The CIO Type

Q: I am an IT director for a large company and want to tailor my career toward a CIO position. I have an extensive business and operational background but only two years’ experience as an IT manager. What is the best method for contacting a career counselor?

A: You have raised two of the most significant, ongoing IT career questions: How do you become a CIO without a technical IT background? And how do you go from an IT director’s role to CIO?

First, as I have said in this column and in many presentations on this subject, I believe that a CIO who lacks a foundation in technology is always at a disadvantage. And second, any enterprise hiring a director-level executive from the outside to become CIO must acknowledge the message that this action sends to the existing IT staff, especially the CIO’s direct reports, regarding their abilities and readiness to take on the top job and perhaps also regarding the internal promotion policy. The best way to make the leap to CIO is, of course, from the inside.

Large organizations usually have CIO-type positions with divisional, regional, line of business or strategic business unit responsibility. I highly recommend this career-path strategy, while also carefully entertaining any small-shop CIO opportunities that may present themselves.

As for attracting the attention of executive search consultants (I assume that’s who you mean), please refer to the questions and answers appearing in this column regarding résumé preparation, contacting career professionals and IT networking.

THE PERFECT CIO CANDIDATE

Q: I am the director of IT, and have been for several years, for a company with 170 employees and four offices around the world. I want to convince the company that it should consider a CIO and that I’m the person for the position.

Our CEO does not really see the need for a CIO, believing that a director does the job just fine for a company of our size. Most of the executive team feels the same way. The problem is that I now operate at the CIO level and the team just doesn’t see that.

What should I do, and how can I make my case?

A: The size of a company doesn’t matter, and all companies need a CIO just as they need a COO and a CFO.

Is your issue a matter of title, compensation, stature, respect, responsibilities, resources or a combination of the above? Determine which of these are truly missing, which are important to you, and proceed appropriately. Take your case to the CEO and show him specific examples of how your strategic initiatives have benefited the company’s top and bottom lines. Search out and use available literature, surveys and benchmark examples of how the head of IT is titled, rewarded and supported in other organizations, especially the smart and profitable ones.

If you haven’t yet created your own “portfolio” of demonstrable contributions to the company’s operational efficiency or competitive advantage and bottom line, then partner with your peers, and find and execute some low-risk or low-cost projects that prove the value of your role. Then use these examples to propose bigger-ticket projects and thereby earn the rights and perks you are seeking.

SPECIALIZED SKILLS

Q: I have good strategic IT understanding, business and project management sense, and strong conceptual design knowledge. I possess a broad, technical IT background from my experience as an IT entrepreneur and owner, to user support, to functional CTO of a small company. I understand and enjoy customer needs — analysis, sales and liaison roles. My queestion: Is IT specialization (C++, CASE, NT and so on) necessary for analyst/design/CTO roles?

A: None of the three position titles — analyst, designer or CTO — would typically require a detail-level technical knowledge of software and tools such as C++, CASE or NT. If you mean systems analyst and systems designer in your question, then certainly not. A good systems analyst embodies a strong business process, workflow and transaction knowledge, and strong acumen for good systems techniques. A good systems designer should have a working familiarity of platforms and technical environments such as NT so that he can make the best use of the software’s capabilities in the system being specified, but not necessarily to the detail level. And, of course, the CTO needs a top-down sense of available technologies and their capabilities to be in a position to make strategic technical decisions regarding the enterprise’s architecture and its various components.

DISTANCE LEARNING

Q: I am on a career path opposite from most. My experience is in health care, not IT, with 10 years managing my own consulting practice and 10 years in senior management. I now want to work in management and business strategy in the “for-profit” business sector and have begun an MBA in e-commerce through Jones International University in Englewood, Colo. I am 49 and attending school full time. Please advise me on what kinds of opportunities I might find open to me when I get my degree and what other preparation (for example, certifications and internships) I should obtain in the meantime.

A: I admire and commend your focus and drive in taking time out of your career to acquire a graduate business degree. Jones International is one of the first e-universities with absolutely no brick-and-mortar classrooms or campus. As such, you will acquire valuable training but not necessarily an immediate door opener into many blue-chip corporations and top consultancies as you would with an MBA from a first-tier business school. And a degree alone is never a substitute for experience.

