10 Tips for a New CIO

Getting used to the role of a chief information officer (CIO) takes due time and tactical precision. George F. Claffey, in this video by educause, sheds light on 10 tips for a new CIO to fit into the role and do their job right.

To begin with, things every new cio should do first, George says that as for the perfect key for getting to know people, there is nothing that works better than putting a candy dish out there. This is just the perfect conversation starter that a new CIO needs to start off in their new role. The next important thing for a CIO to bear in mind is to understand the tempo of the work culture in the enterprise and to strategize mechanisms centered around it, mentions George. He also advises the CIO to function from the helpdesk once in a while to truly understand how things work in the organization and to always strive to be approachable to the employees by ensuring that there are no blockades hindering communication. Alongside, it is another one of the essential tips for a new CIO, it is also important for a new CIO to adopt a proper systematic framework that will enable them to organize and function better. Further, interacting candidly with fellow counterparts as CFO and others and understanding their issues is also absolutely crucial for a CIO to analyze, evaluate and thereby, act effectively. George also cautions that rather than having a concrete blueprint, what is indeed important is to strategize effectively. This is because most often, despite having some sort of a blueprint, CIOs will have to deal with such altered practical scenarios and crises situations that they might have not actually comprehended. George says that this, along with being both the tutor and the tutee, will allow a CIO to have a better understanding and introduce changes, accordingly. Alongside, he enunciates and emphasizes upon the fact that in order to boost productivity, the key objective of every CIO should be to build effective teams that coordinate better and produce remarkable outcomes above everything else.

Reiterating that a successful leader is one who knows how to assign and allocate, Gorge finally affirms that among the tips for a new CIO, they must master the art of effective delegation and distribution of tasks. Taking into account all these factors will enable a CIO to get used to the new role and dispense their duties with far more efficacy than ever before.