Leading for Success

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.”