The Wolf in CIO's Clothing (2013)

We sometimes forget..the competitions out there are fierce. To survive or thrive, great leaders have no choice but to make tough decisions such as sacrificing or enduring painful experiences. Tina Nunno reminds us of the dark side of leadership. In her book "The Wolf in CIO's Clothing" (2013), Nunno uses wolf to describe great leaders who are well balanced with both light and dark side tactics. She emphasized the importance of mastering power, manipulation, and warfare to lead IT organizations through difficult situations.

Nunno describes seven animals representing people in the organization. ​The ecosystem is defined as the Wolf surrounded by three light side animals - the Lamb, Dove and Dolphin and three dark side animal - The Lion, Snake, and Shark.  

• Lamb and Lion represent the power extremes. The lamb is driven by the desire to be liked but could result in lacking discipline. The lion gathers power from positions, execution, and territory but is not a strategic follower. 
• The Dove and Snake represent the manipulation extremes. The dove uses virtual while the snakes are manipulative. 
• The Dolphin and Shark represent the warfare extremes. Dolphins are social and charismatics while the Shark dispatches extreme prejudice. 

The Wolf instead has a balanced power from all six animals.  Wolf leaders are powerful and well respected, manipulative and ethical,  agressive yet socialized with alliances. ​

"A prince should be a fox, to know the traps and snares; and a lion, to be able to frighten the wolves; for those who simply hold to the nature of the lion do not understand their business." - The Prince ​

Nunno did a great job to explain Machiavelli's tactics from a more comprehensive viewpoint. The discussion is also more relevant to the current business environment. It's an enjoyable read.