ComputerWeekly reports some timely research on what it takes to succeed as a CIO, based on work by a visiting fellow at Cranfield School of Management. She has talked to CEOs who first climbed the IT ladder, and also to CEOs about what they look for in a CIO. Her ten findings all make excellent reading, and she is bang on target with her number one conclusion:
“CIOs should become business people
Learn about general management, demonstrate enthusiasm for business matters and acquire knowledge of your industry sector. CIOs should talk business language not technical jargon. Focus on driving revenues up rather than cutting costs. And, don’t forget you cannot network enough. My CEOs, when in the top IT job, typically spent over 50% of their time communicating with non-IT people both within and outside their organisations. “
