Chief Information Officer (CIO)

IT Leader

 

Attributes of a CIO & IT Leader

Vision, Influence, Execution

 

Corporate Leader

e-Business

Business Skills

 

 

Chief Information Officers (CIOs) "need to be good at a lot of things," says Agnoli, awards judge and CIO of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham. "They have to be able to delve from the really high-level stuff all the way down to the minutiae, sometimes at the same time. It's a very difficult skill set to find, so you want to hold on to them."

There are some telltale signs that an IT leader is – or should be – headed for the top. Leading companies recognized for their rising-star status in the IT world, display three overarching characteristics the wise CIO will watch out for. They have vision, often taking creative approaches to solving business problems. They exhibit influence, with superior communication skills and the ability to build consensus. And they get things done, executing enterprisewide projects successfully time and time again.

 

IT Leader

Traits    Attributes

Role in Business Innovation

IT Governance

Business Skills

Managerial Competencies

IT-Business Alignment

10 Tips

 

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Vision

Vision is as a core competency is the kind of trait CIOs just know when they see it. It comes in many forms, from the ability to envision an executable plan to figuring out how to enable a new business product.

But the qualities that lead IT up-and-comers to creative approaches to solving business problems are easier to boil down. They need a thorough understanding of the down-and-dirty details of both technology capabilities and business needs, the flexibility to adjust to changing conditions in either or both, and the ability to bring the two together into a very high-level strategic plan.

 

Strategic Management

Vision, Mission, Goals

Shared Vision

Articulate Your Vision

Turn Your Vision to Reality

 

 

 

Influence

Of course, giving doctors and nurses innovative new technology tools is one thing; getting them to use these tools is quite another. That's where influence comes in.

Often, CIOs must call upon a whole host of people skills to get business buy-in for, and usage of, IT-enabled change – from being willing to learn more about what the business needs to gaining the trust of key stakeholders to marketing big, enterprisewide changes to building relationships with various (often very different) constituencies.

 

People Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Persuading

How To Sell Ideas to Decision Makers

Leading Change

Lead & Manage

 

 

 

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Change Management

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Execution

Vision and influence are essential qualities for future CIOs. But without solid execution, great ideas and successful marketing campaigns quickly fall apart. You've to stand and deliver.

It takes time though to truly judge whether an IT leader is good at getting things done. "You have to look at the scope and reach of what they're doing. It's one thing to do a successful project; it's another thing to do it across the entire organization," says Agnoli. "You also have to look at how successful they are. They need to build a track record over time, not just one good project." To do that, IT leaders need to be able to employ solid project management practices, hire and manage the best employees to execute those plans, and either get involved or delegate appropriately. And though it sounds rather circular, it takes an IT leader who has vision and influence as well.

 

Project Management

Business Systems Approach

Strong Business Case

CCNP Enterprise Certification

Radical Project Management

Project Leader 

Specific Skills

 

 

 

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Manager++

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IT Architect

IT architects are in growing demand.  The position of IT architect has become increasingly important to the ever-changing IT industry, and is one that established corporations and start-ups are seeking.

 IT architects help enhance business design and solve business problems. Their communication skills are good enough to coordinate the people who will put their plans into action... More

 

e-Business

Benefits  ▪  ROI

Planning

Adoption

Connected Enterprise

e-Commerce

 

 

 

 

Business Innovation: The Role of CIO

Today, there is a great need for IT to enable business innovation. An ideal CIO is not only accountable for IT function success and business process transformation, but also adopts a more proactive company-external focus and concentrates on using IT to drive innovation and strategic advantage in pursuit of stretch business goals. To work effectively with the rest of the organization and enable business innovation, CIO needs to develop an environment within the IT function that is conducive to innovation... More

 

Virtual Integration

3 Action Areas

Internet Marketing

Strategies

SEO  >>  Services

Social Media Marketing (SMM)