"Go from the "IT guy" to trusted business partnerIf you're in IT, quite a lot is expected of you and your team: be technologically advanced, business-minded, customer-focused, and financially astute, all at once. In the face of unforgiving competition, rampant globalization, and demanding customers, business leaders are discovering that it's absolutely essential to have a strong, active partner keeping a firm hand on the decisions and strategies surrounding information technology. Unleashing the Power of IT provides tangible, hard-hitting, real-world strategies, techniques, and approaches that will immediately transform your IT workforce and culture, presenting the new mindset, skill set, and tool set necessary for IT leaders to thrive in today's challenging environment. Includes new discussion on social media Offers online access to the IT Skill Builder Competency Assessment Tool Features top ten lists of tips and techniques, proven frameworks, and practical guidance to help you launch and sustain your IT culture change and professional development initiatives Profiling several world-class organizations that have implemented the principles in this book, Unleashing the Power of IT reveals the best practices to get you on the path to implementation"-- Provided by publisher.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher.

Cover; Title Page; Copyright; Contents; Foreword; Preface; Acknowledgments; About the Contributing Authors; Chapter 1 Creating Your Twenty-First-Century Workforce and Culture; Core Skills for Success; Assess Your Core Competencies; Who Will Benefit Most?; Getting the Most out of This Book; Chapter 2 Transforming Your IT Team; How to Make This Transition: Learn to Think Differently; Mind-Set Change 1: Force Yourself to Plan and Think of the Big Picture; Mind-Set Change 2: Adopt a Proactive Approach; Mind-Set Change 3: Resist the Temptation to Delve into Tactics

Mind-Set Change 4: Be Candid with Yourself and OthersMind-Set Change 5: Prepare for and Embrace Change; Mind-Set Change 6: Anticipate, Understand, Respect, and Work through Complexities; Five Critical Success Factors That Enable IT Organizational Excellence; Leadership: Positively Influence and Inspire Others; Strategy: Establish the Right Game Plan for Your Organization; People: Hire and Professionally Develop Your Winning Team; Best Practices: Select and Customize Them to Fit Your Organization

Execution: Translate Your Strategy, Goals, and Initiatives into Specific Action Plans That Deliver Measurable ResultsConclusion; Chapter 3 Driving Change with Intent; Defining Terms; The Components of Change; Achieving Commitment Is Essential for Sustaining Change; Change Takes a Community; Change Leaders; Change Agents; Change Advocates; Clarity Precedes Activity; Making the Case for Change; Ensuring a Clear Path Forward; Messaging the Change; Conclusion; Chapter 4 Building a Client-Focused IT Culture; What Good Service Looks Like; Service Skills for a New Mind-Set

Developing a ''We'' MentalityLearning to Love Complaints; Making Every Interaction Count; Strategies for Developing a Service Mentality; Never Let It Go; Clearly Define Your Service Level Offerings; Engage Your Clients in the Culture Shift; Conclusion; Chapter 5 Evolving into the Role of Consultant; What Is the Consultant's Role?; Why Do I Need to Become More Consultative?; Learning to Change Hats: The Four Roles of IT; How Do I Become a Consultant?; Business Acumen; Human Interaction Skills; How Difficult Can This Be?; Conclusion

Chapter 6 Negotiating: Getting What You Want without Damaging the RelationshipPosition versus Interest Negotiations; Three Steps and Three Key Factors; Negotiation Elements; People and Relationships; Styles and Situations; Applying the Key Factors to the Second Step: Information Exchange; The Final Step: Now Comes the Bargaining; Conclusion; Chapter 7 Sharpening Your Political Savvy; Picturing Yourself as a Political Player; IT and Politics: Historically Strange Bedfellows; A Five-Step Process for Developing Political Awareness; Start Your Radar; Determine Where the Power Bases Are

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