Customer Reviews

Straight to the Top: Becoming a World-Class CIO

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

My first CIO book and this made me more excited to get my first CIO position. Good format, excellent recommendations and in-depth knowledge of the CIO position.

You gave good feedback on how to improve skill sets of managers looking to become the next CIO. I like the detailed recommendation you gave to get there but some of the graphics need improvement. Overall, I'm very satisfied with the book and i'll work on my network and hopefully find that mentor I've been looking for all these years...Greg you're on my list!!!

I'm not too sure about current CIOs, but this book proves to be very informative and concise for a junior IT executive like me aiming for the top IT post. Unlike some IT books which focus on stories and leaving you to ponder how you can relate to them, this gem of a book addresses key issues and tells you straight to the point what CIOs of established companies feel and how they react to these issues. In addition, Smith has given his own input and experience in the form of easy-to-follow guidelines which anyone can put to use immediately.

I'm glad I did not miss this book.

I think that Gregory Smith`s Book is an excellent refrence for new or recent IT Pros. I read most of Mr. Smith`s articles in CIO magizine and there were a lot of terrific tips that he had mentioned. I think that this man has supported his book with a bunch of great information and expanded on the excellent key points that he mentioned in his book. Great job.

If you are a reader of CIO Magazine or any other technical leader publication or web site, this book will seem very familiar to you.

There also seems to be a lot of filler. It's full of the tricks that college students use when writing papers - use lots of graphics, use a lot of quotes from sources, and make the font large.

If you don't frequent the usual technical/business sites, this is a worthwhile read.

A pretty good read. Sometimes the author really puffs himself up and that became rather annoying at times. He could leave those parts out of the book and it would be just as good if not better. If you can see past his huge ego, the style is interesting enough to finish the book in two or three sittings. I would have given it more stars w/o this flaw.

A must read for every IT professional looking to reach the top. The chapters on "What Executive Recruiters Are Looking For" and "Building the Right Network" are invaluable. I would also highly recommend it to CXOs looking to hire a CIO or set their CIO's agenda.

I just read this book for the second time, and am doubly impressed with the author's great attitude, well-rounded guidance and insightful advice. While I'm still an aspirational executive, I felt that the author's recommendations were worth following regardless where you found yourself in the corporate structure - engineer, architect, manager or executive.