The New IT Leader

Here’s a simple question: what makes a great technology manager? It’s a deceivingly simple question. The challenges faced by IT managers today driven by an explosive integration of technology into society makes this very difficult to answer. Really, it all comes down to two fundamental principles: • Having a good working relationship with the people you serve (your customer) • Consistently deliver a quality, reliable product MANAGING TECHNOLOGY DOESN’T HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT Don’t let the complexities of technology keep you from being successful as a technology leader. The frustration felt by business leaders about technology organizations is usually rooted in the inability to deliver a service they expected. The mechanics to be successful as a technology leader and meet the demands of the business is complicated and intertwined. Technology just makes the problem more opaque. Fortunately, all it takes is a disciplined approach to management to be successful in addressing the aforementioned principles. The New IT Leader lays out how to build a management framework that any technology leader can employ. Customers will feel more comfortable in your ability to deliver essential services needed to maintain critical business functions. And in the process, you’ll build a high-performing, efficient, and effective technology team!

If you are a technology manager, congratulations, you’ve landed one of the most difficult and demanding jobs in modern history. The challenges in sustaining critical business infrastructure while helping business leaders realize their strategic visions are often difficult to overcome. Consider these examples of obstacles IT managers must contend with: • Consumerization of technology drives unrealistic expectations on the part of the customer that technology is easy • Security concerns and breaches requiring new layers of technology introduced into the architecture that then introduces new variables into the maintenance equation • Relatively uneducated managers put into roles around technology that then drive technical decisions (this happens more often than governments and corporations want to admit) And there are countless more examples. Yes, it’s a tough job, one of the toughest in the marketplace. But if it were easy, everyone would do it. You are in your position because you are expected to have the technical skills to navigate the complex landscape of technical interdependencies and the management skills to govern your team and the teams around your department. The strategic importance of Information Technology to businesses is driving CIOs to develop their managers to become the next generation of strategic thinkers. However, history has proven that many IT managers are simply ill-equipped to handle the demands of aligning their functions to the business. The middle IT manager is the linchpin that ties the strategic vision set by the “C-Level” and the delivery of those services. Hence, the dawn of The New IT Leader, focused on maximizing uptime while aligning to business strategy. The New IT Leader: • Creates closer ties with the business • Baselines and measures their performance • Generates value by way of improved project outcomes • Improves systems reliability • Doesn’t get caught up in the industry hype • Instills a culture of quality • Encourages employee ownership

Tony Scott, CISSP has over 25 years of technology experiences with a proven track record in project management logging over 17,000 hours developing and managing business solutions. His success stems from building efficiencies in technology operations so that organizations can spend more time on business enablement rather than on day to day operational issues. Tony has a successful track record in the Fortune 500, implementing a wide range of solutions that includes compliance, operational security, business to business transactions, front office, point of sale, CRM, and corporate wide back end systems across multiple industry verticals including utilities, retail, financial services, telecom, high tech, and healthcare.