Truth from the Trenches

A Practical Guide to the Art of IT Management

By: Mark Settle

Narrated by: Marguerite Gavin

The IT management profession is not for the faint of heart. Anyone who has worked in this sector is familiar with the unique (and borderline impossible) challenge of trying to keep up with technological innovations while operating on a too-small budget and facing constant criticism for problems outside of your control. Truth From the Trenches passes on the hard-won leadership lessons that six-time CIO Mark Settle gained over years of working in IT management. Settle describes the key constituencies that an IT leader needs to influence, seduce, leverage, and manage to be successful. His practical recommendations will allow listeners to improve their organizational impact and accelerate their career advancement. In a sector where competency stems not from formal certification but on-the-job learning, Truth from the Trenches is a valuable and unique resource that is based on Settle's deep experience working in IT in a variety of industries. By applying Settle's strategies, IT workers will be able to avoid common pitfalls, save themselves from wasting time and effort on hopeless initiatives, and survive the trenches of everyday IT challenges.

©2016 Mark Settle (P)2016 Gildan Media, LLC

The IT world view, when viewed from the top of the hierarchy.

Held my attention less than half of the time. A male writer choosing a female professional speaker, telling the story (or ideas and experiences) of a female IT leader, is controversial in a male dominated profession. I get that. But couldn't familiarize with it, so the book got boring quite fast and my mind wandered in my working environment, instead of focusing on it.
But there are great lessons to be learnt from the book, if summarized.