Last week, more than 30 new graduate students at Columbia University started their development towards becoming tomorrow’s CIOs. During the four-day inaugural course, I had a number of notable CIOs, board members, and chief executives from companies such as BP JetBlue , ICAP, and Sealed Air speak to the group.
As I listened to each presentation, it became clear to me how consistent were the messages from these successful leaders. I want to share their key points, and why they are so important for CIO success:
Communication is king. CIOs who learn to effectively articulate IT from a business perspective are winning the day. The more closely your language resembles the way people in the business speak, the easier it will be to integrate IT into the business. CIOs recommend that up-and-coming IT leaders spend time in the business. This should include visiting the firm’s clients and being part of production activities. In this way, you can actually understand the culture of the business and develop insights into how IT can truly provide value. Typically, the more visibility you have as a CIO, the easier it is to sell your ideas and determine what you need to do to maximize support from the field.
Help define your role. This was an interesting point made by several CIOs. They stated that many CEOs, COOs, and CFOs may not have the vision to understand what IT can really do to help the firm—and more importantly, what your role needs to be to help accomplish your plan. CIOs need to help define their role, especially as a more strategic partner. We know, too, that many CIOs are viewed as the back-end support person, keeping the lights on; however, firms need the strategic understanding of how IT can make a difference competitively. The executives who spoke at Columbia had a simple point: If you wait to be asked, you may never receive the call. You need to sell to senior management your plan for how the IT function can be used to help the business on the front-end as well as the back-end. Inevitably, the acceptance of such a plan can lead to redefining the CIO role—especially where it reports.
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Be patient! Change in organizations takes time. Integration can take longer than you expect. Organizational culture evolves slowly, but if the change occurs organically, it will be more permanent. Remember that IT is a disruptive force—meaning that it impacts the roles and responsibilities of practically all employees. We know that organizations do not like change, so it should be of no surprise that an innovation proposed by the CIO may not be openly embraced. But, in time, things can and will change. Those CIOs that are impatient and righteous do not last long.
Persevere. My motto has always been, “no” only means “no” today. Don’t think every idea will be accepted. And you likely won’t get everything you ask for the first time. Every presenter at Columbia spoke about their failures—and how much they learned from them. In many cases, failure led the way to their success because they were able to rebound. Remember, anyone can sail a ship in calm waters, but you can never be a true captain until you sail through a storm. The most important aspect of perseverance is to always be impressive in how you handle yourself and explain your challenges to your C-level partners.
Costs are important. Many CIOs think that showing how IT can reduce costs is the name of the game. Perhaps, but our presenters were more focused on good fiscal control and sensitivity to expenditures , not just cost-cutting for its own sake. What your CEO and board need to know is that you are a good business person, and establishing fiscal controls in your organization is the first test for any C-level leader. The difference is that fiscal control does not necessarily rule out smart investment and acceptable risk-taking. Remember, the bottom line has two parts—revenues and expenses.
To me, the message was loud and clear: CIOs need to communicate to better integrate with the business, be patient and persevere over their failures, and never forget to be a good fiscal partner. I’m looking forward to sharing perspectives from our future sessions at Columbia, and I’d like to hear from readers about these all-important factors.
Dr. Arthur Langer sits on three faculties at Columbia University and oversees executive masters programs in IT management. He is also founder and chairman of Workforce Opportunity Services, a nonprofit that helps companies build stronger talent pipelines by training underserved young adults and military veterans.