Leading for Success

Leading for Success

by Sarah Cook
Released February 2009
Publisher(s): IT Governance Publishing
ISBN: 9781849281522

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Book description

Every business, especially in today's troubled economic climate, has to adapt to change. And the IT department of a business will always find itself at the cutting edge of such changes.

Change requires leadership. Impressive technical and administrative skills are not enough, and people in IT departments are now increasingly expected to use their soft skills as well.

IT is no longer merely a back-office function. People in IT are now being called on to drive through improvements in the wider operations of their business. Both as agents and enablers of change, IT professionals need to develop communication skills so that they can cooperate with the other departments of their organisation. This book is intended to help IT professionals develop their leadership skills.

Benefits to business include:
  • Develop effective communication skills and inspire and enthuse your team!
  • Create a team vision, shaping future goals by focusing on the team's earlier successes.
  • Give the members of your team the sense of responsibility that will motivate them to achieve excellent results.
  • Ensure your people perform to their full potential.

    • As Sarah Cook observes, "Traditionally, many organisational departments, including IT, tend to adopt a command-and-control type of leadership. This means that many team members are not encouraged to make decisions without referring to the leader. Removing some of these barriers enables people to create an environment that is motivational and produces excellent results." Buy this practical guide to enhance your leadership skills today!

    Table of contents

    1. Leading for Success
      1. FOREWORD
      2. PREFACE
      3. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
      4. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
      5. CONTENTS
      6. INTRODUCTION
      7. CHAPTER 1: WHAT IS LEADERSHIP?
        1. What makes a great leader?
        2. Leading versus managing
        3. Self-assessment – where do you spend your time?
        4. What are the consequences of where we focus our attention?
        5. So when should we lead and when should we manage?
        6. Activities to undertake with your team
        7. Summary
      8. CHAPTER 2: LEADERSHIP STYLES
        1. Leadership in practice
        2. The support and challenge leadership model
        3. Check your understanding of the support and challenge model
        4. Rate your own leadership style
        5. Scoring
        6. Questions to ask yourself
        7. The consequences of support and challenge leadership styles
        8. The leadership adaptability model
        9. Your leadership style
        10. Activities to undertake with your team
        11. Summary
        12. Suggested answers
      9. CHAPTER 3: LEADING YOURSELF
        1. Increasing your self-awareness as a leader
        2. Using feedback from others
        3. Self-assessment using the leadership compass
        4. Identify your strengths
        5. Activity to undertake with your team
        6. Identifying leadership potential
        7. Summary
      10. CHAPTER 4: LEADING THE BUSINESS
        1. Developing a vision for the IT department
        2. Setting departmental goals and strategy
        3. Customer feedback
        4. Team structure and staffing levels
        5. Team skills and development areas
        6. Systems and processes
        7. Financial constraints
        8. Communication
        9. Summary
      11. CHAPTER 5: LEADING OTHERS
        1. Personal presence and impact
        2. Emotional intelligence
        3. Self-awareness
        4. Self-management
        5. Awareness of others
        6. Relating to others
        7. How to influence others effectively
        8. The push/pull model of influence
        9. Activities to undertake with your team
        10. Summary
        11. Suggested answers
        12. Self-awareness
        13. Self-management
        14. Awareness of others
        15. Relating to others
      12. CHAPTER 6: EMPOWERING OTHERS
        1. Encouraging empowerment
        2. The four levels of empowerment
        3. Assess which level of empowerment you use most in your team
        4. Effective delegation
        5. Activities to undertake with your team
        6. Summary
      13. CHAPTER 7: ACTION PLANNING
        1. Recognising your strengths
        2. Activities to identify and build on your strengths
        3. Take a piece of paper and write a list of what your strengths are as a leader
        4. Visualise yourself being successful
        5. Effective leaders share their passions
        6. Creating a development plan as a leader
        7. Creating a personal development plan
        8. Summary
      14. GLOSSARY
      15. BIBLIOGRAPHY
      16. ITG RESOURCES
        1. Other Websites
        2. Pocket Guides
        3. Toolkits
        4. Best Practice Reports
        5. Training and Consultancy
        6. Newsletter

    Product information

    • Title: Leading for Success
    • Author(s): Sarah Cook
    • Release date: February 2009
    • Publisher(s): IT Governance Publishing
    • ISBN: 9781849281522