What makes a great tech leader: the top 12 things you need to focus on

The role of a CIO in 2022

It’s fair to say that in recent years the role of the CIO has experienced a perpetual state of flux. The somewhat dusty concept of a behind-the-scenes, technical fixer with managerial responsibility for the back-office dev shop no longer fits the remit of today's modern CIO.

Within 18 months, CIO’s have had to navigate a host of often radical, fast-paced technical challenges, whilst balancing the complex business and leadership responsibilities that accompanied rapid changes resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak. If the almost overnight implementation of remote-working capabilities wasn’t challenging enough, equally brisk cloud adoption, security over-hauls and the roll-out of new collaboration and video conferencing tools, all the while managing a geographically dispersed and emotionally spent workforce have plagued the CIO. All during arguably, what can be considered as Australia’s greatest tech talent shortage.

5 critical skills for the the modern CIO

Unsurprisingly, the modern CIO role has shifted. Once predominantly technologically driven, it is now a strategic business role, reliant on strong soft skills and board-level business acumen focused on shaping the business vision with technology. The modern CIO must identify opportunities where technology can be a competitive advantage, then bridge the gap between technology and the business.

Understand the business

Whilst technology can be a great enabler, streamlining operations; increasing efficiency, productivity, and adapting to changes as they arise requires technology leaders who are aware of the needs and pain points of the business. Modern CIO’s will be expected to know every aspect of the business from net income, Ebitda, the products it produces or sells to its vendors, sales channels, customers and their competition in order to make sound business and technology decisions.

Align strategy

Strategic business is now an essential aspect of being a successful CIO. Creating holistic business-aligned IT strategies require clarity and perspective, but also the ground level knowledge to understand what needs to be done to implement technology strategies that support the companies' ambitions. This means influencing more than just the boardroom. CIO’s need to collaborate with the broader business. According to Rahul Singh, managing director with management consultancy Pace Harmon "CIOs will need to sharpen their business skills and build relationships with the CEOs and GMs so they can collaborate as strategic partners."

Lead innovation

Technology continues to evolve at an alarming rate. CIOs more than ever before must have a finger on the pulse of technological change, but also retain sufficient flexibility to proactively respond to this rapid rate of innovation. This requires a willingness to take risks, embrace new ideas and lead by being an agent for change. Those who actively promote a culture of innovation, creativity and forward-thinking have the best chance of preventing inertia, or worse, being outpaced by competitors.

Reduce costs

CIOs must continuously manage an ever-increasing range of cost pressures. Perhaps the largest of which is reducing tech debt associated with legacy IT architecture in favour of more flexible and cost-effective outsourced models or new, emerging technology which can not only improve organisational performance but help mitigate against increasing cyber-risk and ever-greater volumes of data. This has created a progressively symbiotic responsibility for the financial management of technology. Tech spending is no longer the sole remit of the CFO, instead the responsibility is increasingly borne by the CIO.

Build teams

Perhaps the greatest asset of a good CIO is the ability to build cohesive, strategically aligned teams. However, identifying, attracting and retaining top technology talent is a challenge as much for CIOs as it is for HR teams given the much publicised tech talent shortage. At a time when managers in the Australian technology sector grossly over-estimate their impact on employees and their ability to make employees feel valued, the ability to lead from the front and deliver results is essential in building trust and confidence for todays CIO. Whilst soft skills are a crucial attribute, leaders are defined and judged by their results as much by their subordinates as the board. In 2022, CIOs will be expected to take more of a lead on hiring and training for new skills and identifying who enterprises need to develop over the near- to medium-term, predicts Patrick Heffernan, senior analyst at Technology Business Research."CIOs that are active now in setting the training agenda are the ones to watch," he adds.

7 Steps to CIO mastery…

Yesterdays CIO was largely defined by their technical expertise. Today most successful CIOs stand out for their ability to communicate, unify groups, and drive cultural change. This shift represents a fundamental change in some of the characteristics traditionally associated with the CIO. Here’s five key features that we believe define a great IT leader:

Learn to Understand People

Whilst this might seem obvious, it's people that make or break businesses, it’s people who use technology and it is people in IT who make technology work. Understanding people and building good workplace relationships is the bedrock of driving positive team performance. More than ever, emotional intelligence is an attribute of focus among executives and leaders. Building and managing high performance teams is incredibly difficult if one is unable to recognise and, ultimately, appreciate the nuances among staff.

Read The Room

It’s important to observe and learn the unspoken messages each person is conveying. Understanding body language and non-verbal cues is critical for building relationships. Things like; eye contact, tone of voice and facial expressions and gestures or body movement all provide useful information on how a person is feeling or thinking.

Be Empathetic

Learn to put yourself in the other person's shoes. By forcing yourself to look at a situation from the other person's point of view, you can better understand them. This is not the same as agreeing with them, rather it is ensuring that they know they have been heard and understood. A good leader recognises that each team member has unique strengths and areas for improvement, and is able to use these to the team’s advantage.

Communicate Effectively

The CIO’s and IT leaders of the tomorrow need to be collaborative people leaders. IT leaders need to live up to very different expectations now; rather than working behind the scenes, modern CIOs are expected to be visible and collaborative, communicating the technology vision constantly across the entire business. Before they can do this, they must start with active listening. Effective communicaton requires paying close attention to what’s being said by stakeholders, make others feel heard and considered. Transformational projects, whilst necessary are not always well received since change can be both disruptive and difficult. Developing a filter helps ensure a leveled approach to negotiation and challenging discussions, minimising conflict in the workplace.

Business drive

CIOs today are expected to be business leaders, not just technology experts. Understanding the business needs beyond technology and operational efficiencies, to a better comprehension of customer-facing or revenue-generating drivers and challenges is crucial. Influencing business strategy and how technology supports company objectives for better business outcomes is where CIOs can help navigate the complex and shifting business landscape, driving organisations forward.

Manage Conflict

Effective leadership means you should be good at identifying conflict, and have foresight on how to resolve it. Conflict can happen in many areas of business so it’s essential to be rational and controlled when faced with confrontation. Misunderstandings are often the result of a failure to clarify and understand the other persons experience. By gathering all the facts and focusing on learning to attack the issue, not the person, we are more likely to understand the core issue and approach its resolution without damaging important relationships in the process.

Willingness to learn

The pace technological change is unrelenting and the landscape, constantly shifting. In parallel, the role of the CIO is continually evolving. Keeping pace with emerging technologies requires the modern CIO to be as much a disrupter as technology itself. Being agile and dexterous in response to unexpected change requires an appetite for risk, innovation and the desire to continuously keep growing and learning. Those who can acknowledge their weaknesses, seek help and collaborate to work and overcome issues will thrive.

How we can help

Marlin Human Capital aims to partner with all of our candidates throughout their career growth. We offer guidance, counselling, and career support throughout the entire job search process, and we always remember the good people we’ve worked with when making recommendations for career opportunities that meet the ambitions of the professionals in our network.

We recognise that being a leading executive search firm isn’t just a two-way street, but a crisscrossed network of opportunities to support our clients and our candidates. We don’t just help companies hire the best candidates—we help the people we know grow into the best candidates. We guide our candidates in discovering new capabilities and competencies, exploring new approaches to challenges, and bolstering their weaknesses. Every assessment isn’t just a step to determine their suitability for a role, but a chance to provide feedback to help develop the good into the great.

Contact us for a confidential discussion with one of our expert team. When partnering with Marlin Human Capital, rest assured you are guaranteed absolute professionalism and discretion.

Contact us today