Confessions of a Successful CIO

Be the most effective CIO you can be by learning from the best in the business Today's Chief Information Officers must be an entirely new breed of technology leader. With ever-changing demands from the business, and in an increasingly technology-centric business environment, CIOs must find game-changing innovations and process improvements that make a real impact on the bottom line. Business executives need their CIOs to be real partners speaking the language of the business and donning their strategist caps not just commodity managers. Those IT leaders who fail to break out of the order-taker, utility manager mold will, simply put, be looking for a new job. In Confessions of a Successful CIO: How the Best CIOs Tackle Their Toughest Business Challenges, current and future CIOs will gain invaluable perspectives from the stories of today's best IT leaders. These acclaimed leaders each profiled in their own chapter explain the toughest business decision they had to make, and how the outcome influenced and impacted their leadership style. These in-depth anecdotes take the reader inside some of the most challenging business climates imaginable and chronicle how these elite CIOs made the decisions that mattered. Read detailed case studies of how some of the best CIOs have handled their most challenging business problems Learn how the best CIOs anticipate changes to their business and respond before the business comes knocking Explore how these top-flight CIOs make critical decisions around strategy and IT to not only benefit their companies, but in some cases, to save them from becoming obsolete. Analyze their perspectives on managing people, crises and balancing the risks and rewards of their "e;bet the farm"e; strategies Confessions of a Successful CIO is the new playbook for learning how to take risks, respond to crises, and create more value from IT. Each chapter presents a different challenge, giving present-day and future IT leaders the chance to examine, analyze and learn so that they can be just as successful as the CIOs they're reading about.

Be the most effective CIO you can be--by learning from thebest in the businessToday's Chief Information Officers must be an entirely new breedof technology leader. With ever-changing demands from the businessand in an increasingly technology-centric business environmentCIOs must find game-changing innovations and process improvementsthat make a real impact on the bottom line. Business executivesneed their CIOs to be real partners--speaking the language ofthe business and donning their strategist caps--not justcommodity managers. Those IT leaders who fail to break out of theorder-taker, utility manager mold will, simply put, be looking fora new job.In Confessions of a Successful CIO: How the Best CIOs TackleTheir Toughest Business Challenges, current and future CIOswill gain invaluable perspectives from the stories of today's bestIT leaders. These acclaimed leaders--each profiled in theirown chapter--explain the toughest business decision they hadto make, and how the outcome influenced and impacted theirleadership style. These in-depth anecdotes take the reader insidesome of the most challenging business climates imaginable andchronicle how these elite CIOs made the decisions thatmattered.* Read detailed case studies of how some of the best CIOs havehandled their most challenging business problems* Learn how the best CIOs anticipate changes to their businessand respond--before the business comes knocking* Explore how these top-flight CIOs make critical decisionsaround strategy and IT to not only benefit their companies, but insome cases, to save them from becoming obsolete.* Analyze their perspectives on managing people, crises andbalancing the risks and rewards of their "bet the farm"strategiesConfessions of a Successful CIO is the new playbook forlearning how to take risks, respond to crises, and create morevalue from IT. Each chapter presents a different challenge, givingpresent-day and future IT leaders the chance to examine, analyzeand learn so that they can be just as successful as the CIOsthey're reading about.

Foreword xiPreface xiiiAcknowledgments xviiChapter 1 The Anticipator: Filippo Passerini 1Chapter 2 The Rocket Scientist: Rebecca Rhoads 17Chapter 3 The Fixer: Steve Bandrowczak 33Chapter 4 The Pilot: Carol Zierhoffer 51Chapter 5 The Conductor: Lynden Tennison 69Chapter 6 The Decider: Wayne Shurts 87Chapter 7 The Realist: Don Imholz 103Chapter 8 The Accidental CIO: Sheleen Quish 119Chapter 9 The Innovator: Greg Schwartz 139About the CIOs 155About the Authors 165Index 167