IT Leader's Survival Guide: 11 Ways to Grow in the Years to Come

Turbulent times explain what success is. The last few years in IT have set an example. Digital disruptions, global epidemics, geopolitical crises, economic uncertainties - fluctuations have called into question the notion of respect for time and how to lead IT.

Think of this moment as a call to reflect and rearrange - a chance to learn from your recent experiences what it will take to lead a successful IT organization in the next decade, which is central to every business. Will see technology rapidly, to accelerate, and respond to, a significant operational change.

The key to making progress in the years to come is to make your organization more agile and flexible, according to a future-looking report from IDC. Empowerment through decision-making will focus on business outcomes.

To find out what you need to do to get there, we've reached out to a range of IT leaders. Here are some tips to make your IT organization more agile and flexible, and thus better equipped to navigate in the years to come, based on their hard-earned experience.

Build team confidence.

Wiley CIO and CISO Sean Mack says that in order to thrive, IT leaders need to build trust in their teams and build similar trust throughout the organization.

"Confidence leads to much better cooperation, alignment and results," says Mack. "If people need to go through multiple layers of approval, they run the risk of building a highly inefficient system. On the contrary, teams that have gained organizational confidence are given the option to operate independently." An empowered, independent, team is absolutely essential in any working environment where there is an urgent need to respond to rapidly changing situations.

Mark Schlesinger, Senior Technical Fellow at Broadridge Financial Solutions, agrees that with the pace of technology change, tech leaders need small, almost independent teams to succeed.

"There's even more pressure on CIOs to deliver practical business benefits," says Schlesinger. Very important This ownership and structure allows the team to deliver effectively as well as self-govern its team members to ensure that goals are met and a standard solution is provided.

Be compatible

Steve Schumacher, managing partner and global technology practice leader at consulting and staffing firm Vaco, says signs of inflation, instability in the labor market, and geopolitical turmoil are among the reasons why CIOs are worried about the future. Feeling we have 'Run out of gas' emotionally. He says thriving in the midst of uncertainty means being flexible.

"The budget may need to be adjusted," he says. "Some projects may be held or canceled. Some recruitments may need to be postponed. The coming months are a leadership test for CIOs, and this is a pass / fail grade.

Keep calm and move on

In the midst of uncertainty, Schumacher says tech leaders need to have a steady hand on the wheel and be a beacon against headwinds.

"There are a lot of unknown things out there," he says. "IT professionals in your organizations - not to mention your peers in the rest of the business - all read the same tea leaf. Be fair in your decisions. Be present with your staff. Be aware of what's going on." I will stay with them. Do this and your staff will fight for you no matter the cold winds.

Prioritize high talent - and recognize what attracts the next generation.

Attracting and retaining talent is challenging for tech leaders. Schlesinger says IT leaders need to rethink how they perform and find new technology stars.

"CIOs need to suggest - or redesign" the value of their teams, "he says. “Some of the key components include team members' well-being, workplace flexibility, clarifying employee personal development opportunities, building deeper relationships with team members, and building and maintaining a shared vision for the team. included."

Kelly Fleming, CIO at Cirrus Nexus, says there is pressure on CIOs to increase employee productivity in a labor market. He says he is responding to the benefits of competitive work and other ways to retain young staff in particular.

"By offering CIOs the flexibility of long-term work, and by implementing [diversification, equity, and inclusion] and sustainability initiatives, which are leading young IT professionals," Fleming says. The ability to attract and retain talent without losing productivity will be measured. "

Share the mistakes as well as the successes.

Darren Person, Global CIO of the NPD Group, says technical leaders need to create a culture that encourages honest sharing of experiences and allows teams to share their perspectives, including mistakes.

"We've created a weekly session where CIOs and CTOs meet in person with cross-functional groups to promote new relationships and build trust," says Person. "Through brown bag lunches and sprint demos, we encourage our teams to use mistakes as learning opportunities and to share those lessons with others to grow as a team."

Ashish Chandrana, CIO of Productivity, encourages tech leaders to share the data behind decision making.

