EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
WHAT IS THE IDEAL CIO THAT COMPANIES ARE LOOKING FOR IN THE PRESENT DAY ?
Is the ideal CIO of today the one who fits into the company ' s culture , or , on the contrary , is it the one who rapidly drives the transformation of the entire business ? We asked three experts to better understand what is actually being sought .
The past is a reference , the present is a very short time in which decisions are made and the future is only a consequence of events that have occurred in the two previous times . However , technologies are advancing rapidly and demand many skills from leaders and decision-makers for the future of the business to be truly successful .
Suresh Sambandam summarizes some of these skills in The Enterprises Project as long-term vision , sense of coherence and security , the ability to communicate with their team , with other members of the C-Suite and , at the same time , turn that communication into positive influence within the company .
Also , a CIO of the present must constantly learn and be able to teach , leveraging concepts such as reskilling ( changing skills ) and upskilling ( improving skills ) to motivate the members of their team and make the most of each and every one of them .
The CIO of the present must embrace the fact that change is the only constant in their role . And we haven ’ t even touched on the topic of technology .
And last but not least , the CIO of the present must embrace the fact that change is the only constant in their role . And we haven ’ t even touched on the topic of technology .
The scarcity of experts in all branches of information technology and telecommunications , and even more so of CIOs , is evident . Scouts , an expert talent-finding firm , explains that “ CIOs , within their communication skills , must be able to explain the technological needs of the company to executives who have little experience in this field , which requires a deep understanding of communication .”
Furthermore , good communication skills are necessary to be a leader . If a CIO cannot communicate appropriately , teamwork can be difficult for them .
Finally , as a sign of what is approaching , KPMG in its 2023 CEO Outlook study states : “ Overall , this year ’ s survey results confirm some of the trends that have already been observed in previous editions and , at the same time , breathe life into new ones , especially those closely related to the dynamics of the context , such as the need to improve adaptability to a changing geopolitical landscape and thus manage the risk it implies ; the prioritization of the employee value proposition and the promotion of social initiatives within the ESG agenda , which can assist in talent capture and retention goals ; and the continuation of an aggressive technology investment strategy , while also considering the ‘ exhaustion ’ that the acceleration of digital transformation during the pandemic represented .”
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