What CEOs Want in a CIO

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.

  Strategy  

Ever since the mid 1990s, there has been a struggle to understand what CEOs are truly looking for in a CIO. Do they want a business professional that understands how to lead and manage an IT group, or do they want an IT wizard? What do CEOs really want from their CIOs in terms of skills, talents and experience? The answer might surprise you.

In his article “5 skills CEOs Prize in CIOs” posted on informationweek .com, Johnathan Feldman, the Chief Information Officer for the City of Asheville, N.C., provides his take on what CEOs want from their CIOs. I believe the first three of these skills speak directly to not adding to the CEO’s heartburn, high blood pressure and agita:

• Customer Management: By customer management, Feldman is referring to internal customers. His insight that the CIO needs to be able to resolve issues and “squabbles” with peers without burdening the CEO is something that is lost on far too many CIOs. He is spot-on with this first bit of wisdom as CIOs need to have what I call “masterful get-a-long” skills. Ultimately, the CIO needs to forge a positive and productive working relationship with peers and their influential staff. Without this skill, the CIO can count on a continuous symphony of complaints from those peers to the CEO, usually resulting in a search for a new CIO. After all, the masses can&…

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