"CIOs need to understand the data behind the success or failure of technology," says Chandrana. "Demand transparency in everything - especially on the matrix - and be transparent back. Not just your driving alignment with your team - but your business and the various stakeholders at stake."

Your teams must have the quality that your customers expect, says Tam Ayers, Field CTO for Digibee, which they say leads to better productivity and performance.

"The most successful CIOs will not settle for software products or tools that are good enough to work, but will focus on enabling businesses to succeed with the best tools they have," says Iris. Employees actually enjoy using it, "says Iris. "Employees become more productive with the right tools, rather than working on cross-cutting solutions or striving for improvement. Although this tactic can increase costs in the short term, it ultimately leads to employee satisfaction and retention." Expanding will lead to business success in the long run. When IT teams are happy and productive, the path to digital transformation is much smoother.

Pay attention to cost as well as cost.

Iris says tech leaders these days are expected to be profit centers rather than standard spending lines. But he warns that cost-cutting pressures from CFOs and others reduce the focus on deliveries to maximize efficiency around operational costs.

"Cost-benefit analysis is important for any procurement process, but as part of that analysis, the correct value points must be tracked," he says. "CIOs should never compromise on tomorrow's price today. Short-term cost reductions will lead to higher costs in the long run, as the path to digital transformation will repeat itself and put more pressure on its employees."

Listen to your team.

Kelly Fleming, CIO at Sears Nexus, acknowledges the demands of shareholders and customers, but argues that CIOs need to take the time to listen to their teams.

"The success of a great IT department always depends on the ability of its employees to do their job well, and on their ability to collaborate with each other and reach out to the company's decision makers. It boils, "he says. "An IT department that disappoints its employees will not be able to meet the changing business needs and will not be able to be flexible in times of crisis."

Embrace the data, and share it.

Leslie Salmon, global CEO of The Kellogg Company, says the multinational food manufacturer is hosting internal meetings to show its colleagues how cutting-edge data and analytics can help drive growth.

She recommends engaging in a variety of departments "to realize the benefits of AI and machine learning, to prioritize which data is most valuable - and how to turn insights into action". Test, learn and rearrange when it comes to data and analytics. Being a data-driven company is a constant journey, not a destination, "she says.

Diversify your technology

Fleming warns CIOs to get stuck in a vendor's tools despite the apparent benefits - or get in trouble on the road.

"CIOs spend a lot of time deciding which vendors and products are licensed for their departments," Fleming said. "It's important to avoid getting caught up in a single vendor's ecosystem that limits your department's flexibility and resilience to product shortcomings, closures, price fluctuations, and emerging digital security threats." CIOs must balance the benefits of hybrid, multi-vendor solutions with the lure of simplicity of use of low vendors.

Avoid change for the sake of change.

Dina Campbell, senior vice president of systems and strategy at Vaco, says it's important to stay competitive by adopting new technologies, but don't underestimate your organization between competitive timelines and requirements.

"The amount of agility we need in our changing environment can easily feel like a frog in the water on the stove," Campbell said. "It can be a danger if we are changing only for the sake of change, and we take our eyes off the overall effects of each change. Develop models for scaling technology and constantly edit them.

Empower your people

Vaco’s Shoemake says empowering your managers means delegating some decision-making, consulting them and encouraging them to test their ideas.

"The important thing is not to get your staff on their knees because they wanted to invest in a new hire that flopped, or they went on a pilot route and a business deal that initially looked good. , Turned into a complete breakdown. " Says. "Make sure the lesson is learned, but you can't promote a culture of empowerment if the drama begins after every failed idea. The result is that instead of empowering it, it faces the flag, the agility instead of the rigidity, and the weakness instead of the flexibility. "

Willy K. Mac says CIOs need to move away from the command and control mentality and empower their teams.

"An empowered, independent, team is essential in any working environment where there is an urgent need to respond to rapidly changing conditions," Mack said. "Given how fast the workplace has evolved over the last two years, it's clear that there is no return to normalcy - just the next routine, and then the next. There is a great opportunity to accept the next change. But it's up to the CIOs to take advantage of this by building team relationships and focusing on the people. "