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"Interim management and executive search"

How to go from CIO to CEO

Neil Pullen, Managing Director of Freestone, the Interim Management and Executive Search firm, reveals how CIOs are making the leap to CEO.

Today’s CIO is generally a talented, ambitious individual who has an excellent grasp of the business world. However, in the past CIOs have often found it difficult to break through the glass ceiling to reach the very top of an organisation. If you are aiming to move up from CIO to COO/CEO, here are some useful insights that we have gathered from people in the CIO community who are attempting that final leap.

Promote yourself
Typical CIOs can be fairly reticent to blow their own trumpets. But being shy and retiring will not get your name on the CEO shortlist. If you want to be CEO, you have to get people’s attention, demonstrate the benefits of your projects and plans to the business, and talk yourself up.

Move out of your comfort zone
For many people who work in IT, there’s a temptation to stick within the safe confines of technology. To broaden your experience outside the IT field, why not take yourself out of your usual environment? Take charge of a change programme that is business-led rather than IT-led. Or, if you are feeling extremely confident, transfer to a function such as sales or finance to get a non-IT perspective on the business. Success outside IT will strengthen your profile immeasurably and silence many doubters.

Improve your visibility
Few CIOs sit on the main board, and this is a serious obstacle to being promoted. Also it is often the case that they report to the Finance Director, who is ahead in the pecking order. So is it possible to become the Finance Director? A qualified yes. An FD doesn’t necessarily have to have an accountancy background - the huge support structure, both internal and external, often is sufficient enough. You are, after all, a known quantity.

Become more decisive
IT directors are often not the most decisive people. Bear in mind that frequently the right decision is to make a decision. Take inspiration from the example of CEOs who often hire executives on the spot using gut instinct. Be confident and know your own mind.

Think strategy, not support
The IT department has traditionally been perceived as a support function, rather than as a strategic function. However, IT pervades every aspect of the business and is essential if any business is to grow and prosper. In order to promote the strategic value of IT, you must focus on the business benefits of IT, improve communications between IT and other departments, and help improve senior managers’ knowledge of technical matters.

Sharpen up your office politics
It’s one of the most endearing aspects of IT people that generally they call a spade a spade. However, this may not be the best way to climb the company hierarchy. It’s not a question of being Machiavellian or selling your soul. It’s about observing the ‘power map’ of office relations, understanding what other people want, and influencing others more effectively. That way, you will cultivate good relationships with people who can help you rise higher in the organisation.

Embrace the joy of networking
Networking doesn’t always come naturally to a CIO. But it’s vital if you are to create connections with people in other organisations who could help your career. If you’re allergic to the concept, think of it as giving, not taking. When you meet someone, think about what you have to offer them in terms of a contact, an idea or a client referral. The aim is to encourage people to talk positively about you when you’re not around. And you never know when a casual conversation could give you an invaluable job lead.

Be proactive
Often, the nature of IT means that the CIO is a problem solver. Someone arrives with a problem, and the CIO has to find a solution. However, a potential CEO needs to develop a proactive approach. Why not identify how IT could make your business more successful, streamlined and competitive, and present your ideas to the board? Offer solutions, promote your argument and – while you’re at it – promote yourself. This will also help you to position yourself as a leader with vision; essential qualities for any aspiring CEO.

Talk about benefits, not IT
It can be tempting to talk about technology, focusing on the kit and using IT jargon. But this approach risks alienating people. Get people on your side by using accessible language they will understand and by talking about the benefits of technology for the business rather than about the technology itself.

Recruit business-minded people
Surround yourself with other people who talk business as well as they talk technology. By recruiting and encouraging similarly-minded people who can present the benefits of technology projects, you will help everyone in the business to understand the importance of IT.

So how are you going to make the move? Set a realistic timeframe, consider how you are viewed within your organisation, get close to the current CEO and challenge yourself.

But then, of course, as a future CEO you know all this already.

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