Modern IT Leadership

In this lesson we are introduced to the instructor of the course.

In this lecture, the instructor talks through his personal leadership journey and how he grew into the leader he is today.

In this lesson students are introduced to who the course was designed for.

This lesson details the overall structure and high-level topics covered in the course.

This lesson provides students with a number of things that they must do to get the most out of this course.

In this lecture students are encouraged to think honestly about issues they are struggling with that align with the course outcomes.

In this first assignment, students are challenged to set five or six goals that they hope to achieve using the strategies presented in this course.

In this lesson students are introduced to a few strategies for freeing up time in their day to focus on more important tasks.

In this assignment, students are challenged to find 2 hours per week through organization, prioritization, and elimination.

This lesson introduces students to ongoing professional development as they grow into their role as a leader.

In this lesson students will learn about emotional health and emotional intelligence.

In this third assignment students will take a short emotional intelligence quiz to gauge their current emotional health score and then update their leadership goals accordingly.

In this lesson, students are introduced to the 8 key things that determine IT success in organizations.

This lesson compares and contrasts the differences between leaders and managers.  Special attention is paid to good manager vs bad manager behaviors.

This lecture reviews the types of authority and then discusses unofficial leaders and how they impact day-to-day operations.

This lesson provides an overview of the most common challenges IT leaders face.

In this lesson, students are introduced the to the most common leadership styles, exploring the pros and cons of each.

This lecture discusses the topic of leadership personas and why a business leader should craft one.

In this lesson we take a deep dive into emotional intelligence, focusing specifically on behavior modification for leaders.

In this assignment students will construct their own personal leadership persona incorporating what they have learned about leadership styles and emotional intelligence.

In this lesson students are introduced to common IT organizational structures and the pros and cons of each.

This lesson introduces students to the mix of characteristics that inform what kind of employees will be ideal team players.

In this lesson we discuss the application of the ideal team player model to the process of hiring new employees.

In this assignment, students will create standard operating procedure for hiring new employees.

In this lecture, students are introduced to the Situational Leadership model.

This lesson explains how to set goals for your employees that are considered ’SMART’ goals.

This lesson provides more information on the Situational Leadership Model and how to determine development levels of employees.

In this lecture, students learn about different leadership styles and when to apply them based on the development needs of a direct report.

This lesson talks about how to apply the model in your department.  The instructor shares a case study where this model was used to great effect.

In this assignment students are challenged to develop and assign smart goals, assess the development level of their employees and match their leadership style accordingly.

This lesson extends the situational leadership concept to regular direct report meetings.  Students will learn how to structure 1:1 meetings for optimal leadership success.

In this assignment students are challenged to schedule 1:1 meetings if they don’t do them or to reboot them if they do.

In this lesson, students will learn strategies to develop employees to be more hungry, humble, and/or smart.

This lesson explores performance evaluations and providing critical feedback to direct reports.

In this assignment, students will practice developing their performance assessment skills using the concepts presented in the previous lecture.

This lecture explores ideas for rewarding and retaining employees beyond just additional compensation.

This lesson covers steps to manage an employee out of an organization ethically and legally.

Sometimes managers fall into the trap of trying to motivate a team or call attention to an issue and end up undermining their own message and demotivating their team.  This lesson explores this phenomenon.

This lesson introduces the various components of team dynamics, challenges leaders face when managing teams, and the lifecycle of a team.

This lesson touches on the various dysfunctional traits that cause problems within teams and how to address them.

In this lecture, students will explore ways to foster collaboration both inside the IT department and between IT and other non-IT departments in the organization.

With the rise of the remote/hybrid workforce, unique challenges have presented themselves.  This lesson discusses a few of the more common ones and offers advice to leaders of these teams.

In this lecture students learn about best practices around scheduling and leading team meetings.

In this assignment, students are tasked with critically reviewing all of their regularly scheduled meetings for purpose, length, and occurrence.

In this lecture, students are introduced to the four dimensions of trust as it relates to the workplace.

This lesson explores the way that trust relates to high functioning teams and how to build trust between team members.

Sometimes trust is broken. This lesson talks about how to repair trust in each of the four dimensions and how to have a conversation with a team member who has broken your trust.

Do your employees trust you?  Do they trust each other?  In this assignment you will conduct an impromptu trust self-assessment of your team.

In this introduction lesson, students will learn about the building blocks of effective communication.

In this lesson, students learn what a high stakes conversation is and how to best handle these critical discussions.

This lesson explores the various ways that employees can manage their relationship with their immediate supervisor, specifically a difficult one.

Email is one of the most consistently over-used medium in corporate communication, particularly within IT teams.  This lesson explores when and how to use email effectively.

In this assignment, students will create a template to use for effectively communicating about an issue during a system outage.

In this lesson students are introduced to the various conflicts that can arise in IT teams.

Even in the best teams, conflicts can sometimes arise.  In this lesson students will learn strategies to catch these conflicts early and resolve them before they escalate.