Having said that, e-commerce is, of course, as hot an area as there ever was. Given your lack of a technology background, your new knowledge will be best leveraged and your career best served by going to work in a small to midsize corporate business unit rather than in IT, or in a strategic consulting function (internal or external) rather than a technical one. If you like the health-care industry, then I would recommend starting there, since in that venue you have a double-barreled value proposition as an employee or consultant. In the interim, focus on learning as much as you can from Jones; no other certification is appropriate. And an internship is always a great idea, even if unpaid, since it affords an opportunity to try to apply what you have learned, usually in a protective and supportive environment.

HIGHER GROUND

Q: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using your boss (the vice president) and his boss (the executive vice president) as references in a job search for the director or vice president level of IS? In my case, after five successful years, both are willing to help me find a higher position, especially since my boss is four years younger than I am and there is nowhere else for me to move upward. Should I do it?

A: Absolutely! First, if you are truly ready to move your career forward, to have your superior and his boss willing to recommend a move up for you is terrific. Second, having these recommendations speaks loudly about your relationships and your communication with those in your upward chain of command.

However, make sure that your superiors aren’t viewing this as a way to pass you on to St. Elsewhere. Also, any shop that will “promote” you from the outside by hiring you at a level above your current one is, by definition, telling you and its current IT staff that no one there is ready or capable of moving up internally. So be prepared to lose some key employees — both good and bad — and their knowledge of the company and its business, and anticipate building or rebuilding the staff below you, especially any directly reporting positions. On balance, go for it.

CULTURE SHOCK

Q: I’m a 32-year-old Italian. I’ve been working as the CIO in a small marketing company deploying GIS applications and database design in the United States for the past year. I’ve got the feeling it would be difficult to move back to Europe without facing the culture shock of a long job search and lower salary expectations. Networking factors heavily drive the European market. What do you recommend?

A: Most Americans don’t realize the extent to which our employment process takes place in a relatively free-market environment of supply and demand, open access and, for the most part, equal opportunity. Yes, we still have hiring and compensation biases against women and minorities, but IT has historically been more open than many other fields, especially in light of the extreme overdemand and undersupply of highly qualified IT professionals at all levels.

The bad news is that these biases and the “good-old-boy network” method of finding a job and fair pay is still very much alive and well in many parts of Europe. The good news is that Europe is estimated to be about two to three years behind the United States in the explosion of technology and the Internet, and that technology proliferation is gaining momentum over there.

Before you pack up and strike out on your own, try an aggressive job-search campaign directed at large U.S. multinational companies and consultancies that have significant European operations. Your special cultural and language skills will make you a very attractive employee, in a potentially lucrative expatriate role, for the right organization.

LEAVING THE CAMPUS

Q: I am the dean of information technology at a large public institution, and I report directly to the president. Although I am an academic dean, this leadership position is identical to that of a CIO. How can I transition to a corporate CIO?

A: Start with a good marketing document — your résumé. You probably have an academic curriculum vitae, or CV, which typically runs several pages and cites each one of your research grants, publication credits, committee assignments, presentations and consulting engagements. Scrap this altogether, or if space allows, simply summarize all of that information and build a businesslike two-page résumé comprising a chronological employment history focused on responsibilities and accomplishments, quantifying the latter whenever possible. Pay particular attention to your transferable skills and experience such as resource and budget management, administrative/enterprise resource planning systems and infrastructure initiatives, while mentioning but not overemphasizing the academic and research systems content. And drop the “Dr.” and the “PhD” in your name, leaving that piece of information to the résumé’s education section alone.

Next, proceed to use all of the viable job-hunting avenues available, including personal networking, mail campaigning, responding to advertised positions and Internet job postings, and, of course, working with IT recruiting specialists and search consultants. Stay focused and determined, and your persistence should pay off.

You may not find a Fortune 100 ready to make you its CIO, but any reasonable private-sector experience will get you started in the corporate world.

Mark Polansky : http://www.itworld.com/Career/1960/CIO100100_career_content/

Become A CIO

This article provides an overview of CIO careers and the requirements to become a CIO. This article will outline a CIO’s job duties, salary levels, and employment prospects, as well as discuss the necessary skills, training, educational requirements, and certification requirements.

CIO Job Duties

A chief information officer (CIO) may be known by many titles, such as CIO, CIO and vice president, chief technical officer (CTO), vice president or director of information technology. Whatever the title, a CIO is responsible for the direction and operations of an organization’s information technology department.

