I saw an article that talked about how fewer CIOs are reporting to CEOs than last year. So many of you might have just dropped down a layer on the org chart without doing a thing.
I've worked in companies in both situations, and even in one company where the change was made, our CIO dropping below the CFO. Personally I'm not surprised since I think that many companies don't see IT as a strategic part of their business, but as just another service. We're like a utility, as important as the guys that keep electricity flowing, but not necessarily more so.
This can be a sign of a CEO that doesn't necessarily understand what IT can do, is probably more focused on containing costs than growing the company strategically through the use of technology. Or maybe he just doens't trust the CIO to use IT strategically. Neither is necessarily a bad choice, since technology can still be a valued part of the company, but it might not be the place for you, especially if you are looking for interesting challenges and want to make a difference.
What is very interesting to me is that many of the companies participating in the survey cited staffing as their biggest challenge. Specifically attracting, developing, and retaining staff, which seems to be just about every part of staffing.
Personally I don't think the problems and challenges that CIOs face have much to do with organizational structure, who they report to, or whether or not they are building a strategic asset in the business. There's one big factor that I see missing more and more, especially in US companies.
Leadership.
Too often we are promoting people for reasons other than their outstanding leadership. And too often those people are not trusted, liked, or accepted by those doing the work. The workers don't feel a strong sense of purpose under a person who is in charge, but isn't a leader.
Without that strong set of leaders, it's incredibly hard to attract and keep workers. We're more likely to consider other opportunities that might bring that strong sense of belonging that comes when you have a leader at the top.
Steve Jones
The Voice of the DBA Podcasts
The podcast feeds are now available at sqlservercentral.podshow.com to get better bandwidth and maybe a little more exposure :). Comments are definitely appreciated and wanted, and you can get feeds from there.
or now on iTunes!
- Windows Media Podcast - MB WMV
- iPod Video Podcast - MB MP4
- MP3 Audio Podcast - MB
Today's podcast features music by Everyday Jones. No relation, but I stumbled on to them and really like the music. Support this great duo at www.everydayjones.com.
I really appreciate and value feedback on the podcasts. Let us know what you like, don't like, or even send in ideas for the show. If you'd like to comment, post something here. The boss will be sure to read it.