Every business pro has a deep library of strategy books that inspire them, provide guidance and move their company in new directions they never thought it could go. At CIO Talk Network, we’ve done our fair share of reading also, and it’s our mission to share all we’ve learned.
We’re giving away three books personally signed by the authors to three lucky contestants that will help you stimulate new ideas, discussion and innovation that will get you ahead in your business. They deal with topics that matter most to the contemporary IT practitioner, from a market strategy that separates you from the pack of competitors to a social media philosophy that will find new value for your company to a cut and dry IT tome essential for anyone in the industry.
If selected, your ideas may be featured as topics for discussion live on the CIO Talk Network show, and your name will be announced on the air. Enter the contest by February 5, 2013 for a chance to win.
Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant
By W. Chan Kim and Renee A. Mauborgne (2005)
In an ocean full of sharks, a piece of meat is dropped into the deep end. Every shark scurries and fights over a small chunk until the whole ocean is left bloody and red. This is the Red Ocean Strategy, something that has governed the American business sector in the pursuit of healthy supply and demand competition. But there’s a new idea that’s come from overseas: the Blue Ocean Strategy. French professors W. Chan Kim and Renee A. Mauborgne’s book explores the concept of creating new demand in an untested and uncontested market.
The three parts of the book explain the philosophy and ask
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- What is the best unit of analysis of profitable growth?
- Company?
- Industry?
The idea may sound like wishful thinking to those used to traditional forms of market competition, but over the years this book has become the cornerstone to modern innovation.
The CIO Playbook: Strategies and Best Practices for IT Leaders to Deliver Value
By Nicholas R. Colisto (2012)
“High performance teams make all things possible.” That’s the message that Nicholas Colisto wrote in the competition copy of “The CIO Playbook,” explaining that CIOs are at an unprecedented position of power in today’s business world. Only recently, IT professionals have become an active and crucial part in a business’s performance. Colisto offers real solutions for IT practitioners in a seven step approach. He’s been a regular blogger for CIO Talk Radio, a frequent guest of the show (see the links to his three appearances below) and really understands value.
The Social Organization: How to use Social Media to Tap the Collective Genius of Your Customers and Employees
By Anthony J. Bradley and Mark P. McDonald (2011)
When it comes to social media, most businesses do what co-author Anthony Bradley calls “Provide and Pray.” They throw their information online and hope to God the community forms around it. Bradley, a former guest of the show and a blogger and a Group Vice President with Gartner Research, says in his book that social media is more than a marketing tool. Through Mass Collaboration, social media enables businesses to find value through collaborative product design, crowd sourcing or new ways of product delivery provided directly by the customer. This strategy guide from 2011 is a must for IT practitioners who want to find purpose in social media.
Enter the CIO Talk Network New Year, New Book Contest now!
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