Most CIOs are considered to be part of an organization’s senior management team, and may be corporate officers. CIOs typically report to an organization’s chief executive officer (CEO), followed closely by the chief financial officer (CFO). Where a CIO reports reflects the relative importance that an organization places upon information technology.

The job duties of a CIO can include:

• Participating in an organization’s strategic business planning processes
• Setting overall technology direction and goals in support of business operations and strategic directions
• Delivering technology applications and infrastructure to support business operations
• Procuring and/or development of technology applications to support business operations

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• Managing people
• Managing important vendor relationships
• Managing business operations
• Planning and managing substantial budgets
• Researching and staying abreast of the latest technology trends
• Researching and staying abreast of the latest industry trends
• Evaluating technology
• Attending business and technology conferences

As with any senior executive job, the CIO’s job can be very demanding. Long hours, including evenings and weekends, and frequent travel, can be a normal part of the job.

CIO Job Skills

As a senior executive, a CIO is expected to have a broad and varied range of skills. These include:

• Effective communications skills
• Strategic thinking and planning skills
• Understanding business processes and operations
• Understanding business strategy
• Understanding technology trends and market forces
• Understanding how to apply technology to business processes, operations, and strategy
• Leadership and motivation skills
• Self-confidence
• Managerial skills
• Basic business skills and judgement
• Ability to assimilate and evaluate large amounts of information
• Decision making skills
• Negotiation skills
• Financial management skills
• Sales Skills
• Thorough knowledge of technology operations
• Technology proficiency
• Political skills

CIO Income

CIO pay varies greatly depending on the size and type of organization, the scope of their responsibility, and the importance of information technology to their organization. CIO compensation often consists of base salary, bonus, and in many cases, stock or stock options. Other benefits enjoyed by top executives may also be part of their compensation package.

Some CIOs make in excess of $1 million per year in total compensation. Average income for CIOs is, however, around $180,000, as reported in a 2004 CIO Research Report from CIO magazine. That same State of the CIO survey indicated that CIOs in the education industry made the least, while CIOs in the wholesale/retail/distribution, finance, and insurance industries were among the top paid.

CIO compensation in large organizations, can, on average, be $100,000 or more higher per year than compensation for CIOs in small organizations.

Training and Education Required to Become a CIO

The formal education for CIOs can vary greatly. No specific degree is an absolute requirement for CIOs. The vast majority of CIOs, close to seventy five percent, come from information technology backgrounds. Because of this, it is safe to assume that most CIO’s have formal training in technology or technology-related fields. Other backgrounds that are common for CIOs are consulting, business operations, and finance/accounting. Most CIOs have a minimum of a bachelors degree, which is true of most top executives. Many have MBAs and other advanced degrees.

Click here for more more information on Business Schools and the programs that they offer, or on the following line for information on schools offering IT training.

Many CIOs may have obtained technical certifications during their career. By the time they have attained the CIO position, these certifications may have lapsed.

CIO Employment

Almost every organization of substantial size has an individual at a director level or above who is responsible for the organization’s information technology direction and operations.

CIO Job Outlook

Because of the high pay and prestige of top management positions, competition for top executive positions such as CIO is very keen. While numerous openings can be expected as executives transfer to other positions, start their own businesses, or retire, many people will be attracted to the available positions.

CIO employment growth can be expected to be about as fast as the average for all occupations through most of the next decade. Certain industries, such as professional services, scientific services, technical services, administrative services, and support services can expect to see faster than average employment growth. Others, such as some manufacturing industries, can expect employment declines.

http://www.education-online-search.com/articles/careers/computer_careers/become_a_cio

Eight Qualifications for a CIO

I’m a bit concerned that aspiring CIOs are looking for a “silver bullet,” a magic solution that they can easily apply and thereby instantly qualify to be a highly paid CIO. The real world isn’t like that. Many years ago I had an employee who wanted to be promoted to a higher level position, and he kept telling me that if I promoted him to the higher level then he would show me that he can perform at that higher level. My answer to him was always the same: show me that you can be a star in your current position, and demonstrate some of the skills that go along with the higher level position, and I’ll promote you. But the work comes first – not afterward.The same thing applies to aspiring CIOs. If you demonstrate the capabilities that a CIO needs, and if you get some proven business successes under your belt, then you can qualify for a CIO position in your current company, or you can convince a CIO recruiter that you can do the job elsewhere. But you must have the successes first. That’s what recruiters are looking for – proven success stories – not people who have the potential to succeed.

