What Makes a Successful CIO?

Computerwoche, a leading IT publication in Germany, asks Jan Cron to highlight three essential competencies of a successful CIO:

1. Entrepreneurship: Successful CIOs look beyond the confines of the IT department, are entrepreneurial, and always think in terms of business objectives, "Business models are changing constantly and both development and product life cycles are getting shorter, CIOs need an entrepreneurial acumen," said Jan Cron of Russell Reynolds Associates.
2. Increased flexibility: CIOs are expected to meet restructuring and changes in the company with adaptability. Jan Cron, observed that this increased flexibility is often lacking in CIOs: "Especially after major mergers and acquisitions, CIOs often have to fight," he says.
3. Internationality: A CIO should be able to lead an international team. Jan Cron is an explicit advocate of international experience: "There are no good reasons why you should turn down an international career move, and usually is the career advancement for a CIO," says Cron.

Read the full article in German at Computerwoche, and see below for two reports on the evolution of the CIO role and CIO succession.

• Elevator Executive: The Transformational CIO >>
  
• A Practical Guide to CIO Succession >>