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September 28, 1998

What It Takes To Be A CIO

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Lucia adds that any time you extend yourself, whether it's taking on a new project or accepting a new job, you're taking a risk. "But that's the way you progress," she says. "And with any risk, a little luck can help, too."

Conklin, who recently joined nonprofit health-care provider Sisters of Charity Healthcare System as the Houston organization's first VP of information management and CIO, says he's been fortunate to have worked with people tolerant of failures. But, he admits, tolerance is fueled by the reserve of trust built on successes.

In addition to winning the trust of business managers, CIOs must also know how to win the respect of the people with whom they work. "In my last job at Integris Healthcare, I was somewhat blinded by my successes and started to appreciate less the people who worked with me and helped me achieve them," says Conklin. "This wasn't greeted well by others, and I've reaffirmed that I can't do it myself. The successes I've had in my career are the result of a lot of people."

"IT people need to deal with a lot of change and uncertainty. That's what IT organizations are all about--new technologies, new processes, new whatever--and it requires a great deal of flexibility. I've always had to look around the next corner and be willing to round the corner even if there's a dragon on the other side. As I've proceeded in my career, I've had to move around a lot. During my 10 years at Pepsi, I've had five different jobs. But that's how you progress."
--Ken Harris, CIO, Nike Inc.

"Under One Tent"
A CIO has to interact with business managers, other executives in the company, and with end users. "Being a CIO has to be one of the most difficult management jobs in business, because you must bring so many different people under one tent," says Ken Harris, CIO of Nike Inc.

Harris and other CIOs say that to be a good communicator, you have to be a good listener. "Being able to step back and have a broad view helps in the job," says Harris.

GE's Levinsky polished his communication skills through observation and trial and error. "When I go to a seminar, I'll look at how different people communicate their message. If I think something works, I'll try the approach to see if it's successful for me, too," he says.

"Communication is most important in this job," says Levinsky, who likes to use analogies to describe projects and technology. "For instance, if I'm talking about network bandwidth, I'll draw the distinction between the volume that flows through a small water pipe vs. a large sewer pipe."

Kathy Brittain White, senior VP and CIO at health-care products supplier Allegiance Corp. in McGaw Park, Ill., cultivated her communication skills as a business professor at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. "You have to be able to deliver your message to all sorts of people," she says.

Many CIOs don't realize that they need to translate technology into terms and examples that business and other nontechnical people can understand. "A lot of CIOs are good communicators peer-to-peer but aren't able to communicate well outside their area of expertise," White says.

White likes to use visual aids, everyday analogies, and concrete examples to explain a point to business people and users--tricks she learned from her days as a college professor. "If I'm describing how a database works, for example, I may try to relate it to a grocery store, all the products in the store, the prices, etc.," she says.