Computing caught up with industry experts and education providers in the IT space to find out what the most essential skills are for a CIO
I would support Kevin in his analysis. The future CIO cannot be a 'one-trick pony' but will need to have a repertoire of skills.
One of the key attributes of a CIO is situational awareness; being aware that there are no panaceas and every situation is different. I would also stress the need for flexibility and situational leadership; knowing when to follow and knowing when to lead.
Most important of all is the capability of judgement; having to make the right calls without perfect information. The best advice I have ever received was from Peter Fryer, MD of Whitegates who i worked for. He said as a leader you should expect to make at least one wrong decision out of three. A good leader recognises early that a wrong decision has been made and then fixes it.
We at City University London run one of the few open courses focused on developing the skills and capabilities of the CIO. Our Master of Information Leadership programme
http://www.city.ac.uk/interdisciplinary-city/centre-for-information-leadership/master-of-information-leadership
is taught by both practitioners and academics in a career-friendly mode. This programme develops the skills that an aspiring or new CIO needs to be an effective contributor.
Posted by: David Chan, Director Centre for Information, City University London 12 Jul 2011
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