Leading the Digital Workforce: IT Leadership Peak Performance and Agility

Description

Future IT leaders won't be technology leaders, they'll be business leaders who understand technology. Leading the Digital Workforce takes a fresh look at technology leadership, exploring how to lead and manage in today’s digital workplace where the pace of change is exponential. This book walks you through building personal resiliency and avoiding stress and burnout to creating a strategy, building a high-performance team and examining how technology will change the workforce of the future. Technology leadership requires a unique set of skills, which is why traditional leadership approaches don't always work. This book provides actionable advice on how to create a culture of innovation while driving successful change initiatives. Leading the Digital Workforce provides strategies for empowering people, optimizing processes and inspiring innovation. This book offers insights into managing change, leveraging technology and building strong relationships within your organization including how to understand and work with company culture. Finally, it shares strategies for using technology and innovation to create a competitive edge to unlock new opportunities. Leading the Digital Workforce is essential reading for IT leaders who want to develop their skills, stay ahead of the digital curve and lead their organizations into the future. No matter if you’re a new IT leader, an aspiring one or a seasoned leader who’s been at it for years, there’s something in this book that will help you level up your game. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents Preface Acknowledgments About the author PART I: Foundations 1. Playing the long game of leadership The digital workforce What makes technical work so challenging? Should you just get an MBA? Born or made: can you learn leadership? There is no failure The impact of poor leadership The long-term perspective Summary References and further reading 2. The average IT leader is … average The technology leadership crisis What is leadership, anyway? The management-leadership continuum Are you sure you want to lead? Ten questions to ask How to be an IT leader worth following The path ahead Summary References and further reading 3. Master your mindset Why your mindset matters Establishing your leadership philosophy Good followers: the other side of leadership The smartest one in the room Trust and integrity Staying grounded There are no soft skills Leaders are readers Summary References and further reading 4. IT leadership peak performance What is peak performance IT leadership? Systems: the algorithm of success Morning and evening routines Managing emotions Stress, burnout and the myth of work-life balance Imposter syndrome: taming the inner critic Distractions will make you mediocre Cognitive load and decision fatigue The path to peak performance doesn’t end Summary References and further reading PART II: Leadership in action Living in a VUCA world The OODA loop: The Rosetta Stone for leadership agility Summary References and further reading 5. Starting a new job: How to thrive Before your first day at a new job Your first week on the job Your first 90 days matter, but not as much as you think Prioritize relationship building Get to know your boss Get to know your team Summary References and further reading 6. A crash course in strategic planning Why strategic planning is important How strategic planning is different from managing a project Developing a strategy Step 1: understand the problem or opportunity Step 2: analyze the environment Step 3: form the plan Step 4: getting support for your plan Step 5: execute, monitor, and measure Culture eats strategy for breakfast Summary References and further reading 7. Building a high-performance team Attracting great people: with or without a big budget What is a high-performance team? Creating psychological safety The leader as coach Managing conflict Five secrets of high-performing teams Quiet quitting and other headwinds Leading through crisis Succession planning: how and why to obsolete yourself as quickly as possible Summary References and further reading 8. Execution and getting things done Why execution matters Develop an execution mindset The top reasons IT projects fail Prioritize using the Eisenhower Matrix Distractions and lesser goals Leading when you’re not in charge Reporting progress and finishing what you started Summary References and further reading 9. Leading from anywhere: A guide to the hybrid office Trust is the foundation of remote work Communication Set clear expectations Making hybrid work … work Summary References and further reading 10. Giving back: Industry leadership and the next generation of leaders Mentoring the next generation of talent Industry initiatives and organizations Roll your own leadership development program Becoming a thought leader without making it all about you Giving back through entrepreneurship Other ways to give back Summary References and further reading 11. Leading from the edge: The future of work IT leadership and the future of work Web 3.0: power to the people Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) replaces some jobs but creates others Middle managers go extinct 5G and 6G brings high-speed internet everywhere The skills-based economy eliminates the need for a college degree The metaverse makes work even weirder Creativity becomes the new differentiator Become a technology futurist Summary References and further reading Conclusion: Time is the ultimate disruptor Appendix Further reading for IT leaders Journal prompts Leadership superpowers Breath awareness meditation IT organizations Index