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The View from Inside: A Conversation with the CIO

Whether you’re a corporate executive seeking leadership for your company’s technology function or a consulting professional who wants a new challenge, hiring or stepping into the role of Chief Information Officer (CIO) is no simple task. There’s no rest for the weary when it comes to being the head technology honcho, according to Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) Managing Directors Barry Brunsman, Fred Matteson and Michael Askew. And, as incredible as it might seem to most of us, these three professionals wouldn’t trade the opportunity to take on information technology challenges for the world.

Barry, a married father of two teenagers who, back in his younger years, was a corn detasseler – someone who manually removes the tassels from corn husks – has served as an interim CIO for companies in various industries. He compares the role to simultaneously being an “insider” and “outsider.” The “insider” worries about the day’s agenda and how it closes the gap to the IT organization’s broader goals and objectives, while the “outsider” considers how to accelerate the search for a permanent CIO and the ways in which to make that person successful.

Fred, a father of four teenagers, and a blues and rock and roll enthusiast who plays piano in a band deemed (queue up the irony) “Bad Advice,” says the CIO job is the toughest in the C-suite, since it’s rarely focused on technology. Instead, he says, to be a good CIO, you have to be a great business person first. He has served as a CIO on countless engagements primarily in the financial services and insurance industries, and has difficulty leaving his IT “hat” off at home because his wife is a CIO as well. (We can hear the dinner conversation about mainframes now.)

Mike, another creative personality who enjoys photography, woodworking and music, says the best part of being an interim CIO is seeing ideas become reality and watching technology change people’s lives.

The Road Less Traveled

As varied as their individual experiences have been, all agree that no two days spent as a CIO are alike. For the most part, daily activities revolve around working in teams to solve complex problems. The CIO role is a 24 / 7 operation, and there’s just no telling when technology disasters can strike. So, the first thing Barry, Fred and Mike do in the morning – and the last thing they do before going to sleep at night – is check to ensure that operations are under control. Barry says that while it may be tempting to approach the CIO role in a linear fashion – evaluate current performance against company needs, set an agenda for the future and execute that plan – the role tends to stray off the beaten path when more urgent priorities take center stage. (Anyone who’s been victim to an e-mail outage, virus or phishing scam lately can attest to that!)

What’s also atypical is the road to becoming a CIO. In the case of A&M’s professionals, assuming technology leadership generally occurs in one of two ways: a distressed company needs to replace key leaders on its executive team to drive a financial turnaround OR a company is acquired by a private equity firm that, in turn, looks to interim leaders to improve the operations of the target. Recently, and in a highly unusual situation, Barry stepped into a CIO role after the company’s incumbent abruptly left and an executive search firm contacted him about the position. In all cases, the emphasis is on speed to execution in driving results.

Creating a Seamless Transition

It stands to reason that driving change requires the combined efforts of team players, so a key area of focus for any new CIO is human capital. It’s difficult not to consider that IT employees – especially those who played critical roles in the old regime – will be skeptical about the change in guard. Therefore, it’s imperative for a new leader to create as seamless a transition as possible. One way to accomplish this is to “re-recruit” key members of the previous leadership team to significant roles in the new program, according to Barry. Not only does it foster a sense of belonging, but it also helps to build the next generation of leaders for when the interim CIO eventually moves on. Fred has often found that it takes time to build trust, because employees are just waiting to see where the winds of change take them, while Mike says leadership often wants to be coached and guided into more senior roles.

And, even the most experienced consultants have something to learn.

Barry, for one, now appreciates that there’s no place like home. (Although, he didn’t mention whether or not he clicked his heels three times before making this realization.) The nature of consulting is traveling to work at client sites, so time for family and friends is extremely valued. He has also found that he is easily bored when he’s not learning – a sentiment Fred echoes. Mike says slowing down and having conversations has been his greatest lesson, mostly because it’s a great stress reliever. (What? Running the IT function can be stressful?)

No matter how you find yourself in the CIO seat, though, A&M’s professionals emphasize that success is achieved with creativity, credibility and collaboration. Finding creative solutions to complex problems, earning the trust of the company and its employees, and building a team with diverse and relevant skill sets are all critical to being a great technology leader. It takes a deep understanding of what makes the business competitive, as well as the ability to motivate highly structured organizations towards rapid results and convince business partners to share in the responsibility for technology investments, to effect positive change.

If that doesn’t work, you can always give one of these gluttons for punishment a call.