CIO 100 Winners Describe Being a CIO

Last month I challenged CIOs to show how they can be seen as leaders and innovators within their various organizations when, according to a recent Standish Group study, about 70 percent (on average) of the projects they undertake end up over budget, late or not to the original specs. I must have struck a chord because some of the letters I received really put me in my place.

“Don’t you understand that the CIO job is like trying to catch Jell-O!”

“You try balancing everyone’s demands for growing revenue, cutting costs, implementing SAP and being Sarbox-compliant and see how successful you are in delivering everything on time.”

“Sure would be nice if my CXO peers were clear about what they actually wanted rather than changing their minds every month.”

And the best one of all: “Were you drinking when you wrote this column?”

Nope. Stone-cold sober. And I thought I was very clear about the fact that I see the CIO’s role as one of the most important—if not the most important—job in business today. In fact, it is almost impossible to succeed in today’s hypercompetitive environment without an excellent CIO leading the charge. That’s why IT execution is so critical to all CIOs and their enterprises.

And that’s why it is so exciting that next week CIO will be celebrating the CIO 100. Not only have the CIOs we will be honoring met their specific goals and objectives but they have actually driven innovation and growth within their respective organizations. They’re an impressive group, and I look forward to joining them and raising a glass to say, “Well done. Cheers!”