What recommendation do you’ve got for CIOs about the way to construct credibility with the board in order that they obtain board help when put up for a CEO place?
Be very commercially targeted. Does the know-how answer you’re proposing permit the corporate to realize market share, present best-in-class service for purchasers, or develop margins by operational effectivity? CIOs who aspire to be CEOs ought to take into consideration their present roles as driving know-how innovation that results in excessive returns on invested capital. That perspective will resonate with the board.
What new abilities did it is advisable develop as CEO?
As CIO, I used to be already utilizing the 2 most essential abilities of a CEO: a dedication to a excessive ROI throughout your entire enterprise, and a give attention to individuals, as a result of individuals ship outcomes. CIOs who turn into CEOs must develop their focus to the corporate’s complete worker base, with robust suggestions loops to make sure a excessive stage of engagement throughout the workforce.
As CIO, you’re targeted on the know-how applications you’re driving and the specified outcomes. As CEO, the applications you help develop past know-how to course of enhancements, gross sales, service, and each facet of the enterprise.
As CIO, you’re primarily targeted internally by yourself groups and staff, and whether or not they have the instruments they should be environment friendly. As CEO, you’ve got a much wider set of stakeholders, together with the media, as a result of you’re the public face of the corporate. Once I grew to become CEO, I didn’t must be taught new abilities as a lot as develop my areas of affect.
What recommendation do you’ve got for CIOs who want to be CEOs?
Familiarize your self with all points of the enterprise and the way know-how can drive enterprise outcomes. Spend time along with your clients to know the worth that your enterprise can supply to them. Perceive the way to combine your organization’s capabilities along with your clients’, and all the time take a look at know-how with an ROI angle.
Have robust suggestions loops. After we deploy know-how options, we ask lots of people to present suggestions, particularly individuals within the area. The most important studying I’ve had in my profession is the significance of spending time within the area, within the terminals, and speaking to our drivers, dock employees, and frontline supervisors about how we will enhance our enterprise. That is important if you find yourself CEO, since you get a really completely different vantage level than taking a look at metrics or speaking to executives.
CIOs who turn into CEOs give their firms a definite aggressive benefit. If you find yourself a CEO with a CIO background, and also you perceive the inside workings of the know-how options you’re constructing in addition to their meant business affect, and also you enhance your give attention to constructing a world-class senior management staff, you’ll be able to have a strong affect in your P&L.