Eight Qualifications for a CIO
Here’s my own list of qualifications that you’ll need to develop to become a CIO. First, you need the same kind of skills that are required for any senior executive position:

1. The ability to inspire confidence and trust. Some call this “poise;” others call it “charisma.” It’s a quality that’s hard to describe, and even more difficult to develop and achieve. It comes from experience, self-confidence, self-reliance, and knowing that you’re going to be successful at anything you attempt. And what’s more important, you make others know – without you telling them – that you’ll be successful at anything you attempt.

2. The ability to communicate clearly, succinctly, and emotionally to any audience, whether it’s stockholders, investors, your board of directors, or an entry-level clerical person. When I use the word “emotionally” I mean that the communication has to occur at multiple levels. At the surface the communication is intellectual, conveying facts. But at a lower level there’s a communication that makes the person want to agree and comply. At this lower level you’re doing more than communicating – you’re motivating and inspiring.

You may have noticed that the two skills I’ve mentioned thus far are the same abilities that politicians need. That’s true, but if these are the only skills you have, then you may find yourself described as an “empty suit,” and you’ll certainly never be successful at an executive position. So we need to add a conscience and a belief system:

3. Consistent, demonstrated ethical behavior. You know what’s right – for yourself, for your organization, for your company, and for your country and the world – and your actions consistently demonstrate that you want to move things in the right direction.

With these first three qualifications we now have an ethical politician, but we need an agenda.

4. Intelligence and wisdom. Intelligence to comprehend and truly understand what needs to be done. Wisdom to know what shouldn’t be done, and to understand the best way to accomplish things.

This fourth qualification has ruled out most politicians, so we’re beginning to zero in on good executives.

5. Good judgment. Knowing the time and place to say or do what needs to be said or done. Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, experience comes from bad judgment – either your own or the bad judgment of others. The only way to get good judgment is to learn from your mistakes and from the mistakes of others.

6. Recognition of your own limitations. This might seem to contradict Skill #1, in which I said that you know you’re going to be successful at anything you attempt. But if you truly know your own limitations, then you won’t attempt something that’s beyond your capabilities. You’ll constantly extend your limits, but you know the difference between being aggressive and being foolhardy.

7. Motivation to be a CIO in spite of all of the responsibilities and headaches that come with the job. If you don’t live and breathe to be a CIO, then you probably won’t get there.

8. A strong interest in applying technology to improve the business. You probably wondered when I would mention technology. But note the words I used in describing this skill. A successful CIO doesn’t have to be a technology expert, and in fact most CIO’s aren’t technology experts. People who are highly motivated to become technology experts typically don’t have the other seven skills. Some CIO’s may have come from a technology background, but if they were technology experts in their past, they’ve now left that skill behind them.

How Do You Become a CIO?
First, be realistic. Do you have the eight qualifications I’ve listed? If not, then can you get there at some point? Some of the qualifications can be developed over time, but I believe that some of these qualifications are a result of who we are – our basic personality type. There are some people who will never be a CIO, and that’s not a bad thing. What is a bad thing, however, is seeing some of these people deceiving themselves into believing that they can overcome insurmountable obstacles. They obviously don’t have skill #6, and it’s unfortunate that these people won’t find happiness until they recognize their own limitations and focus on things that truly do make them happy.

But let’s say for the sake of argument that you do possess all eight of these skills, or you’re close to possessing them. What do you do next? Recognize that having the skills themselves doesn’t make you a CIO; you have to create business successes to be recognized for what you are. And I emphasize the word “business;” technology successes don’t get you the recognition until those technology successes translate into specific measurable monetary business success. Use technology to make your company a star (like eBay), or to make your company more competitive (like Wal-Mart). Use your technology to improve productivity (like UPS) or to change an industry (like CheckFree). Technology leaders usually aren’t leaders of technology – they’re leaders in the use of technology for business purposes.

You don’t have to start at the top, and in fact no one does. You can apply CIO skills to your job as an IT project leader or as a department manager, or even as a programmer-analyst. But you have to remember that CIO success comes from business success, and business success comes from thinking from your customers’ viewpoint.

How do you become a CIO? It’s not a leap – it’s just one more step in a continuing career progression of meeting and exceeding business needs.

Harwell Thrasher @ http://www.makingitclear.com/newsletters/newsletter33.html