ABSTRACT

The IT management profession is not for the faint of heart. Anyone who has worked in this field is familiar with the unique (and borderline impossible) challenges of keeping pace with technological innovation while maintaining legacy systems, reskilling existing staff members and operating on shrinking budgets. Truth from the Trenches passes on the hard-won leadership lessons that six-time CIO Mark Settle gained over years of working in IT management. Settle describes the key constituencies that an IT leader needs to influence, seduce, leverage, and manage to be successful. His practical recommendations will allow readers to improve their organizational impact and accelerate their career advancement.

In a sector where competency stems not from formal certification but on-the-job learning, Truth from the Trenches is a valuable and unique resource that is based on Settle’s deep experience working in a wide variety of industries. By applying Settle’s strategies, IT leaders will be able to avoid common pitfalls, save themselves from wasting time and on hopeless initiatives, and successfully do battle with the people issues, financial challenges, customer problems and technology opportunities they confront on a daily basis.

chapter |4 pages

Prologue Leadership Versus Management

chapter 1|24 pages

Follow the Money

chapter 2|14 pages

Get Them to Like You

chapter 3|28 pages

Fishing in the Talent Pool

chapter 4|18 pages

Playing Nicely with the Vendors

chapter 5|18 pages

What Gets Measured Gets Managed

chapter 6|18 pages

Decoding Demand Signals from the Business

chapter 7|8 pages

Exercising the Power of Position

chapter 8|18 pages

Managing Innovation

chapter 9|18 pages

Look in the Mirror