What do CEOs want most from their CIOs? We asked a diverse group of five CEOs that question, then asked their CIOs what they need most from their chief executives.
Despite the diversity of their organizations, which ranged from a giant utility firm to a small private company, the CEOs generally agreed about what was most important: They want their CIOs to understand their businesses, their long-term directions and their current needs and resources, and they want them to deliver against those needs and resources.
The CIOs also tended to agree with one another. They want their CEOs to understand and respect IT, share their strategies with them and support them. Here's what the CEOs had to say. On Feb. 15, we'll let the CIOs have their turn.
1. The business view
CEOs value a business perspective most of all, based on the frequency with which it was mentioned and the priority it was given. "The CIO needs to be the bridge from information technology to the rest of the company. He needs to look ahead and align technical benefits with company needs," says Gordon Smith, CEO of Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) in San Francisco. Some CEOs particularly value CIOs with operations experience and knowledge of their industry gained in positions outside IT.
A business perspective also means tailoring systems to user needs rather than vice versa. The CIO has to "make sure that what the user gets is what they want, not what the CIO thinks they want," says Herb Foster, CEO at CivicBank of Commerce in Oakland, Calif.
What CEOs want most from CIOs:
1. Business perspective
2. Vision
3. Innovation
4. Leadership
5. ROI
6. Communication
7. Alignment with business goals
8. Business relationships
9. Team play
2. Vision
The second thing CEOs want is vision. "I need my CIO to be a visionary, seeing and preparing for the future," says Dan Mohorc, CEO at Galactic Ltd., a small, private company in Arlington, Texas, that provides noncash employee incentives such as trips to reward successful sales teams. That includes understanding the company's strategy and having the creativity to use technology to further that strategy, says Shirley DeLibero, CEO at Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas, the Houston-area mass transit system. "I value a CIO who sees the big picture and can help me turn the vision into a reality through technology," she says.
3. Innovation
Turning vision into reality requires innovation, the CEOs' third priority for CIOs. Tracy Mullin, CEO of the National Retail Federation in Washington, values knowledge about emerging technologies
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