Do Boards Think a CIO's Aim is to Influence Spending? - CIO - Blogs and Discussion

I thought Chris Pott's comments at CIO.com were not only right on target but timely given the seminar I led on Wed (see the previous post).

I replied to Chris' post:


CIO's too often can't communicate with the Board because they focus on selling technology. Couple that with the mindset to influence spending or more precisely getting all the budget they can extract and it's no wonder that CIO's aren't seen as real members of the management team.

If you are on the team, you have to know the plays and most importantly your responsibilities on each play. My coaching to CIO's and would-be CIO's I work with in mentoring roles is to look at the Dallas Cowboys' Terrell Owens. Incredibly talented but not really a long-term member of the team. Act like him and expect to be pushed to the side regardless of your talent.

Do Boards Think a CIO's Aim is to Influence Spending? - CIO - Blogs and Discussion: ""

(Via .)

Leading a Webinar tomorrow

Kind of late notice I suppose but I'm leading a online seminar tomorrow for CIO Magazine's Executive Council's Pathways Leadership Development (that's a lengthy title!) program. Entitled "Managing Executive Relationships: Keeping Your Fences Mended" I'm hoping to spark a discussion of some of the softer sides of being CIO.

From the seminar description: "The CIO role is difficult enough in the best of times, but in the current economic environment, it's even more important than ever to spend time working on solidifying your relationships with the rest of the executive team. Failing to do so can mean more than just budget cuts.

Patrick Flynn, former CIO of Celestica, will speak on this call about his experience, and share some best practices for keeping your relationship fences mended."

This is a subject I'm passionate about because it's key to success not just of the CIO but of his or her organization. Particularly in these tough times, we've got to be sure we're working hard to maintain solid relationships with the various technology stakeholders. Get it wrong and you'll likely find yourself looking for the next job!

Over the next few weeks, I'll touch on this topic some more.