How to be the CIO every company wants

Companies expect a lot from their CIOs: integral knowledge of the business, visible financial results, and agility, as well as the ability to manage change, actively collaborate with business leaders, and explain IT in plain English.

It’s a tall order that requires a broad spectrum of skills. It once prompted a CFO contemporary of mine to say, “I’m glad you’re the CIO. I could never meet all of those diverse expectations.”

Then, as now, being the CIO is one of the most difficult C-level roles to take on — and as technology becomes further ingrained in the business, it’s only going to become more so.

Here’s a rundown of what IT leaders must be prepared to deliver to succeed in the increasingly prominent role of CIO today.

Integral knowledge of the business

CIOs must go beyond the bits and bytes to establish a thorough understanding of the business and what makes it successful. In addition to baseline business concepts that all CIOs must know, that includes company operations, returns from investments, balance sheets, income sheets, and key company financial ratios, as well as awareness of — andinput into — the company strategic business plan, regardless of whether the subject matter at hand has direct bearing on IT. This is why many companies now seek CIOs with MBA degrees or non-IT business experience.

Visible financial results from IT investments

It’s no longer sufficient to request more processing, storage, or networks if you can’t show how the investments will pay for themselves. Is an investment in a Wi-Fi 6 network in manufacturing with new routers really needed? How will it reduce OpEx and speed time to market? Can you express the operational savings and revenue increases that will pay for the Wi-Fi 6 installation in dollars?

Agility and the ability to manage change

You’re working on a new remote sales system when the CEO stops by and says that the company is contemplating acquiring a competitor with a complementary product line. He asks for your input. From a business standpoint it makes absolute sense, and you tell him that. But now you have to put the stops on the remote sales project and migrate IT staff into converting a new company onto your ERP system. How quickly and seamlessly can you change gears and refocus your staff?

Collaboration

You’ve heard that Finance has purchased new software and is moving ahead on its own no-code application development. Finance feels self-sufficient. No one has communicated with you. But you know from experience that Finance will probably be coming to you within 90 days to request integration with other company systems. Do you wait to hear from Finance, or make it a point to actively collaborate and touch base with them, even when there are no immediate projects that you’re aware of?

Communications in plain English

The board wants to know to why a Wi-Fi 6 network is needed for manufacturing, and why all of the routers and other network devices have to be upgraded, when everything already seems to be working fine. Can you explain the need to upgrade in plain English — and appropriate business terms — without getting too deep into the weeds of a technical discussion of new Wi-Fi protocols? Being able to do so will not only help you sell the C-suite on IT investments but also increase your chances of buy-in among business colleagues when you need it the most.

Managing the superman (or superwoman) syndrome

Over 80 years ago, the first Superman radio broadcasts hit the air, with cub newspaper reporter Jimmy Olsen exclaiming, “Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!”

Undoubtedly, there are many days when CIOs just wish they could don that cape and fly to the rescue of new, screaming company priorities with instant IT solutions. Unfortunately, it’s probably more likely on any given day that most IT leaders feel more like the bird or plane.

So if you acknowledge that you are only human and decide to just focus on two main areas as a CIO, what should they be?

Business acumen

CIOs establish their worth (and the value of IT) when they demonstrate a keen understanding of the business and what it takes for the company to succeed.

The CIO should be able to converse on any company financial topic with the CFO and the CEO. He or she should be able explain the investment value of IT in financial, operational, and strategic business terms — and be ready to pull the plug on any IT project that begins to look like a deficit.

This business acumen should extend to conversations with middle business managers, because when you show that you understand what these managers’ business pain points are and you have a way for IT to address them, it shows that you are investing in these managers and their success. CIOs can get such dialogues going by regularly visiting with line managers to discuss operational hurdles, and how IT can fix them.

Finally, the CIO needs to convey (and teach) this business acumen and sensitivity to staff. In one case, I knew of a CIO who took 15 minutes of each monthly staff meeting to highlight a particular company financial fact or ratio, and how IT contributed to it. This improved the IT staff’s knowledge of the business and sensitized staff to what IT was contributing. The practice infused IT work with business relevance and purpose.

Interpersonal skills

The second most important area of focus should be developing strong interpersonal skills, as this is the foundational piece for agility, change management, and collaboration.

I know CIOs who take outside classes in business writing and in making effective presentations. I also recall one CEO I worked with who felt very insecure with all the technology acronyms that were being thrown at him, but who was afraid to ask his CIO or IT staff because he didn’t want to appear uninformed.

By writing and speaking in plain English and eliminating “techno speak,” CIOs can make their business cases for tech more compelling, while also making those around them feel more comfortable. People are more willing to support a technology initiative or request that they can understand and talk about in their own words.

Empathy is also at the center of this idea. Knowing where someone is coming from, what they need, and being able to communicate with them at their level, while also truly listening to them, will pay dividends when it comes to collaborating and achieving “meetings of the mind” that move projects forward. If there is a need for agility because business direction changes, the shift can be more easily made when everyone is already on the same page.