Managing the Toughest Transition: Part 2

Be careful what you ask for. Most of us have heard this familiar saying. IT leaders now can testify as to its veracity. CIOs have lamented for years that they were not invited to a “seat at the table” with their senior-level colleagues. It appears that what they wished for is happening. The “2002 State of the CIO” survey conducted by CIO magazine and reported in their March 1, 2002, issue contains evidence that IT leaders are increasingly viewed by their business unit colleagues as strategic business partners. That is the good news, but it carries a challenge. The challenge for IT leaders is that they and their colleagues are under increasing pressure to help produce quantifiable business results. The recent downturn in IT spending is, in part, a result of the perception among CEOs and other Clevel executives that investments in IT have not resulted in expected bottom-line improvements. This is ratcheting up the pressure for increasingly competent IT leadership. Adding to already-high stress levels, the transition from individual contributor to leader and manager continues to be a source of difficulty and frustration. This series of two articles focuses on this “toughest transition” and describes ways in which CIOs and their leader and manager colleagues can improve the tranP A Y O F F I D E A