As with so many things in life, it depends who you ask Ask a group of people what the defining characteristic of a good leader is and you’ll get a lot of different answers. I recently posed that question in Twitter, asking people to complete the sentence “Good leaders always…” Here’s what I got back. Good leaders always… listen (three people said this) treat people with respect (two mentions) communicate clearly are considerate of others solicit competing views, take time to think and then make a firm decision set the direction, then step back to support and enable the people who have to go there, letting them determine how to accomplish the vision incorporate anthropology; i.e., engage understanding, context and motivations of constituents (peer, adversary, competitor, boss, customer, etc.) inspire others have good followers I love this list! Particularly the last point, because if you don’t start with the right people on the bus (as Jim Collins likes to say), you won’t get very far. That’s why, for the fourth year in a row, we’ve produced a special report on leadership development. This year’s package begins with a probing look at the future of IT leadership, and the picture is not all that bright. As the first full-career generation of CIOs begins to retire and others increasingly take on broader responsibilities or move out of technology altogether, many CIOs don’t know who will lead IT in the years ahead, writes Michael Fitzgerald in “Finding Tomorrow’s Leaders Today.” To help you leave a different legacy, we’ve included features on both mentoring and succession planning, with lots of great lessons learned from your peers. We conclude with the list of this year’s Ones to Watch honorees: men and women who have been double-vetted by accomplished CIOs—endorsed by their bosses and then evaluated by members of the CIO Executive Council. And I guess we picked some good ones. In the months since we did the judging, at least three have received promotions. Congratulations to Tomas Gregorio, now VP and CIO at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center; Jackie Magno, SVP and CIO at SAP Business Objects; and Ed Earl, CIO at Littelfuse. If you haven’t checked out Twitter yet, please do! Four of the responses above came from IT execs. You can follow us at twitter.com/CIOMagazine. Related content feature 5G ready or 5G really? Industry CIOs face hard truths about private 5G Some enterprises are building private 5G networks for their industrial environments, only to find they have to initially settle for 4G service. So what is private 5G ready for, and what can it really do? By Peter Sayer Jun 06, 2023 8 mins CIO Network Appliances Network Switches opinion 5 tips for startup partnership success Corporate venture investments provide IT leaders with new engines for IT innovation, broader networks for emerging opportunities, fuel for in-house transformation, and improved career prospects — if done right. By Isaac Sacolick Jun 06, 2023 8 mins Startups Digital Transformation IT Strategy feature 14 organizations that support LGBTQ+ tech workers Offering networking, mentorship, and career development opportunities, these 14 professional orgs foster community for LGBTQ+ workers in an industry that isn’t always welcoming. By Sarah K. White Jun 06, 2023 9 mins Diversity and Inclusion brandpost ChatGPT and Your Organisation: How to Monitor Usage and Be More Aware of Security Risks By Hayley Salyer Jun 05, 2023 7 mins Chatbots Artificial Intelligence 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