Introduction

This seminar is designed to provide IT leaders and professionals with a set of transformational tools and techniques to help them maximize their own and their team’s creative potential. The starting point for this seminar is self-discovery; participants will work on the inside first and then focus outwards onto the world of business.

The initial focus of the seminar will be:

• Preparation to move out of your comfort zone and experiment with new ways of creating and communicating an inspiring leadership vision.
• To define IT strategy and set out techniques for leading an agile IT organization that is customer-centric, makes good strategic management and technical decisions, and leverages IT resources effectively.
• The emphasis on the strategic importance of information services to the enterprise and their contribution as a critical partner in meeting business goals.
• Identifying opportunities for new kinds of thinking and learning to challenge the givens without breaking the bonds
• How to improve your negotiation skills and overcome departmental and organizational obstacles to success

Course Objectives 

By the end of this program you will be able to:

• Set out their personal leadership brand
• Demonstrate innovative methods for harnessing others’ creative potential
• Articulate a vision using multiple sensory representations
• Communicate their vision in refreshing and engaging ways
• Identify critical components of a strategically-aligned IT department
• Apply value and performance measurement techniques
• Develop meaningful recruitment and retention policies
• Evaluate technology solutions, vendor selection, and outsourcing

Target Audience

• IT leaders and senior IT professionals
• IT managers and team leaders across technical and business functions
• Infrastructure, systems, and network managers
• Professionals responsible for IT strategy, governance, and service delivery
• Experienced IT staff preparing for leadership or strategic roles
• Technical professionals transitioning into IT management positions
• Business and technology professionals involved in digital transformation
• IT consultants, advisors, and solution architects involved in enterprise IT planning
• Individuals responsible for managing IT teams, budgets, vendors, and projects
• Professionals seeking to strengthen leadership, creativity, and strategic decision-making skills in IT environments

Course Outlines

Module I

Leading Creatively

Day 1: Creative Problem-Solving

• Leadership Reality Assessment
• Leadership Vs Management
• Understanding Our Brain Function
• Myths of Creativity
• The limitations of the rational
• Divergent approaches to problem-solving
• Letting go of logic
• Analogous thinking modes
• Convergent and divergent modes

Day 2: Overcoming Personal Blockers to Creativity

• Sigmoid Curve - Lifecycle Model
• Continuous Improvement
• Breakthrough step change
• Self-awareness and the nature of the ego
• Personal goal alignment
• Adaption and innovation: personal preferences for creating meaning
• Exploring attitudes to risk
• Left- and right-brain thinking

Day 3: Developing the Vision Creatively

• Six thinking hats
• Using differing thinking styles
• Johari's window
• The business plan process & creating a vision
• Harnessing the power of the team
• Organizational culture and its influence on innovation
• Letting go of the ego
• Working with different creative preferences

Day 4: Communicating the Vision Creatively

• The 7 Step Creative Process
• Models of communication
• Viral visioning
• Authenticity and trust
• Creativity tools, techniques & strategy
• Letting go of the vision
• Leading without directing
• Possible leadership beliefs

Day 5: From Ideas to Action: Creativity and Change

• Motivation - Hierarchy of Needs
• Overcoming organizational barriers to creativity and change
• Nurturing a learning environment
• Is Money a motivator?
• Personality Profiling
• Building a creative consensus
• Engaging stakeholders creatively
• Influencing and motivating through change

Module II

Strategic IT Leadership

Day 6: Leading and Managing the IT Department

• Understand the challenges of the IT manager
• How to value IT services
• Communicate IT value to upper management, peers, and end-users.
• Understand the responsibilities of the IT team leader.

Managing Technology

• Understand the Strategy for Managing Existing Technology
• Know when to develop and adopt New Technologies
• Be Aware of how to manage assets effectively.

Day 7: Using Influence

• Understand the different types of influential power.
• Be aware of the various influence strategies
• Select the most effective influence strategy for the situation
• Understanding negotiations, tactics, and techniques.
• Use influence effectively to thrive as an IT manager

Strategic Decision Making

• Apply strategic decision making
• Recognizing strategic decisions and initiatives.
• Apply strategic decision making to vendor selection
• Understand when to outsource

Day 8: Developing the IT Strategic Plan and Budget

• Using the mission as an IT driver
• Defining the customer profile
• understanding the partnership model
• Creating a strategic plan
• Planning and budgeting issues

Managing IT Quality

• Understanding the importance of managing by process
• Understand the definitions of quality
• Applying maturity models
• Using process management
• Applying international standards

Day 9: Building the IT Management Team

• Evaluating IT performance and metrics
• Understanding delegation and motivation
• Team building
• Managing the management team and stakeholders.

Day 10: IT Project Management

• The Importance of Project Management
• Defining Project Manager talents and skills
• Understanding the principles of Project Management

IT Performance Metrics

• Developing a measurement strategy
• Creating a “Best Practices” based organization
• Deploy metrics
• Managing by facts and results
• Integrate metrics into the strategic plan

Common Pitfalls and Lessons Learned

• Balancing technical and corporate requirements
• Balancing tactical and strategic decisions
• Evaluating new and existing technologies
• Balancing management styles and culture.