Wolf in Cio's Clothing

a colleague rarely asks for an urgent request and the CIO has little reason to distrust them, they may take the calculated risk of proceeding with the request. Alternately, they may test each urgent request in a minor way. For example, one CIO noted that he would require anyone with an urgent request to get a signature from their manager confirming

Once the alliance is formed, treating the minority as though they are lower in status and power will poison the partnership environment. For example, if the smaller players would be disproportionately damaged by the chargeback system, financial adjustments should be made rather than allowing the majority to design a one-size-fits-all approach that

As Machiavelli noted, the best strategy is often the one that no one believes you will undertake because it is either so high risk or so destructive that it is hard to imagine anyone actually implementing it. But sometimes, there is no alternative.

This grey Wolf CIO tactic is best described as “collaborate or else.” It combines the Dolphin-like desire for teamwork with Shark-like consequences for noncompliance for pack members and those who interact with the pack.

When CIOs overshare, it is the same as saying, Don’t trust me, I don’t know what I’m talking about and I need to prove it to you. Consider how much data your colleagues are really asking for, and how much of your sharing may be a self-inflicted wound that springs from good intentions.

told yes. Soon thereafter, she reported back to her CEO that the implementation of the impressive system had cost the other company $18 million. She told him that she would be happy to implement this in their company as well, so long as the CEO understood that the cost would be double given that they were dealing with half the timeline. The CEO dro

When in an order-taker relationship, IT may feel that it is giving while the rest of the enterprise is taking. This kind of relationship often evolves because IT believes it is in a weaker position due to previous delivery challenges, or that this is simply its appropriate role.

CIOs strive to be partners with their business colleagues. True partnerships are not what many of us think they are. A partnership is a reciprocal relationship between parties of approximately equal power and status. This

Remarkably, I have watched a number of acting CIOs take the playing-hard-to-get stance in total sincerity, truly not wanting the job. They were shocked to find themselves aggressively pursued by their CEOs and practically forced into taking the permanent role. There is tremendous power in standing apart and not desperately needing or wanting someth