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Straight to the Top: Becoming a World-Class CIO [Hardcover]

Gregory S. Smith (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

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Book Description

April 12, 2006
You have what it takes to be a CIO. Do you have a strategy for getting there? Now you do.

"Gregory Smith has written the definitive work on how to achieve leadership success in IT. This well-written and carefully researched book is a must-read for any IT professional with aspirations toward the top IT spot. Years from now, seasoned IT leaders will be crediting Smith's book with playing a role in their success."
—Martha Heller, Managing Director, IT Leadership Practice, Z Resource Group, and cofounder, CIO Executive Council

"Wow! Put all the tips, advice, and strategies in this book to use now. The road to the top is rarely straight—follow Gregory's advice and the path will reveal itself to you!"
—John R. Sullivan, CIO, AARP

"While most professions have a distinct road map to the top, there is no standard career path to becoming a CIO. Smith addresses this unique challenge and provides aspiring CIOs with encouragement, advice, and essential skills based on years of his own and other CIOs' cumulative experience -- an important effort for the profession that Smith's fellow members in the CIO Executive Council embrace and applaud."
—Mark Hall, General Manager of the CIO Executive Council

"Teaching students what a CIO really does has been tough. We've had to choose between anecdotal treatments based on trade press articles and integrated academic frameworks that offer little in the way of lived experiences. Greg's book fixes that. By organizing interviews with leading technology executives, trade press reports, and his own experiences as a CIO, he provides an organized and comprehensive view of the job and its important role in modern organizations."
—Fred Collopy, PHD, Professor and Chair of Information Systems and Professor of Cognitive Science, Case Western Reserve University


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Editorial Reviews

Review

"…should be required reading for all present or aspiring CIOs." (eweek, December 25, 2006)

From the Inside Flap

Preparing for the role of chief information officer (CIO) takes careful planning, strategy, and knowledge: What does a CEO look for in a CIO? What is the difference between a CIO and a CTO? How do you learn the business and build key relationships? Straight to the Top: Becoming a World-Class CIO is an essential guide to help information technology (IT) and business professionals recognize the qualities necessary to attain the role of first-time CIO and strategically plan their career moves. This vital road map for success offers a rare view, from the executive recruiter's perspective, of the traits top search firms are looking for in CIO candidates.

Becoming a CIO requires a solid skill set from the candidate, including significant technical proficiency, business acumen, and an exceptional ability to communicate meaningfully. Most importantly, the CIO's success is measured in an ability to decode IT into usable ideas and solutions that work in tandem with the goals of the business. Straight to the Top expertly coaches aspiring CIOs on building up these requisite skills with "insider information" from leading CIOs and author Gregory Smith's own observations throughout his twenty years of experience working in the IT field—most recently, as a CIO.

Based on advisory research, case studies, and interviews with a variety of CIOs, executive recruiting firms, and sales professionals, this proactive book is strategically divided into two parts.

Part One—Building the Necessary Skills and Relationships—discusses the prospective CIO's need to:

  • Communicate exceptionally and effectively
  • Translate IT-speak into business terms
  • Understand business users and their needs
  • Build effective relationships outside of the IT "glass house"

Part Two—Preparing for the Role of the CIO—builds on the fundamentals discussed in the first half of the book and examines:

  • The key skills employers and search firms require in a CIO
  • The need to think like a CFO and act like a CIO
  • How to balance the risks and rewards encountered while moving up the IT ladder
  • What to expect once you land your first CIO position

Useful to academic institutions with degrees and programs in information systems, Straight to the Top equips CIO candidates with a straightforward course of action to the corner office in becoming a world-class CIO.


Product Details

  • Hardcover: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 12, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0471744786
  • ISBN-13: 978-0471744788
  • Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 0.9 x 9.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #416,616 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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Average Customer Review
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent career guide!!!, September 25, 2006
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C. Francis (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Straight to the Top: Becoming a World-Class CIO (Hardcover)
When I was offered the job of CIO, I only had 1 week to prepare for the interview. I purchased this book immediately based on the exerpts that I read on line. What an amazing and helpful book. Mr. Smith's pointers and recommendations helped me tremendously! It assisted in preparing me for the interview and even though I am now working as a CIO I still review it. I liked his points on the IT Governance Structure document - somthing that I plan to put in place here, I also read with interest his tips on the first 100 days in the job. I also like the statistical data that were included in each chapter. What was also particularly helpful were his personal experience. I like how the book gives direction to aspiring CIOs and new CIOs. I highly recommend this book.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars More credible than informative, September 7, 2006
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This review is from: Straight to the Top: Becoming a World-Class CIO (Hardcover)
The information contained in this book are not exactly revolutionary. You want to be a CIO? Get an MBA from top notch school, be technically proficient, get project management experience, work on large scale projects, get experience with large scale budgets, and work on your soft (communication and interpersonal) skills.

What sets this book apart from other books with similar title is the source of its information. They are from CIOs and recruiters who have experience placing CIOs.

Too often, many books on becoming a CIO are based on guesses and speculations of the authors who do not have full comprehension of the topic. The author of this book purposely does not use his own conclusions, he merely gathers information and analyze them in an objective fashion.

If you want to read a book on becoming a CIO based on a solid research and survey of relevant professionals, then this book will provide credible, albeit common sense, suggestions.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for IT professionals!, April 13, 2006
This review is from: Straight to the Top: Becoming a World-Class CIO (Hardcover)
Straight to the Top is required reading for anyone aspiring to a senior IT management position.

In his book, Smith offers solid advice and practical steps to prepare for the CIO role.The author not only relays his own real world career experiences on his climb to the top but cites CIO colleagues and executive recruiters on the skills and experiences needed to grow an IT career. He fortifies his insight with survey results from Forrester and CIO magazine. Smith laces telling personal anecdotes throughout the book which makes it immensely readable.

He ends each chapter with a "What I Did to Prepare" and "Recommendations" which detail actions you can take to prepare for your next promotion.

Smith's Straight to the Top is a roadmap to a top IT position. For anyone in IT, this book is an investment in your future.
Its practical step-by-step approach makes it a valuable tool for any professional. With its sound, solid advice it answers the questions we all ask: What do I need to do to advance my career? I know it has inspired and motivated me to take the next steps to go after my career dreams.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Before I jump into a discussion on why technology skills matter for technology executives today, I thought that it would be helpful to first clarify the difference between a chief information officer (CIO) and a chief technology officer (CTO) and provide a summary of both the recent evolution of the CIO role and the current state of the CIO profession. Read the first page
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Forrester Research, Six Sigma, United States, Martha Heller, Resource Group, Halbrecht Lieberman Associates, Washington Post, Edward Prewitt, World Wildlife Fund, Maricopa Community College District, Von Stein, Strategic Information Technologies, The Donna Karan Company, Assistant General Manager, Mellon Financial, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, Robert Half Technology, State Street, Stephanie Overby, Marc Cecere, National Aquarium, Network World, Software Engineering Institute, Craig Symons, Decision Input
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