10 things CIOs wish they knew from the start

“Make a concerted effort to meet the business stakeholders on day one,” he says. “Show them you aren’t just a techie but someone who can make technology work for them. Read the business strategy, understand it, and make it your mission to help deliver it. Focus on how technology can work better for external and internal customers.”

Bruna Pellici, CTO at law firm Linklaters, agreed. “It’s not all about the tech. It’s as much about the people, creating an equitable and diverse team, keeping people motivated and laying the path for development and growth.”

Build bridges

Similarly, fostering deep relationships with others within the organization is something many IT leaders wished they learned earlier.

“I’d tell myself to spend way more time with the board, execs and non-execs, educating them about the true value of tech, rather than it being largely seen as PCs on desks, printers and servers, and periodic upgrades to application software,” says Jerry Fishenden, an experienced IT leader and expert on government digital strategy. “I’d aim to be better at challenging and educating them about some of their most basic assumptions of how the organization operates, how it connects with those it’s there to serve, and where it will be in the future.” 

Healy also had some advice for his younger self.

“Building relationships with your peers, colleagues, and stakeholders is critical to your success as a CIO,” he says. “Take the time to understand the needs and concerns of different departments and build relationships based on trust and collaboration. Focus on outcomes rather than outputs. Don’t get bogged down in the technical details. Instead, focus on how your IT initiatives can help the business achieve its goals.”

Get some training

Today, all CIOs need to think about having a culture of continuous improvement and lifelong learning for themselves and their staff. And they certainly recognize the value of training for new CIOs.

“Get some formal leadership training,” says Keith Baxter, head of IT and InfoSec at Carlow, College, St Patrick’s, in Ireland. “I did my MSc in leadership a little later and it really added a great toolset of frameworks and knowledge to my roles, allowing me great outcomes in various areas.”

Others said a grounding in the nuts and bolts of business operations would have been valuable.

“I think the one thing I would have told myself when starting as a CIO was to get training in understanding balance sheets, EBITDA and finance,” says David Ivell, group chief product and technology officer at edutech company Team Teach. “Often as CIOs, we come from a tech background and then we advise organizations on M&A, accelerating growth, and business restructures, and it’s not just about the tech anymore. I have gained that experience over time, but I could have short-cut that journey.”

Be a storyteller

Today’s CIOs need to translate what’s happening with tech for others who may not understand its nuances and implications. But many are going further and trying to be true storytellers in order to be in a better position to persuade and cajole.

Phil Brunkard, a former CIO and CTO at telecoms giant BT, emphasized the importance of psychology and the power of narrative.

“Stakeholder engagement and how you influence and get people on board is critical to their perceptions of you, and around technology and the IT team,” he says. “If they are protective and change- or risk-averse, that affects initiatives. When you think about implementing change, it’s all about how you speak to the little voice in people’s head. Think about storytelling in films, identify a hero, be aware, and definitely get some training.”

Healy agreed.

“Nobody in a boardroom is going to be interested in technical details,” he says. “Tell a story they can understand. Read and subscribe to magazines, understand the latest trends, follow other CIOs on LinkedIn and look at what they follow or read.”

Invest in your team

Several CIOs stated the importance of teambuilding and team development, including giving people the guidance, resources and tools they need.

Lenovo’s Hu said he was influenced by business writer Jim Collins, author of Good To Great: Why Some Companies Make The Leap… And Others Don’t, who argues that even if circumstances change, having the right people with you makes a huge difference to the success of the organization.

“One of his books talks about who’s on the bus and who’s off that bus,” he says, adding that following that guidance and figuring out the team made a big difference to eagerness and tangible results.

But sometimes, managing teams needs to have a ‘get tough’ component too.

“Don’t underestimate the effort needed to get your team performing and onside,” warns Bellenberg. “You need to be fearless in dealing with weaker team members, dissidents and the generally two-faced. I remember trying to be encouraging, supportive or diplomatic, rather than just telling staff straight that they were not doing well enough or that they were simply out of order. It’s all about managing change and that’s a bigger subject than you can ever be prepared for until you’ve been through it at an organizational level. But if you can cultivate enough fearlessness, you’ll make progress.”

Balance work and life

The CIO role has high levels of responsibility, but some leaders would like to go back and remind themselves that work, and speed of work, isn’t everything.

“One of the things I didn’t have was patience, so I was pushing hard on the people around me,” says Federal Reserve System CIO Ghada Ijam. “I used to be very hard on myself too: ‘Why aren’t you making the progress you said you were going to make?’ I was super-focused on outcomes. So be kind to yourself. Be realistic in your expectations and the pace of your output and the people around you. Bring people along by touching their hearts and minds, not just with objectives and incentives. ‘A’ was the only grade I would accept for myself, and that meant very long hours so there were family sacrifices from that. Running at that pace takes its toll eventually.”

Ijam adds that the Covid lockdown also changed attitudes and made people more attuned to dissatisfaction with working conditions and culture.

“The most fascinating thing that happened to the workforce in the pandemic is it forced us to step back and come back home, find time for hobbies and to enjoy nature,” she says. “That’s one reason why we saw so many job transitions in corporate America.”

Think about equality, D&I, and be kind

United Living Group’s Morley said knowing what he knows today, he would have pushed harder and earlier for diversity. A lot of progress has been made to promote ED&I in the CIO community, he says, but adds that it’s also important to recognize the contributions of people whose work often get overlooked.

“Have a greater appreciation for the many unsung heroes in each business,” he says. “These are the diligent and patient PAs and the administrators in HR, finance, legal, etc. who quietly grease the wheels and make a CXO’s role that much easier.”

Global’s Henderson said bringing outsiders in can provide a valuable perspective too. “I wish I’d embedded more people in the business,” he says. “Getting ambassadors and experts in among the wider business always pays off.”

Enjoy it

Speaking to a range of CIOs uncorked lots of memories, a few regrets, but also laughter and reminiscences. One CIO said that if they could go back, then taking a job at Apple or Microsoft could have been a smart move in terms of share options renumeration. But lots of CIOs said that no matter how many instructions or warnings they would have liked to give their younger selves, one thing is clear: the CIO role is a great career path so, whatever you do, don’t forget to enjoy the journey.