The best way to handle destructive conflict is to ensure it doesn’t take root in the first place.  This lesson is focused on things leaders can do to minimize or eliminate conflict within their team.

Since this section has been all about team dynamics, why not hold up a professional sports coach as an example?  Kevin O’Connell is the NFL’s 2024 Coach of the Year.

In this introductory lesson, students learn to think strategically and align IT strategy with the goals of the core business.

An introduction to SWOT analysis for IT leaders.

This lesson explores the McKinsey Three Horizons Model and applies it to short term, mid-range, and long-term IT strategic planning.

In this assignment, students will utilize provided template files to develop their own strategic plan.

This lesson provides students with an overview of the IT Risk Management process and how to develop a Risk Register that should be included in the IT Strategic Plan.

This lesson briefly introduces students to various frameworks like ISO 27001 or COBIT and how they help manage IT risks.

In this assignment, students will build a Risk Register, tie the risks to a specific strategic goal and then include it in the IT Strategic Plan.

In this lesson we explore critical thinking and structured problem solving.

There are many ways to make decisions and solve problems.  In this lesson we explore a framework for making informed decisions.

Oftentimes making the decision is easier than getting broad agreement and buy-in from others to support your decision.  This lesson explores best practices for obtaining buy-in from stakeholders.

In this introduction students will learn the basic overall steps to build an IT roadmap.

This lesson explores strategies and best practices for assessing the current state of IT solutions at your organization.

In this lesson students learn about ways to develop a vision for a future state of your organization’s IT solutions.

Prioritizing which technologies to focus on in the near to medium term and then sequencing the rollout of these is key to building a successful IT roadmap.  This lesson details how to accomplish both.

Once you have determined your IT roadmap and have started down the path of making these changes, you need to track progress and stay connected with stakeholders.  This lesson focuses on these activities.

In this assignment students will build their own IT roadmap using the process that was outlined in this section.

Steve Jobs is the co-founder of Apple Computer.  Widely renowned as a visionary leader, in this lesson we explore Steve’s strategic approach to turning Apple around in the late 1990s through the mid 2000s.

In this introduction lecture, students explore the various methodology for managing projects like Agile, Waterfall, or Hybrid models.

Engaging with stakeholders is critical for successfully managing a project to completion. This lesson explores strategies for keeping stakeholders informed and involved.

This lesson demonstrates how to use a SaaS project management tool called Teamwork which is a great option for tracking small IT projects and initiatives.

In this lesson students explore how to properly define a project’s scope and how to avoid scope creep by implementing a change control process.

Students explore various ways to calculate the time a project will take to complete and how to factor in some buffer time to allow for variances.

In this lesson students learn about various models for estimating a budget and how to account for contingencies.

In this lesson students learn how to track projects and revise their estimates as the project moves forward.  Best practices and common pitfalls for project management are also explored.

In this assignment, students will estimate and build a project plan for a small IT project that can be completed in 2-4 weeks time.

This lesson compares and contrasts tangible vs intangible benefits as it relates to ROI.

This lesson introduces students to a variety of methods for calculating ROI for tangible benefits as well as combining that with intangible benefits to paint a clear picture of the return on investment realized from IT projects.

In this lesson we begin building a good presentation by identifying the purpose, tailoring it to the audience, and including a call to action or desired outcome.

In this lesson we discuss slide design and best practices for creating effective and good looking slides.

Preparation is key.  Rehearse the presentation and be ready to answer questions.

In this assignment, you are tasked with creating an effective presentation for an upcoming event or initiative proposal at your organization.

In this introductory lesson we talk about external changes that act upon IT departments and how IT leaders must manage their teams through times of uncertainty.

This lesson explores level setting expectations when a major IT project or upgrade has far reaching consequences for the way staff across the organization perform their jobs.

In this lesson students learn about Change Management, a component of the ITIL framework and how to build an effective process for managing IT changes.

In this lesson students learn about the assessment and communication process that needs to be handled prior to a restructuring or RIF.

This lesson continues the restructuring process by outlining best practices for employee separation discussions, communicating to remaining employees, and how leaders can manage the stress that comes along with a restructuring effort.

Reed Hastings is the founder of Netflix who took his company from a niche DVD rental by mail business into a streaming media powerhouse.  In this lesson we explore the ways that Reed managed change in the organization as he completely transformed his core business in the mid 2000s.

This lesson focuses on maintaining physical and mental health when working in a high stress industry like information technology.

in this lesson we explore ideas and strategies for continuous learning so that as IT leaders we don’t become complacent when it comes to adopting new technologies or methods.

The brief lesson touches on ways that IT leaders can continue to “learn by teaching” by becoming a mentor.

Live encouragement and congrats for completing the course.

Congratulations on completing the course.  The learning doesn’t have to stop here, connect with us on LinkedIn and Subscribe to our Newsletter.