For years I’ve seen and recommended different study guides for my students that were trying to prep for a Microsoft Exam.  Unfortunately, most study guides are just a printout of some brain dumps.  I then found myself having a conversation with my students about using those types of guides and how they actually “hurt” the certification and the student’s career (I’ll have to post my thoughts on that later).

To make this short and sweet….I loved this book.  This book is fill with “meat” (no potatoes)as far as information goes.  Not only does the author (Orin Thomas) teach you the concepts of Exchange 2010, but he shows you the “why’s”, which to me (as a MCT)  is SO important for understanding and learning of my students.  Orin (hope I can just use your first name  ), also takes the time to explain complicated technologies in a way that will make sense to students/readers that are new to some of the concepts.  Another cool feature of this book is that at the end of each chapter, Orin tests your comprehension with a great Q/A section!

So instead of drilling answers to questions into your head from some stupid “here…cheat with the answers and then wonder why you can’t get past a technical interview” study guide, just to take a test….MAN-UP (or WOMAN-UP…don’t want to be sexiest)  and learn the in’s, out’s, and why’s of Exchange 2010 with this book.  You know, this book is good enough to be used as reference materials for your career as well.  For me personally, I’ll be looking at this series of books for my study needs.

Now that I think about it…”Hey Microsoft why didn’t you have these types of materials for us back in the day!?  Back when I was a poor student pulling out my hair for an exam”…how about a free Xbox for all my troubles! 

Wanna read a sample?

-SuperDale

About this Author

Dale Meredith has been heavily engaged in the IT industry for over 20 years.  During that time he has worked as a CTO, Senior Technical Manager, Analyst and IT trainer.  Dale is a tremendously well-rounded IT professional, and currently an extremely sought after IT trainer.

As a Microsoft Certified Trainer (since 1998), Dale has had the opportunity to teach in a wide variety of industries, including healthcare, corporate, universities, military and government agencies.  Dale was instrumental in the training of the IT teams at Homeland Security and Customs & Border Patrol during their transition from Novell to Microsoft technologies. His ability to take complex topics and make them easy to understand is one of the talents that sets Dale apart from other trainers.

Dale has enjoyed much success in these areas because of his excellent training and presentation skills.  His delivery style (what he calls Edu-tainment)   and his in-depth knowledge of the subject matter; backed by years of real-world experience, has allowed SuperDale (as his students call him) to captivate and excite his students with the technologies he presents.

Dale holds several certifications including MCT, MCP+I, MCSE, MCSA, MCITP, MCTS, CEH, and CEI.  His specialties include Active Directory, Exchange, SharePoint, IIS, Windows 7, System Center Configuration Manager, Hyper-V and Certified Ethical Hacker.

When Dale isn’t hacking/configuring something, he’s feeding his addiction for all things Batman (admitting he has a problem is the first step to recovery ).

Dale started his blog site (http://dalemeredith.blogspot.com) several years ago, as what he calls his “Memory Dump”.  There he post articles and videos that he finds “to cool to forget”, but has quickly become a resource for his students and followers worldwide.

Dale is currently a Contract IT Trainer based out of Salt Lake City, Utah.  Dale’s high packed schedule keeps him traveling from coast to coast serving a diverse array of clients.

Bootstrap Leadership By: Steve Arneson Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Pub. Date: May 10, 2010 ISBN: 978-1-60509-345-1

Steve Arneson, one of America’s top leadership coaches, offers a complete blueprint for designing a personal leadership development program in his book Bootstrap Leadership. In 50 brief, to-the-point chapters, he provides creative and practical ideas anyone can implement immediately and with little or no budget. No matter your level of leadership, from entry-level supervisor to senior executive, there are ideas in this book that can help you become a better leader. To go along with Arneson’s book, he created bonus chapters that will appear on the Safari Books Online blog as a free bonus. These “bonus chapters” have never appeared in print.

Safari Books Online is pleased to offer this bonus chapter from Bootstrap Leadership, written by one of America’s leadership coaches, Steve Arneson.

3 Questions for Every Leader

Be Prepared for Any Audience

I often get the chance to work with emerging or high-potential leaders in corporate leadership development programs.  What a great experience – it’s always rewarding to see people get excited about leadership, and to help them realize their potential as leaders.  The programs that I design make liberal use of a concept known as “leaders as teachers’ which means that a lot of the content is taught by the company’s own senior leadership team.  From an experience and “realism” perspective, it’s hard to beat the hands-on knowledge and expertise that senior leaders bring to the classroom.

