Monday, November 26, 2012

What CIOs Want In Successors | HP's Identity Crisis Escalates

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Rob Preston
Rob Preston
 
What CIOs Want In Their Successors

So you aspire to become a CIO, or at least move well up the chain of command. It's a complex job that requires a range of technical and business skills and experience. Just understanding the nuances of "the business" isn't enough -- it's long past time for CIOs to move beyond the "alignment" rhetoric and get on with creating customer-focused business opportunities powered by technology.

I recently participated in a panel session at Interop Mumbai in which four leading Indian CIOs discussed the attributes they're looking for in a successor. In preparation for that session, I talked with four CIOs in the U.S. about the same subject. Here's what they say they're looking for in their top people.

"They may be brilliant technologists, but without the business engagement and leadership skills, they will not make it to the higher level," says Dave Bent, CIO of United Stationers, who advises would-be CIOs to gain experience in a variety of business and IT roles.

Jerry Johnson, CIO of Pacific Northwest National Laboratories, a research lab under the auspices of the Department of Energy, puts the emphasis on breadth of IT experience: software development, infrastructure, operations, architecture, project management. "Consequently, I encourage -- but don't force -- lateral movement within the organization," he says.

Customer skills are particularly important for CIOs at technology companies, where the CIO often doubles as a dog-food-eating product spokesman. But a customer orientation is critical for all CIOs, says Kent Kushar, CIO of E. & J. Gallo Winery, who's as comfortable at wine-tasting events discussing vintages and palate taste zones (I've seen him in action) as he is at board meetings explaining analytics and supply chain management.

The best CIOs consider themselves retailers and bankers and manufacturers first, technologists second. (But don't underestimate the value of being a first-class, well-rounded technologist.)

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THIS EDITION
• HP's Identity Crisis Continues
• 8 Cool Windows 8 Apps: $8 Or Less
• Facebook Gift Scams: How They Work
• SaaS Collaboration & Project Management Buyer's Guide
• Social IT Operations Management
• 10 Best Apps For Samsung Galaxy Notes
• Service Virtualization: Real World Challenges, Real World Perspectives
• InformationWeek 2013 U.S. IT Salary Survey

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NEXT VALLEY VIEW: NOVEMBER 28
Tune into Valley View, coming up Nov 28 at 11 am Pacific Time! Microsoft has been shipping its Windows Phone mobile OS for well over a year now, and it just started shipping Windows Phone 8. While Microsoft was late to the party, its offering has been widely praised, and combined with the new Windows 8, Microsoft hopes to make quick inroads. We'll be talking with Microsoft Windows' Phone senior marketing manager.

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HP's Identity Crisis Continues
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Facebook Gift Scams: How They Work
Beware complex scams that promote Costco, Starbucks vouchers, while making it tough for authorities to track down perpetrators.

12 Reasons To Be Thankful For Social Business
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Got mobile users accustomed to nonstop social networking and sporting multiple devices: PCs, tablets, smartphones, Windows 8 hybrids - you name it? Then a cloud-based service may be a perfect fit for enterprise collaboration. Plenty of vendors are eager to win your business. Find out what to look for and get profiles of 11 top contenders.
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Service Virtualization: Real World Challenges, Real World Perspectives
Join this interactive panel discussion to hear how industry leaders are employing Service Virtualization as an essential part of their quality management strategy. It happens Wednesday, December 5, 2012. More Information & Registration

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Survey ends Jan. 18



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