. It will provide an understanding of the differences between leadership and management and the need for effectiveness in both disciplines. I then focus on the creation and evangelism of a comprehensive vision which will allow all key stakeholders to align behind a common purpose. I then focus on the true purpose of IT - to be a business enabler and a differentiator. I spend a fair amount of time focusing on what it means to drive business value and act as a business leader as opposed to a technology executive. Tentative Chapter Contents:Introduction1. Defining Leadership2. That "Vision Thing"3. It's the Business Stupid!4. Communication5. Relationship Management6. Developing Human Capital7. Leading the Process of Change8. Partnering for Success9. Qualities of Great Leaders10.Sustainability

Author Biography

Larry Bonfante has held executive leadership positions over the past twenty-nine years in the financial, pharmaceutical, nonprofit, consulting, and sports and entertainment industries. He has received numerous industry accolades, including being named one of Computerworld's Premier 100 IT Leaders in 2009. As Chief Information Officer at the United States Tennis Association, his team is responsible for all information technology–related services supporting the U.S. Open, the most highly attended annual sporting event in the world. A founding member of the CIO Executive Council, he is the founder of CIO Bench Coach, LLC, an executive coaching practice for IT executives. He has served as a mentor and executive coach for many IT leaders in various industries and serves as Chairman of the Fairfield-Westchester chapter of SIM. He has been a guest lecturer for the master's degree programs at Columbia University, NYU, and Polytechnic Institute and is an accomplished public speaker who has presented at many industry conferences. He writes a leadership column and blog for CIO Insight magazine.

He can be reached at [e-mail].

You can learn more about his executive coaching practice at www.CIOBenchCoach.com.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xiii
Introduction	p. xv
First Things First: What Is Leadership?	p. 1
Defining Leadership	p. 1
Leadership versus Management	p. 2
Misconceptions about Leadership	p. 8
Leadership Roles	p. 11
That Vision Thing	p. 21
Importance of Vision	p. 21
Deciding Whose Vision It Is	p. 22
Helping Employees Feel Ownership	p. 24
Creating the Vision	p. 25
Aligning Your Vision with the Vision of Your People	p. 26
Inspiring Others to Share the Vision	p. 28
Making the Vision Real for People	p. 29
It's the Business, Stupid!	p. 31
The Purpose of IT	p. 32
The Foolishness of Alignment	p. 33
Three Questions about IT'S Role in the Organization's Mission	p. 34
Fiscal Management-IT Is an Investment, Not a Cost	p. 35
IT as a Tool to Drive Revenue	p. 37
Ways to Engage the Board	p. 38
The CIO as a Business Leader, Not Technologist	p. 42
Meaningful Metrics	p. 44
Focus on What Matters	p. 44
Managing Perception versus Reality	p. 47
Communication	p. 51
The Importance of Communication	p. 51
The Importance of Listening	p. 54
Who Do I Need to Communicate With?	p. 55
How Should I Communicate with Them?	p. 56
How Often Should I Communicate?	p. 58
The Need for Marketing	p. 60
What Is Your Brand?	p. 64
Leading a Volunteer Army	p. 65
Communicating Tough Messages	p. 67
Focusing on the Issue, Not the Person	p. 70
Honesty and Transparency	p. 71
Relationship Management	p. 75
No Man (or Woman) Is an Island	p. 76
Helping Other People Succeed	p. 77
Being a Team Builder	p. 79
Building Credibility	p. 81
The Law of WIFM-What's in it for Me?	p. 83
Leading by Serving	p. 86
What People Feel about You Is More Important than Reality	p. 88
Developing Human Capital	p. 93
Leading ôPersonsö	p. 94
Leveraging People's Unique Talents	p. 96
Engaging the Whole Person	p. 97
Focusing on Strengths	p. 100
Recruiting/Retaining/Developing	p. 101
Making Sure a Person Is Better Off for Having Had the Experience	p. 104
Recognizing and Rewarding Your People's Efforts and Successes	p. 105
Leading the Process of Change	p. 109
Change Is Uncomfortable	p. 110
Selling the Need for Change	p. 111
Personalizing the Need for Change	p. 112
Making Change a Part of Your Culture	p. 112
Building Community	p. 116
Ensuring Buy-in	p. 117
Breaking Change into Bite-sized Chunks	p. 118
Supporting Progress along the Way	p. 119
Celebrating and Communicating Progress/Success	p. 120
Comparing Position versus Influence	p. 124
Balancing Change with Disciplined Project Management	p. 125
Developing a Culture of Innovation	p. 128
Developing a Culture of Accountability	p. 129
Partnering for Success	p. 133
Some Words Are Used Too Loosely	p. 134
Creating an Empowered, Team-oriented Environment	p. 135
Adjusting to the Twenty-first-century Workforce	p. 136
Partnering with Your Team	p. 138
Partnering with Your Clients	p. 138
Partnering with Your Executive Management and Board of Directors	p. 140
Sourcing-Expanding Your Team to Include Outside Partners	p. 141
Networking in the Industry	p. 144
Developing the Qualities of a Great Leader	p. 147
Being Authentic	p. 148
Inspiring Others	p. 151
Building Trust	p. 151
Showing Humility	p. 154
Having a Bias Toward Action	p. 155
Leveraging Collective Wisdom	p. 157
Building Personal Relationships	p. 161
Influencing Others	p. 164
Showing Your Humanity	p. 165
Empowering the People around You	p. 166
Being Receptive to Feedback	p. 168
Being Likable	p. 168
Being Accountable	p. 170
The Most Important Characteristic of a Leader-Having Integrity	p. 171
Sustainability	p. 173
Accomplishing Short-term Success Is Only the First Step	p. 173
Individual Leaders Can Drive Short-term Success	p. 175
You Need a Culture of Leadership to Ensure Long-term Viability	p. 176
A Leader's Job Is Not Only Creating Success-It Is Creating Other Leaders	p. 177
Homework and Parting Thoughts	p. 181
Leadership Begins with Me!	p. 181
I am IT!	p. 181
Be Wary of Linda Ronstadt Disease	p. 182
Seek Alignment versus Consensus	p. 182
God Gave You Two Ears and One Mouth	p. 183
How Do You Feel When You Are the Customer?	p. 183
Leadership Is a Responsibility, Not a Privilege	p. 184
You Are Either Part of the Solution or Part of the Problem-the Choice Is Yours	p. 185
There Are Three Kinds of People in the World	p. 186
When You Change, Your World Changes	p. 187
About the Author	p. 191
Index	p. 193
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