What Makes A CIO Truly Great?
CIO, Tuesday, June 27,2023
The blend of leadership skills, tech know-how, and business savvy required to succeed as CIO makes top-notch IT leaders a rare breed. Here's what separates the excellent from the good.
Whenever one talks about high-performance or leadership there is a tendency to break out a list. For example, Major League Baseball scouts are in constant search for rare '5 tool' players who can hit for power, hit for average, field, throw, and run. Is there such a list for high-performance CIOs? If so, how long might it be?
I asked a group of executives for the most important adjectives they would use to describe successful CIOs. The responses included, in alphabetical order: accountable, adaptable, curious, decisive, eloquent, empathetic, financially savvy, focused, hard-working, intelligent, improvisational, interdisciplinary, mindful, motivational, patient, practical, principled, strategic, thick-skinned, trusted, and visionary.