Submitted by Jim Bruce on
During a 2005 guest lecture at MIT’s Sloan School of Management the following question was asked: “What should you be learning in business school?” Jack Welch answered: “Just concentrate on networking. Everything else you need to know, you can learn on the job.”
Submitted by Jim Bruce on
As it nears the end of the year, it seems appropriate for the Tuesday Reading to turn to the future. In “A Roadmap for IT Leadership and the Next Ten Years” <http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/EQM0626.pdf> Tim Chester, CIO at Texas A&M at Qatar, argues that the future requires that CIOs and other IT leaders become technology advocates and not leaders of technology mechanics. So, take a deep breadth, sit back and think carefully about your technology leadership role in the coming years.
Submitted by Jim Bruce on
Early last month, I was talking with with a businessman who is now the president of a small college in New York. In the course of our conversation, he noted how rude his faculty were to one another. I couldn’t help reflecting on the rudeness I had observed among IT staff members during my two decades at CIO -- personal attacks, ignoring colleagues who had a different point of view, dominating conversations, interruptions, and the list goes on.
Submitted by Jim Bruce on
In “Situational Awareness 101”, John Baldoni points out that “A sound sense of situational awareness is vital to leadership decision making. A leader must know context (what is happening), circumstance (what has happened) and consequence (what could happen) at all times.”
Submitted by Jim Bruce on
In “Making Strategy That Sticks", Susan Cramm points out that all too often when we develop a strategy, we focus on getting the right content rather than getting the right commitment. She writes: ”The acid test of strategy is whether it informs and constrains decision making by compelling leaders to align their functional goals and day-to-day decision making to the goals of the enterprise. The only way to accomplish this is through communication and collaboration. The process of aligning people’s hearts and mind
Submitted by Jim Bruce on
John Baldoni, in “Questions to Make You a Better Leader” argues that asking good questions is a practice that all leaders need to have. He suggests five:
1. What about your work motivates you? If it’s not motivating, what can you do about it? What changes can you make to increase satisfaction?
2. What challenges are facing your organization?
Submitted by Jim Bruce on
Most of us cringe at the thought of saying no. We think that it is not an option. We don’t want to disappoint. Etc. However, saying yes to everything creates an untenable position for you and for your organization. Esther Derby in "The Benefits of No" gives us an essential management tool, a three-point approach to saying no:
1. Start by affirming the requester; let them know you are listening.
Submitted by Jim Bruce on
In “How to Make Nice,” Susan Cramm addresses the issue of influencing others. She begins by noting that “Getting others to do what you want them to do because they want to do it is the ultimate test of leadership skill.” Cramm then focuses on rebuilding relationships that have been damaged -- who hasn't gotten themselves into this trouble in the past -- so as to have a more meaningful relationship in the future. In doing so, she also provides a
Submitted by Jim Bruce on
In “Web Rage: Why It Happens, What it Costs, How to Stop” authors Daniel Goleman and Clay Sinsky point out that most forms of electronic commnication – i.e, email, IM, and telephony – cannot provide those subtle, mainly non-verbal clues that help us form our interactions in those conversations. Without these signals we may speak (or write) inappropriately, be robbed of essential tools to support decision making, be denied the abili
Submitted by Jim Bruce on
In "The Power of Persuasion", Susan Cramm Cramm argues that persuading and inspiring others starts with your character and credibility which you have established through personal interactions. She believes that effective leaders get things done through others and, in doing so, are able to create a powerful role for themselves, their organizations and technology. In the piece she suggests that talking to stakeholders, providing help, interacting with their staff and clients, understanding their work, empathizing with
