I want you to make me money

I'm working on a Strategy Guide on SOA governance for InfoWorld. One of the articles we're including is this case study of Thompson Prometric. What caught my eye, however, was this quote from the article:

At first, [Christopher] Crowhurst presented the idea to Thomson Prometric CEO Michael Brannick as a way to save money, but Brannick had different goals. "He understood the power of what we were doing and kept challenging us to do more," Crowhurst says. "He said, 'I don't want you to save me money. I want you to make me money.' It was very challenging, but a great time to be involved."

Working for someone with this kind of attitude is a rare treat for CIOs. My experience working for Mike Leavitt was very similar. Being in a top-line role where you're creating products is more of a CTO function than the tradition CIO role which is very bottom-line and infrastructure oriented. I had both roles and think the jobs require different skill sets. Each also has their unique set of challenges. Nothing brings you closer to the business and makes you part of the team, however, like making money.