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Lifelong Learning - Recommended Reading (Part 1)

As a follow up to my recent discussion on the differences between being a ‘student’ and being a ‘learner’, I thought it would be useful to provide a somewhat comprehensive list of readings and source material to help those who are heading into and/or beyond the pinnacle of their ITIL learning journey—Managing Across the Lifecycle (MALC).  Preparing for MALC requires a deep level of commitment, beginning with a sound understanding of the five ITIL core books.    To truly be an ITIL/ITSM Expert, you should develop some complementary skills in Organizational Change Management, Business/IT Management and other ITSM frameworks and standards?
 
While it is unreasonable to expect a learner to complete all of these readings as part of their MALC preparation, the spirit here is to recommend a versatile business view that will serve you before, during and after you become an ITIL Expert.    The road doesn't end at MALC - lifelong learning habits will keep your knowledge and perspective fresh and well-rounded.

Even if you cannot read the entire original books, try to find a summary or an overview or even just look up information on the authors.   If you have additional recommendations, please share via comments.

Recommended Reading Part 1

  • The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim
  • Out of the Crisis by W. Edwards Deming
  • The New Economics by W. Edwards Deming
  • Quality Control Handbook by Joseph Juran
  • Quality is Free by Philip Crosby
  • The Six Sigma Way by Peter Pande, et al.
  • The Essential Drucker by Peter Drucker
  • Freakonomics by Steven Levitt
  • The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman
  • Rework by Jason Fried and David Hansson
  • The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt
  • All Hat No Cattle by Chris Turner
  • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey
  • The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
  • Leading Change by John Kotter
  • The Heart of Change by John Kotter
To be continued next week.....

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