Breaking out of the 'Techie' Mold

By Courtney Macavinta

For years, CIOs have naturally been typecast as technologists -- after all, being tech-savvy comes with the job description. CIOs were expected to focus purely on technology and often were not a part of the executive team. Today, leading companies search for CIOs using similar criteria to fill another important post: The CEO. As a result, for most enterprises the CIO mantra has gone from "know IT" to "know the business."

There's no doubt CIOs have to branch out, but it will take more than changing their roles and responsibilities, experts say. It's all about changing perceptions.

"Most business users view the CIO as a technology expert, and CIOs spend most of their time reinforcing this perception by focusing on technology issues," concludes The CIO Profile report released by Forrester Research this fall.

Forrester surveyed 922 North American IT and business decision leaders in 2005 and found that 39% of CIOs come from non-technical backgrounds, and a small -- but growing -- number come from the ranks of business executives. At the same time, 65% of respondents describe the CIO as a technology professional as opposed to a general business manager.

To alter this perception, it helps that IT is once again in the spotlight. Those in the boardroom are turning to CIOs to both deal with security and regulatory compliance and to bolster the bottom line through IT-reliant initiatives, such as improving customer relationship management applications, Web services, and the supply chain. This scenario creates new opportunities for CIOs to finally break free of the "techie" mold.

"In order to be viewed as a leader, others have to understand that you know about the business, market, and operating conditions," says Ellen Kitiz, group vice president of Gartner's Executive Programs and co-author of The New CIO Leader. "CIOs need to take on the responsibility to explain how IT can support one business strategy or another, and to educate the enterprise about the available opportunities."
 
Experts say there are specific steps CIOs can take to reinforce their image as technologists who are also business strategists:

Know what your business needs
The bottom line: CIOs need to know how to identify and meet business requirements. Some organizations need a turn-around CEO, others need someone to be the center of tech innovation. So the CIO's role has become less about understanding technology and more about understanding the business climate.

Kitiz says enterprises today require more "demand-side leadership" from CIOs who "need to deliver what the business cares about -- to be the CIO the organization needs you to be."

To bridge the gap between IT and the business -- and show that a CIO is more than a tech expert -- IT leaders need to build credibility with partners and business units. Kitiz says it's essential to work with colleagues to come up with business maxims, or principles, with which to guide business and IT strategy.

Know what it's like to be CEO
To acquire the necessary business acumen, it's also important that CIOs get some "P&L experience outside of the pure CIO silo -- in finance, marketing, or non-tech areas," says Paul Groce, a partner with the executive search firm Christian & Timbers, which created the CIO 2010 model to identify strengths and attributes.

"Future CIOs need to win the mentoring and endorsement of a line-of-business leader versus just being mentored by another CIO," Groce says.

A CIO also needs to think like a CEO by identifying what they have done to turn around the business or drive the business forward.

"CIOs need to ask themselves: Why did the board hire the CEO?" Groce says. "Look deeply into the CEO's background and compare and contrast that with your background, because companies will increasingly hire CIOs using the CEO hiring criteria."

Know your mission
It's obvious that most CIOs now need to do more than develop a well-performing IT team and manage risk. Whether they're leading a business through a growth cycle or helping it recover, every CIO needs to have his or her own vision for how IT should operate, change, and support larger business goals.

Analysts say business-minded CIOs always know how to communicate successes and strategies in terms of how they help the bottom line.

"You need to have your own personal view about how to make your enterprise more effective," Kitzis says. "It has to be a vision that supports the business model, and you have to help people become followers."

Courtney Macavinta is a Silicon Valley-based business and technology writer. Her articles have appeared in CNET News, Business 2.0, Red Herring, and The Washington Post.