How to be a transformational CIO
Every CIO knows that the era of feeds and speeds is behind us. Today's CIO must be an ambidextrous business leader, juggling systems while driving business innovation. Add the ever-present mandate of better-faster-cheaper (also lovingly known as do-more-with-less), and it's obvious why the job is so hard.
Also: 5 tips for being a transformational CIO
In summary, the modern transformational CIO role consists of:
- Ensuring that systems stay up and running
- Being a business operations expert
- Being a strategist
- Maintaining security
- Ensuring ease of access
- Saving money wherever possible
- Investing money and resources to drive growth
- Innovating
This brief list hardly scratches the surface and, yes, these conflicting mandates are real.
On episode 335 of the amazing CxOTalk series of conversations with the world's top business and technology leaders, I explored the transformational CIO role with Jay Ferro. He is chief information officer of Quikrete, the largest manufacturer of packaged concrete and cement mixes in North America.
Watch the brief summary video embedded above. It's only 50 seconds long, so just do it. You can also watch the full, 45-minute CxOTalk episode where Jay discusses this topic in depth.
Be sure to leave your thoughts and share your experiences in the comments.