Leadership: What Is It, and How Can the CIO Show Some?

Michael R. Wood is a Business Process Improvement & IT Strategist Independent Consultant. He is creator of the business process-improvement methodology called HELIX and founder of The Natural Intelligence Group, a strategy, process improvement and technology consulting company. He is also a CPA, has served as an Adjunct Professor in Pepperdine's Management MBA program, an Associate Professor at California Lutheran University, and on the boards of numerous professional organizations. Mr. Wood is a sought after presenter of HELIX workshops and seminars in both the U.S. and Europe.

 

Is there anyone out there that does not want the CIO to go be a bastion of leadership? Is there a CEO who does not dream of a CIO who can lead the charge for positive change within the organization?

So why are CIOs still floundering on this issue? Could it be that nowhere in their background have they been educated and schooled on what leadership is and how to practice it? Could it be that their focus is so technology intensive that they are blind to the human equation? I believe the answer is a resounding yes.

In the article “Teaching Johnny to Lead” by Mindy Blodgett (November 15, 1999 issue of CIO Magazine), James Kinney, senior vice president and CIO for Kraft Foods Inc., states:

“It’s only in recent years that he has seen the topic of leadership move to the forefront as an item for executives to check off on their IT to-do lists.”

“We are starting to take on leadership roles within our companies, and therefore we need to start implementing leadership throughout the entire IS organization. It’s absolutely essential.”

What are the core competencies effective leaders demonstrate? What can the CIO do to cultivate the skills needed to emerge as a leader within the organization?

While effective leaders are very different in their approaches and …

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