May 2012
Secrets of Being a CIO Superhero
CIOs in general are very courageous people – who else would willingly attempt to support the run-away train of business on sometimes faulty infrastructure while wearing a red cape and wishing they too were devilishly handsome or beautiful?
Well, therein lies the secret of being a CIO Superhero:
GREAT CIO SUPERHEROS ARE WILLING TO BE THERE KEEPING THE INFRASTRUCTURE FUNCTIONING WHILE SUPPORTING THE BUSINESS WITH THE CONFIDENT DEMEANOR OF A SUPERHERO.
And you probably thought you would have to wade through a lot of wordy prose to get to the meat of this post! But seriously, great CIOs are great because they are there and they can communicate and top execs in the business actually understand what they are saying! This last bit sounds too simple, right? Amazing as it may sound, most CIOs fail because they are not sufficiently THERE and COMMUNICATING such that top execs UNDERSTAND the IT strategic plan and how it fits into the overall business plan.
Here’s a recent example: a CIO had an Executive Steering Committee meeting where he was not clear enough in his communications and maundered too much such that the CFO asked the CEO after the meeting what the CIO was even talking about! Within a few weeks that CIO was demoted and replaced. So, never underestimate the power of really being there, clearly communicating (both written and verbal) and such that others have understanding.
Another factor of great CIOs is that they push HARD on their teams to KEEP THE INFRASTRUCTURE RUNNING while supporting the business operations and senior management’s needs and wants. Do not ever neglect the infrastructure and the teams that support it. Do so at your own peril! The CEO will only put up with so many data center crashes before he begins to talk to HR about termination and replacement.
The final factor is confidence. If you visited your medical doctor and they were not confident about your open heart surgery, how comfortable would you feel? Most likely you would run for the hills. A CIO who does not exude confidence will sooner or later find their pink slip waiting for them. Now, a great CIO is not arrogant but is confident. Big difference. A great CIO knows how to listen and give the impression of confidence even when they are not sure.
Ah, you thought that was the last factor but I just thought of another one that if neglected can skew all the others – your TEAM. If you have a bad team then you will fail no matter how hard you try. Building your team with great, I mean really GREAT, staff is key to the success of any CIO superhero.
I hope this helps you become the CIO superhero at your organization!
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