RLF ALUMNI
CONTINUE YOUR LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY
RLF GRADS ... YOU CAN EARN A $500 REFERRAL AWARD
A $500 AWARD IS AVAILABLE TO RLF GRADS WHO REFER SOMEONE TO RLF IN 2024!
- Any of the 5,000+ alumni from RLF programs are eligible to participate in this referral program.
YOU MAY SUBMIT MORE THAN ONE REFERRAL -- RECEIVE $500 FOR EACH ONE RESULTING IN A NEW 2024 ATTENDEE
- RLF graduates may submit more than one referral, and will receive $500 for each one that results in a new 2024 RLF participant.
THE 2024 REFERRAL AWARD WILL BE PAID IN THE FORM OF A $500 AMAZON GIFT CARD
- RLF will pay the 2024 Referral Award to the referring RLF grad in the form of a $500 Amazon gift card, to be received by the RLF grad on or around August 1, 2024.
PROCESS FOR SUBMITTING A REFFERAL:
1. Any RLF grad wanting to refer someone for the 2024 RLF program must email that person’s name to RLF Administrator Joanne Jackowiec (jjackowiec@simnet.org). The email should contain:
- The subject line – “2024 Referral Award Request”.
- The year and RLF forum that the referring RLF grad attended.
- The name of the person they are referring .
- The forum the person they are referring is expected to attend.
2. Joanne will process / track the request by:
- Confirming the email request came from an RLF alumni.
- Confirming the candidate’s name is not an existing 2024 participant.
- Adding a comment to the registration record that identifies the RLF grad as part of this incentive program.
- Sending a confirmation / thank you email to the RLF grad for submitting the name.
CRITERIA & DETAILS:
- This program is available for 2024 new enrollment(s) in RLF.
- Referral awards will be given for new RLF names submitted after September 1, 2023. Offer is not retroactive to names submitted earlier than 9/1/23.
- The deadline for submission of names is the date the 2024 RLF program begins.
- The person whose name is submitted must register and registration paid in full for the 2024 RLF program.**
- Any RLF graduate who refers a 2024 participant will receive the incentive award if:
- The participant’s registration is paid in full prior to the program's first session.
- The participant’s attends at least two RLF or Executive RLF sessions.
- The participant or their company does not request a registration cancellation refund.
- For referred participants who register, all other discounts (SIM member, early bird, non-profit) are still applicable.
**The $500 Referral Award will not qualify if the candidate name was previously submitted by an RLF sales representative, RLF facilitator, RLF Alumni, or large company.
GREAT BOOK SELECTIONS -- BY RLF FACILITATORS
RLF is famous for fostering deep knowledge of various leadership principles through each Forum's book discussions -- taking place throughout every 2-day session.
In addition to the 15 "core books" required of all RLF participants in 2023, the facilitators of each Forum also chose other books for their participants to read this year. The selection of additional books chosen for 2023 are listed here, as suggestions for all RLF grads to consider as you continue your practice of absorbing and learning from a variety of books, perspectives and philosophies on leadership.
Additional books chosen in 2023 by the Mid-Atlantic RLF
The facilitators of the 2023 Mid-Atlantic RLF program chose these additional books for their participants to read, discuss and learn from:
- Think Again ... by Adam Grant
- Think Like A Freak ... by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
- Brain Rules ... by John Medina
- The Art of Possibility ... by Rosamund Stone Zarber
- The Secret Language of Leadership ... by Stephen Denning
Additional books chosen in 2023 by the Midwest RLF
The facilitators of the 2023 Midwest RLF program chose these additional books for their participants to read, discuss and learn from:
- Start With Why ... by Simon Sinek
- The Prince ... by Noccolo Machiavelli
- Networking For People Who Hate Networking ... by Devora Zack
Additional books chosen in 2023 by the New York Metro RLF
The facilitators of the 2023 New York Metro RLF program chose these additional books for their participants to read, discuss and learn from:
- The Advantage ... by Patrick Lencioni
- The Pearl ... by John Steinbeck
- Your Brain At Work ... by David Rock
- Networking For People Who Hate Networking ... by Devora Zack
- The Last Lecture ... by Randy Pausch
Additional books chosen in 2023 by the Northeast Winter RLF
The facilitators of the 2023 Northeast Winter RLF program chose these additional books for their participants to read, discuss and learn from:
