You're already an IT strategist, but the CEO needs you to help guide the business to new heights (and avoid being on the wrong end of digital disruption). These advice columns will put you on the right path. Credit: Thinkstock You’re a CIO, so you’re already an IT strategist. You’ve got the email and the data center under control, you’ve wrestled with the ERP beast, and you’re trying to keep the hackers out. So why do you need to also be a business strategist? Isn’t that the CEO’s job? Click the link at the end of this article to download our ebook. Yes, but the CEO needs help. A PricewaterhouseCoopers survey of CEOs found that they view “technological advances” as the No. 1 trend transforming their business over the next five years. (Dirty little secret: The CEO and the board of directors are really, really afraid of being on the wrong end of digital disruption on their watch.) This is where you come in — consider yourself the CEO’s chief digital consultant, helping the CEO find a way to be a digital hero, a disrupter instead of a disruptee. Our colleagues at the CIO Executive Council call this C-suite role the “digital pathfinder.” But you’ll need more than tech savvy. You’ll need to thoroughly understand how your business makes money and monitor the broader trends in your industry (and society at large) so you can identify new business opportunities and risks. You’ll need political savvy, too. Not the bad kind that features sharp elbows and backstabbing. The good kind, where you work with C-suite colleagues to move the business forward, together. The digital pathfinder will either be you, as CIO, or the CMO (or perhaps both of you as a dynamic duo). Otherwise, the CEO will hire a hotshot chief digital officer to do the job and you’ll be left sweeping up the digital crumbs. So let’s get started. The expert advice in these pages, carefully selected from CIO magazine’s Business Strategist columns, will put you on the right path. download CIO’s Guide to Becoming a Business Strategist Related content brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks When your AI chatbots mess up AI ‘hallucinations’ present significant business risks, but new types of guardrails can keep them from doing serious damage By Paul Gillin Dec 08, 2023 4 mins Generative AI brandpost Sponsored by Dell New research: How IT leaders drive business benefits by accelerating device refresh strategies Security leaders have particular concerns that older devices are more vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. By Laura McEwan Dec 08, 2023 3 mins Infrastructure Management case study Toyota transforms IT service desk with gen AI To help promote insourcing and quality control, Toyota Motor North America is leveraging generative AI for HR and IT service desk requests. By Thor Olavsrud Dec 08, 2023 7 mins Employee Experience Generative AI ICT Partners feature CSM certification: Costs, requirements, and all you need to know The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification sets the standard for establishing Scrum theory, developing practical applications and rules, and leading teams and stakeholders through the development process. By Moira Alexander Dec 08, 2023 8 mins Certifications IT Skills Project Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe