Technology is already ingrained in the daily lives of companies and is an asset of great value to businesses. Without technology it would be practically impossible to keep companies running and, as it evolves and its complexity increases, the role of the IT manager becomes more strategic than operational, which makes them a strong candidate for CIO - Chief Information Officer.
What still prevents many IT managers from taking on this strategic position is a change in behavior towards the business, delegating technical activities to trained professionals and taking a holistic view of the company and the direction it should take. In today's post, we'll talk about what it takes to start preparing for this highly sought-after position in organizations. Ready to change your career once and for all?
Strategic alignment
The CIO needs to be aligned with the business objectives, visualizing how technology can contribute to the company's growth according to global strategic planning. This means moving away from a technical viewpoint to an in-depth understanding of the company's business, its current moment in the market and how to chart a direct course towards future success.
To do this, you need to know the company's vision, mission and values and be in tune with the organizational culture, i.e. the "way things are done". If the company is more conservative, you should adopt a consistent attitude. If, on the other hand, the company has a more relaxed profile, the best thing is to adopt the same attitude in order to immerse yourself in the real needs of the business.
Actions based on business goals and indicators
When taking on the role of IT manager, the professional has in mind the goals and indicators of their own sector and the management of the area, in order to achieve the expected results for their team. However, when they take on the role of CIO, their actions must be based on business goals and indicators, in other words, their focus becomes achieving short, medium and long-term financial results using technology.
For example, an IT manager might have targets such as delivering a working piece of software with N features and functionalities within a month. The CIO's goal, on the other hand, is for this software to generate X amount of revenue (or cut costs) for the company within six months of its implementation. Note that the CIO's responsibility is much greater, as it impacts the organization as a whole.
Clear and assertive communication
A strategic position such as that of a CIO requires a lot of articulation in order to deal with the company's most varied stakeholders. Customers, employees, suppliers, investors, shareholders and government bodies are some of the audiences the CIO must deal with, which requires verbal fluency, assertiveness and transparency in communication. As such, one of the skills you should look for to become a strategically focused CIO is communication skills, both in formal and informal environments, knowing how to express yourself correctly in order to convey your knowledge and thus increase the company's credibility in the market.
Long-term planning
As the CIO is responsible for the company's growth on several fronts, he or she also needs to have a vast knowledge of strategic planning. When the focus is on the short or medium term, it's easy to identify objectives and goals for the company, but when it comes to thinking about the future, it's much more difficult to define where the company should be in 20 years' time, for example. Therefore, you should start to learn about some relevant topics for business continuity, such as sustainability and corporate governance, succession plans and talent retention.
In addition to these skills, what other competencies do you consider essential to becoming a strategically focused CIO? Leave your comments!
