If you are a CIO, do you have what it takes to be a CEO?
That's a question that seems to have gotten lots of past press, including an InformationWeek blog back in January about the background of Yahoo's new chief executive, Scott Thompson. After listing a handful of CIOs who rose to the CEO slot, author Chris Murphy acknowledges that the tech chief in the C suite isn't always in line to move up, unfair as that may be:
Much has been written about why more CIOs don't become CEOs. They're often pandering cliches, like CIOs aren't good communicators. True, a CIO likely needs P&L responsibility before getting the CEO nod, but that's not a huge leap given the importance of e-commerce, data-driven marketing, supply chains, and technology-embedded products today.
One oft-cited reason that CIOs don't make it to the top is that they don't report to the CEO, but instead to the CFO or even the COO. This not only puts them lower in the food chain than other C suiters, but it can leave the impression that CIOs aren't to be trusted as businesspeople (as opposed to as geeks).
This is a view that's been reiterated endlessly in well meaning articles, such as one posted in Forbes by Joerg Heistermann, CEO of the Americas for IDS Scheer two years ago, which states:
CIOs love technology. It's a hobby, a passion and a secret lover. At work, technology is used to improve productivity and revenue. At home, the latest mobile and multimedia gadgets are the center of gravity for leisure activities.
It's the exclusive focus on this very passion that inhibits CIOs from growing into a CEO role. To get to the next level, CIOs have to expand their area of interest, gain new communications skills and learn the language of business.
Whether or not this assessment can be generalized for most CIOs is open to question. But the fact is, the stereotype of the CIO as a geek isolated from key boardroom realities persists in many places -- as does the question of the competence of women executives. As a result, the advice given to CIOs can be just as inane as that proffered to women. (The cited article recommends, among other things, working hard, cultivating higher-ups, dressing well, and playing golf.)
Where in all this is the real help for ambitious CIOs?
Perhaps the place to look is within one's organization and, by extension, one's industry. Who is being promoted? What values and skills do those people possess? What is the overall vision of the company, and how well is it being realized by upper management? If it's not being realized or if there's a shortfall, how can you, as a CIO, improve the scenario?
No matter what your background, the CEO spot also requires specific skills. Much has been written about these, in scholarly treatises and armchair summations, but a few key points rise to the surface. In general, CEOs must have the following attributes to succeed:
Business skills. We're talking finance, management, the works; everything that goes into an MBA and then some.
People skills. Leadership capabilities are shared by nearly all CEOs. And while much may be down to personal charisma, CEOs must be good managers, good speakers, and good salespeople.
Industry chops. To really succeed, a CEO must know the nature of the business he or she is running and be thoroughly versed in its history, market position, value chain(s), key issues, and short- and long-term strategies.
Personal confidence. A strong ego and an iron will are musts for the top spot. Unless you think you're an alpha dog, you can't convince others you are.
Support. A CEO is only as good as the people around him or her -- mentors, key stakeholders, direct reports. Without the endorsement of these constituents, a CEO's ship will sink, no matter how strong it is setting out.
Do you as an executive have these characteristics? Then go for it -- whether you're a CIO or not.
Hi Mary. I'll sum it up for you in a nutshell and do so with a certain amount of risk because I did launch and run for many years a CIO executive service at a large analyst firm and have worked very closely with hundreds if CIOs over the years. Many have become my friends. But prior to becoming an industry analyst I worked with CEOs and other C-levels for many years as a management consultant. The thing is, most CIOs don't truly aspire to be CEO or deeply desire to be the sort of person who typically gets to be CEO. It's also a very tough role to break into which is why is it so common to watch CEOs 'fail upwards' all the time. On paper if you compare the skills needed to be a CIO or CEO, they're actually pretty closely aligned. In fact I can cite studies with multi-competency perceptual spider charts of the two jobs and they overlay almost in parallel. I think Thornton May (a very CIO savvy guy) put it perfectly when he once wrote, "A big part of being a CEO is what some scholars term the 'out-of-body' leadership experience. That is, you have to be bigger than life. You are no longer Joe of Jane SVP; you are something bigger. It is perhaps somewhat ironic that by creating a bit of distance and adding a pinch of the theatrical, we become closer to the business and more likely to end up in the top job." My view is that most CIOs don't understand that and have a natural tendency to gravitate to the nut and bolts level of anything presented to them, which is course what they are typically rewarded for doing historically. Business execs in general tend to first gravitate to what their intuition is telling them, then to whether they trust the person/people who is bringing to them, say, some information, a problem, an analysis, or an idea. Very different way of processing. Then there is this: I once knew an executive headhunter who specialized in placing big company CEOs and he was one of the best in the business. He insisted that physical appearance was as important as the resume in placing CEOs. So I asked him what standard he used for appearance. "Oh, there's only one really. Commercial airline pilot. Everyone in my business knows this. Find that person and our job is infinitely easier." Of course we're not just talking about Fortune 200 CEOs here, but there is something in Thornton's comments that I also have found to be very true. It also seems to be very true in Washington DC as well. Definitely in becoming President of the United States. Image is huge and that's hard to manufacture.
Great points, Kicheko. Indeed, one of the tips I see over and over again in the management literature is about making yourself visible. It's kind of about putting yourself right in the middle of things and forcing folk to deal with that. Not for the faint of heart.
Indeed its come to be well known over time that its not just about being competent in your work. You have to understand your organizational politics to make to anywhere.
I remember watching an episode from suits where some a fresh lawyer has just arrived at the law firm. As his senior takes him around orienting him to people, they come to this guy who's always bent doing his work except when he's going to get some water from the cooler. Then the senior tells the apprentice....'See that one, he'll never make senior partner. Because he's stupid. He thinks its all about work...'
I'd say people skills is number one both internally and out in the industry. Making your contribution be felt so that you don't get forgotten when the search for a new CEO begins.
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