Are you still wondering how you can make yourself a betterIT leader for 2013?
The start of the New Year is the perfect time not only forbeginning a new fitness regime for your body but also an excellent opportunity tobuild up your leadership strength, according to technology consultant and authorPatrick Gray.
Here is his list of top five New Year’s resolution for ITleaders which recently appeared on TechRepublic.com.
Learn something newabout your business – While many IT workers have detailed knowledge oftheir of their company’s business, there often are some knowledge gaps even insenior managerial and executive levels. Take the time to learn a new aspect ofyour business. For instance, some companies have their IT employees spend a dayworking in a different department to get a feel of how co-workers in thatsection operate. You can use the same strategy to reconnect with your company,its products, customers and its people.
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Extend your knowledgebase – Art, history, military tactics, sports and other human experiencesare all fertile grounds from which a thoughtful leader can harvest information,concepts and examples which could be used to foster more effective managementand leadership. Compliment your in-depth knowledge of the rudiments of businesswith some breadth of wisdom on subjects outside your field and you may findyourself transforming into a more interesting and dynamic person as well.
Make others happy –IT is full of missed opportunities to delight, says Gray. For example, simply following up on a longstanding request and contacting the customer with the status of that requestcan produce immediate positive effects for that customer and your business aswell. “We’re often remembered in IT for these simple acts,” he says. If you’vecleared your to-do list, consider creating a quick executive briefing on hownew technology such as tablets and cloud computing can affect your organizationand how IT is considering it.
Get fit – Beingin tip top physical condition leads to better mental clarity, stamina andperformance. Gray suggest checking out The Hacker’s Diet, a free downloadable book by the leadengineer and founder of AutoCAD and Couch to 5k,a free running program, and MyFirtnessPal, a diet and fitnessonline community.
Build on your strengths – New Year’s resolutions are often meantto eliminate or correct existing deficiencies. However, this doesn’t mean that youshould neglect your inherent strengths, says Gray. For instance, if you’realready an excellent engineer, you can always add new tools to your belt. “Ratherthan slogging through development that takes you from inept to incompetent,focus on areas which you can excel with the least amount of additional effort,”he said.