InformationWeek

September 28, 1998

What It Takes To Be A CIO

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When Mathaisel realized he wasn't actually designing airplanes--the computers were--he returned to MIT and earned a degree in operational research, which focuses on applying math to business modeling. After graduation, Mathaisel was recruited by American Airlines where, among other projects, he worked on the development of the precursor to the Sabre reservation system. From there, Mathaisel's career continued on a management track, including work for consulting firm Temple, Barker & Sloane Inc. In 1986, Mathaisel joined Walt Disney Co. as CIO. During his four years with the company, he oversaw a strategy that incorporated technology into all areas of the business--from the daily operations to the theme parks.

Bernard Mathaisel, Executive director and CIO, Ford Motor Co.

Conklin, of the Sisters of Charity Healthcare System, never dreamed of being a CIO. It was his job as a research psychologist that led him to discover his affinity for technology. Early in his career at New York State's Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Conklin worked on database projects to help gauge and predict the behavior of mental-health patients. His work led to a job managing the clinical information systems at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York. "This was the single most important move in my career," he says. "It brought me into the general health environment, which led me to my subsequent jobs in health care."

Conklin also says the Columbia Presbyterian job offer, which came from a friend, was his luckiest career break. With the exception of his previous job as CIO at Integris Healthcare, in which he was placed by a headhunter, Conklin learned about all his jobs from friends and former co-workers.

Like most of the CIOs interviewed for this story, Conklin stays on top of ever-changing technology by reading IT journals and publications, meeting with vendors, and attending seminars. Many CIOs say they also rely on IT research services, and research forums such as the Conference Group. United Healthcare's Curd likes to scan newspaper help-wanted ads to see what technologies are being used by other companies.

Ford's Mathaisel says his company exchanges technology ideas with other companies. "We do best practices with other [noncompeting] companies that we have good relationships with," he says. "We like to see what others are doing with the Internet, Java, and year 2000."

Mathaisel also likes to keep "random notes and clips from cocktail parties." At a recent company reception, someone mentioned a new cellular paging technology. Mathaisel told his IT staff about it and now he's "playing" with the pager.

Most important, a CIO can't rest on his or her laurels. Every month, GE's Levinsky finds a reminder on his calendar to do a self-evaluation. "I spend some time one day every month thinking about what I need to enhance, what technique I need to work on, what technology I need to learn more about, what people I need to talk to," he says.

Levinsky also meets once a year with his staff for "continued feedback" on how he's doing, as well as how the staff is doing overall. "If I stay the same," the CIO says, "I'll only lose ground."