CIOs weigh in on what it takes to rise to the top of IT. Tips include building business acumen and knowing the difference between management and leadership.
The path to becoming a CIO requires more than technical expertise.
Many IT leaders rise through the ranks as they solve problems, deliver projects and work hands-on with technical tasks. Those capabilities remain important, but at the executive level, they are not sufficient on their own. The CIO role expands beyond systems and operations into business strategy, organizational influence and measurable outcomes.
For aspiring CIOs, that shift requires a mental reset. It requires them to step out of day-to-day execution and develop a stronger command of the business -- such as how the company makes money, where it loses it and how technology can change that equation. CIOs must also learn to rely on others, build teams they can trust and focus less on doing technical tasks themselves and more on enabling others. Equally important is the ability to build relationships across the organization and align stakeholders around shared goals.
To explore the transition from IT ops to an executive role, TechTarget asked five CIOs to share their advice for aspiring IT leaders. Here's what they had to say.
Editor's note:The following responses were edited for length and clarity.
What advice do you have for aspiring CIOs?
Leadership is creating a strategy and a vision that makes people want to follow you.
Joe LocandroCIO of Rimini Street
"People leadership is extremely important because most CIOs started in a technical role and then went to a managerial role. They were more technical in nature. As you become a CIO, you become more strategic in nature, and you need two things. The first is leadership and people skills. The second is business skills or financial and commercial acumen.
You already have technical skills. So, aspiring CIOs should start developing commercial skills, such as how to read a profit and loss statement, how to read balance sheets, how to understand gross margins -- all that type of commercial acumen. And then the second part is leadership, not management. Managing is just using your positional power to get things done through others because you're the boss. Leadership is creating a strategy and a vision that makes people want to follow you."
"Trust your people. A lot of us coming up through the ranks have been the go-getter types. The boss gives them something, and they just knock it out of the park. As you move up, you must trust your people to do the same things. It is extremely difficult to pull yourself out of those weeds because you just want to get in there and get it done yourself. You need to learn how to trust your people."
-- Chase Snuffer, CIO, Rayburn Electric Cooperative
Whatever you do, don't be a tech guy. Be an information guy.
Jonas HanssonCIO of Axis Communications
"Forget about the tech. Have a look at the information. Remember the 'I' in your title. It's about the information. It's not only about the structure of the information or the system name, but the actual value the information provides. That will give you a chance to add benefits, become a data-driven company and earn you a seat at the table. Whatever you do, don't be a tech guy. Be an information guy."
The greatest CIOs I've met have had a couple of things in common: results and relationships.
Phil MerrellCIO of PromptCare
"Get over yourself. I've had a lot of peer CIOs, and I see it a lot today. You see it on LinkedIn. There's a lot of chatter about people who go out of their way to comment on certain articles or go out of their way to make a statement against something that's happened. They're building a brand, and that's great. But I don't care about your brand. Your brand should be built around your execution and your results.
The greatest CIOs I've met have had a couple of things in common: results and relationships. They focused on the results they produced and the relationships they used to produce them. I focus on the people I can serve and those who can serve me. You help a few people, and a few people help you.
I also focus on my outcomes and where I'm going. I don't necessarily want to be out there espousing on various trends or what the greatest agentic platform might be for the next day and age, or which group I'm a part of.
Talk about the things that matter. Talk about the things that are tangible. I just don't see that today. Don't worry about your brand. Let your brand develop by focusing on your results and the relationships that help you achieve them."
"The landscape is changing so quickly, and you can't be afraid of that. You need to embrace clarity and patience. Have a clear set of goals for where you, as CIO, want to go, based on the organization's needs and how you feel you need to get there.
Patience is key because, as things change quickly, organizations struggle to keep up. CIOs must know that change is inevitable, but also that organizations get change fatigue. Be prescriptive, be precise and make that change as you continue to grow your organization. Have a vision that you can continually look at -- your North Star -- and change incrementally along the way."
-- Sean Safieh, CIO, Sedgwick
Tim Murphy is site editor for Informa TechTarget's IT Strategy group.
