Monday, April 10, 2017

The Monthly CIO Debates Collection: The Strategic Conversation between CIOs and Other CxOs Apr., 2017

Debating is not for stimulating conflicts, but for brainstorming better ways to do things.


Modern CIOs face many challenges, it is not sufficient to only keep the lights on. Regardless of which industry or the nature of organization you are in, being a digital leader will need to master the art of creating unique, differentiating value from piles of commoditized technologies and take advantage of the emergent digital trends as well. Digital CIOs need to have multiple personas, “Chief Innovation Officer,” “Chief Insight Officer,” “Chief Improvement Officer,” “Chief Information Officer,” and here, we discuss CIOs as “Chief Inquisitive Officer,” with a set of Q&As to lead the digital transformation.


The Strategic Conversation between CIOs and Other CxOs


  • CIO as Chief Interaction Officer: What is the Strategic Conversation between CIO and Other CXOs all About? IT is no longer running as an isolated function or back office utility, nowadays, IT has to add more business value and delight both internal and end customers. Hence, CIO needs to talk about business with other C-Level more often, but not about IT. This is a major issue in companies. IT is a way to innovate business and improve processes, but it's not the solution if CIO doesn't understand business areas. CIOs must be adding value to the business and it is essential in decisions businesses ever make. However, as CIOs, how should you interpret IT aspects as business issues to the CXOs? How do you avoid the details of any IT decision and still convince the CXO it is a good strategy to make or best action to take?  


  • CIO as Chief Interaction Officer: How to Communicate with Board & Executive Peers Effectively? CIOs play a significant leadership role to convey the technological vision and interact with internal business executives or boards. In order to bridge the gap between business talks and IT talks, they are responsible for making sure that IT meets the business requirements and works as an enabler. But what are the most effective way for CIOs to communicate: Board presentation, governance meeting; IT briefing, portal or informal discussion?


  • How to Build Trust Business Relationships Modern CIOs have many titles, from ‘Chief Innovation Officer’ to ‘Chief Influence Officer’; from ‘Chief Insight Officer’ to ‘Chief Improvement Officer’, etc,  but keep in mind  CIOs also need to become ‘Chief Interaction Officer’ to build a solid business relationship,  because nowadays, IT touches every key process of business and every digital point of customer experience.    
  • CIO as Communicator: What're your CFO-Friendly Approaches? According to an industry survey among both IT and financial decision makers, there's an information gap between CFO and CIO that burdens the relationship. There's been a lot said about the CFO's role as a limiting factor for IT impact on the business. Therefore, transparency and speaking the same language is an important start. As CIO, how do you discuss IT strategy and vision with the CFO? How to make the inevitable IT budget "negotiation" easier?


  • Five Styles of Conversation Modern CIO need Master For? Contemporary CIOs not only need wear many colors of hats or try different pairs of shoes, but they may also need master all styles of conversations to develop situational wisdom and influential competency, to rebuild IT’s reputation as a value creator and innovation hub.

The “Future of CIO” Blog has reached 1.8 million page views with 3600+ blog posting in 59+ different categories of leadership, management, strategy, digitalization, change/talent, etc. blog posting. The content richness is not for its own sake, but to convey the vision and share the wisdom. Blogging is not about writing, but about thinking and innovating the new ideas; it’s not just about WHAT to say, but about WHY to say, and HOW to say it. It reflects the color and shade of your thought patterns, and it indicates the peaks and curves of your thinking waves. Unlike pure entertainment, quality and professional content takes time for digesting, contemplation and engaging, and therefore, it takes time to attract the "hungry minds" and the "deep souls." It’s the journey to amplify diverse voices and deepen digital footprints, and it's the way to harness your innovative spirit.

0 comments:

Post a Comment