- Radical Candor ... by Kim Scott
- The Pearl ... by John Steinbeck
- Trust First ... by Bruce Deel
- American Icon ... by Bryce Hoffman
- Dare To Lead ... by Brene Brown
- The Power Of Full Engagement ... by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
- The Person You Mean To Be ... by Dolly Chugh
- UnThink ... by Erik Wahl
- Solve For Happy ... by Mo Gawdat
- Leading With Soul ... by Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal
- The Lost Art Of Connecting ... by Susan McPherson
Additional books chosen in 2023 by the Northeast Spring RLF
The facilitators of the 2023 Northeast Spring RLF program chose these additional books for their participants to read, discuss and learn from:
- Radical Candor ... by Kim Scott
- The Pearl ... by John Steinbeck
- Trust First ... by Bruce Deel
- American Icon ... by Bryce Hoffman
- Dare To Lead ... by Brene Brown
- The Power Of Full Engagement ... by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
- The Person You Mean To Be ... by Dolly Chugh
- UnThink ... by Erik Wahl
- Solve For Happy ... by Mo Gawdat
- Leading With Soul ... by Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal
- The Lost Art Of Connecting ... by Susan McPherson
Additional books chosen in 2023 by the Pacific Northwest RLF
The facilitators of the 2023 Pacific Northwest RLF program chose these additional books for their participants to read, discuss and learn from:
- Nine Lies About Work ... by Marcus Beckingham and Ashley Goodall
- Orbiting The Giant Hairball ... by Gordon MacKenzie
- Your Brain at Work ... by David Rock
- The Pink Elephant ... by Janice Asare
- Networking For People Who Hate Networking ... by Devora Zack
- Uncomfortable Conversations With A Black Man ... by Emmanuel Acho
- The Happiness Advantage ... by Shawn Achor
- The Meaning Revolution ... by Fred Kofman
- Leading With Soul ... by Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal
- Presence ... by Amy Cuddy
Additional books chosen in 2023 by the Pacific Southwest RLF
The facilitators of the 2023 Pacific Southwest RLF program chose these additional books for their participants to read, discuss and learn from:
- Leading With Soul ... by Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal
- Uncomfortable Conversations With A Black Boy ... by Emmanuel Acho
- 4-3-2-1 Leadership ... by Vincent Boles
- The C-Suite CIO ... by Ashwin Rangan
- Tomorrow's CIO ... by Ashwin Rangan
- The Prince ... by Niccolo Machiavelli
- Up From Slavery ... by Booker T. Washington
- The Heart Aroused ... by David Whyte
- Atlas Of The Heart ... by Brene Brown
- Aware ... by Daniel Siegel
- Factfulness ... by Hans Rosling
- The Garden Of Leaders ... by Paul Woodruff
Additional books chosen in 2023 by the Southeast RLF
The facilitators of the 2023 Southeast program chose these additional books for their participants to read, discuss and learn from:
- The Artist's Way ... by Julia Cameron
- Unthink ... by Erik Wahl
- The Prince ... by Niccolo Machiavelli
- Networking For People Who Hate Networking ... by Devora Zack
- Adversaries Into Allies ... by Bob Burg
- Secrets to Winning at Office Politics ... by Marie G. McIntyre
- The Happiness Advantage ... by Shawn Achor
- From Audience To Zeal ... by Laura Packer
- Leading With Soul ... by Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal
Additional books chosen in 2023 by the Texas RLF
The facilitators of the 2023 Texas RLF program chose these additional books for their participants to read, discuss and learn from:
- Start With Why ... by Simon Sinek
- Networking Fo People Who Hate Networking ... by Devora Zack
- The Prince ... by Niccolo Machiavelli
HOW TO BECOME A TRANSFORMATIONAL SENIOR IT LEADER
The Making Of A CIO: Continuously Leverage Your Leadership Development
by ERIC BLOOM – Executive Director, IT Management and Leadership Institute
“How do you become a CIO?” someone asked me recently.
My quick response was, “It’s a combination of hard work, business acumen, skill building, knowledge acquisition and personal growth.” But I saved the most important ingredient for last. “Above all, it requires the right kind of leadership development at the right time in your career, resulting in a continually-expanding practice of strong leadership.”
We’ve all heard the old adage ‘no one is born a leader.’ Just as Olympic athletes take years of hard work and practice to develop their world-class skills, so too does an IT leader. And I believe there are four distinct phases for leadership development growth of the future CIO to help advance them to the top of their game.