One of the highlights of the “leaders as teachers” format is a session with the CEO. Having the CEO address the group gives participants a chance to hear from the top leader, ask a lot of questions, etc.  It also gives the CEO a chance to spend some time with the next generation of leaders. Generally, the CEO will speak for about 20-30 minutes, then take questions (or ask questions) for 40-60 minutes.  It’s usually a win-win for everyone, as the CEO gets a chance to drive the vision and mission deeper into the company and in the process, learn what’s on the minds of middle managers across the company. Likewise, the participants get to spend time with the top boss, share what they’ve been learning in the program, and ask really provocative questions.

I’ve probably seen 25-30 of these interactions now, and what strikes me is the consistency of the questions the CEO gets… in fact, three questions always seem to come up.  Because I think there’s a good chance you could be asked these questions, I offer them here to help you prepare in advance.

Three Questions

1) What keeps you up at night?  I’m not sure where this question started, but it is a true standard for Q&A sessions with senior leaders. In the exchanges I observe with CEO’s, it generally comes up pretty early in the session. Not surprisingly, most CEOs have heard this one before and are ready for it.  Some say “nothing”, but most are honest and cite a few things that are worrying them.  Typically, its things they don’t know or can’t do much about.  What’s the competition doing?  Where’s the economy going?  What could cause cost of sales to go up next year?

So, what keeps you up at night?  What are you worried about, planning for, asking yourself about?  Is it the competition, your products, services, employees, the economy, funding, etc?  In a strict sense, hopefully nothing is – a good night’s rest is critically important to your energy levels, etc.  But you get the idea – what’s on your mind?  It’s best to anticipate this question and have an answer ready, rather than stumble across a weak “I don’t really know” response.  Trust me, you’re going to get this question – be ready for it.

2) What has been your defining moment as a leader?  What a great question!  It’s a lot rarer than the “keep you up at night” question, but I do hear it asked now and again, usually from a very bright participant who is really into leadership stories. CEOs that nail this question generally tell an unflattering story about themselves – a time when they learned a hard lesson.  Usually, it’s early in their work life, and has some profound effect on the trajectory of their career (often times, it involves a mentor who helped guide them to the right answer).

What is it for you?  What’s that crucible that really tells the story for you?  Could be a mistake… could be a crisis… could be big bet or a risk that worked out.  Think about this one – it will say a lot about what you’ve learned from your leadership journey (see Chapter 1).  And if you want to set an example of lifelong learning, make it something that reinforces the importance of learning from your experiences.

3) What do you want your legacy to be?  Another great question, usually asked of CEOs who are nearing or in their “last job.”  I think CEOs really like this question, because it allows them to put a fine point on what their tenure has been all about.  The CEOs I’ve heard usually say the right thing – something about people, excellence, growth, or stability.  It’s an interesting question, because the answer reveals a lot about the CEO’s philosophy of leadership.

So, how would you answer this question?  How do you want to be remembered as a leader?  Does it have something to do with building products, tools, or processes?  Does it have to do with creating new markets or partnerships?  How about building capability, and leaving behind a host of great leaders for the next 20 years?  Think carefully about your answer to this question – if you can envision what you want your legacy to be, you’ll have a greater chance of actually making it come true.

So there you go – three questions to ponder the next time you’re going to do a Q&A session with employees.  Whether you’re about to go in front of an audience or just want to reflect on your leadership experiences, these can be great questions to prepare for in advance.  And since it never hurts to be prepared, I truly hope you will give these some thought if you’re talking leadership with others in your organization… because there’s a very good chance you’ll get asked these exact questions.  Good luck!

Be Prepared for Any Audience

1. If you’re talking to groups of employees, think about the questions you’re like to get in advance
2. This is your chance to shape how others think about leadership
3. Be genuine, be sincere, and be humble

About the Author

Steve Arneson has a passion for leadership and for helping leaders on their journey of exploration and discovery. He believes the best leaders are those that constantly strive to improve— they understand that leading others is a privilege and continuously learn, solicit feedback, and work on their game. Tis book is about that journey of leadership self-development. Steve developed his interest in leadership at an early age, playing team sports. He noticed that certain coaches made a difference in his performance; he worked harder for coaches who took a personal interest in him and cared about his development as a player, and he never forgot what it felt like to work for a coach who put the team and his players ahead of his own goals.

Read more.