Early-stage IT management development
At the beginning of a career, a future CIO often starts out at the learning stage as an emerging leader … perhaps as a Technical Lead, Team Lead, Project Leader or newly minted IT Manager. In these roles, the future CIO cultivates certain types of skills and knowledge that can enhance their current job effectiveness and position them for promotion into the true IT management ranks.
These include not just the technical skills needed to prove themselves within the technical arena, but also important “soft skills” such as interpersonal communication, critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration and customer focus.
Foundational IT management development
Once receiving the nod and becoming an IT Manager, the future CIO’s focus changes from personal accomplishments to team success. Thus, new knowledge must be acquired, and new skills must be mastered and illustrated. This professional growth can be categorized into two specific buckets: “general supervisory skills” and the “business of IT”.
General supervisory skills include activities such as delegation, difficult conversations, writing performance reviews, task prioritization, hiring and team building. The “Business of IT” is best described as the activities, methodologies, knowledge, mentality, and best practices needed to effectively lead an IT business function; thus, maximizing its value to the organization it serves. Also, it’s crucial at this stage of a career to learn the business of the organization you are part of, be more effective now and in the future.
Next-level personal introspective leadership development
In time, IT Managers become adept at the “business of IT” and the foundation skills needed to run an IT organization. During this time, they also gain experience in leadership, organizational politics, overall user experience, IT governance, and industry-specific systems, business practices, the general idiosyncrasies of the organization and the impact a team can have on the company’s customers. Quite naturally, they then often move from the “manager” level up to the level of Senior Managers, IT Directors and even IT VPs.
There, the future CIO’s crucial development needs to focus on developing as a leader from within – including deeper self-awareness, emotional intelligence, organizational change/design, collaboration across boundaries and other “soft skills” to enhance the ability to work with and lead others throughout the enterprise.
Senior transformational leadership development
In time the talented, well-schooled, and seasoned senior IT executive could be selected to lead an IT infrastructure as CIO or a similar title. This senior IT role is different than all the other IT management positions reporting to it. As a CIO, possibly for the first time in their career, they are reporting to a businessperson such as a CEO, COO, or CFO … not to a higher-level IT leader. The CIO is therefore responsible for all technology for their organization. The CIO’s colleagues are no longer other IT executives, rather peer leaders of other organizational silos such as Sales, Marketing, Engineering, Finance and Human Resources. Forming solid relationships with these leaders is critical to the CIO’s success and understanding the “culture” of that organization.
As a result of this transition, the new CIO must yet again expand skills and knowledge in the areas of leadership, technical strategic vision, business strategy, and the ability to navigate C-Suite and board-level politics.
Good news … the SIM Leadership Institute addresses these four levels of the CIO’s leadership growth
The future CIO or senior IT leader can now reach that career destination more seamlessly, thanks to four distinct leadership development programs that the SIM Leadership Institute offers for the IT professional – enabling the tackling of specific leadership skills at the precise moment in a high-potential career when it’s most needed:
1. The Emerging Leadership Development (ELD) program provides basic managerial competency training for first-time leaders or soon-to-be IT Managers. The ELD is an online “leadership 101” orientation providing important topical content and assessments entirely customized to focus on the emerging leader’s specific areas of necessary leadership development.
2. The IT Management and Leadership Professional (ITMLP) certification program is for IT managers with 1-4 years of IT management experience. This 3-day, instructor-led online workshop provides insights and instruction on the Business of IT to maximize current job performance and prepare managers for even higher-level IT management roles.
3. The Regional Leadership Forum (RLF) program is designed for IT professionals already possessing four-plus years of leadership experience. RLF is an immersive, highly-experiential deep dive into the “soft skills” which are crucial to building strong leadership competencies such as keen self-awareness, more adept adaptability, authentic collaboration and the skill to work successfully across boundaries.
4. The Executive Regional Leadership Forum (Executive RLF) program is for the senior IT leader with aspirations for a high altitude within the organization. The Executive RLF delivers strong one-on-one coaching to enhance executive presence, influence power and interactions with the organization’s executive level as a true transformational leader.
So if you want to become a CIO – or a stronger, more influential IT leader – take advantage of any or all of SIM Leadership Institute’s programs, tailored for every stage of an IT career. Because IT leaders have especially come to know they must continually refine and improve their leadership skills and practices that will carry them – and their industry – through the most turbulent of times … today and tomorrow.
Eric Bloom is the Executive Director of the IT Management and Leadership Institute and the leader of the ITMLP Certification Workshop program of the SIM Leadership Institute. He can be reached at eric.bloom@itmlinstitute.org