IT survival guide

Retiring CIO Paul Ingevaldson offers 10 tips for surviving -- and prospering -- in the IT jungle.

By Paul Ingevaldson

August 23, 2004 12:00 PM ET

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Computerworld - Dear Colleagues:
I've been in IT for 40 years, and I plan to retire at the end of this year. Yes, I'm retiring as the CIO, and I'm not being downsized, forcibly replaced or fired. I've been at my current company, Ace Hardware Corp., for 25 years. That's a long time in this day and age of the portable CIO. In fact, Computerworld.com reported Dec. 22 that the average CIO tenure is 18 to 36 months.
Over the past 40 years in technology, I've developed some practices that have served me well. Perhaps they can also help you survive in the treacherous world of IT. So here are Ingevaldson's top 10 ways to survive the IT jungle:

10 Don't be afraid to leave IT. It's a great experience, and you'll probably come back. And you will come back as a more well-rounded executive. You will also experience IT from the outside in and better understand people's true feelings about IT within the corporation.
And there is nothing more fun and more daunting than trying to make the revenue line. Most of us manage expenses well, but that revenue line is really a challenge. Believe me, you will gain renewed respect for your users.

9 Don't keep IT in the closet. Spread the word, create excitement and convince people to get on the IT bandwagon. We are in a very exciting, dynamic profession that is changing the life of everyone on the planet. You may sometimes think we are selling reports and screens, but remember: We're creating business-changing and life-changing systems.


Paul Ingevaldson, retiring CIO of Ace Hardware Corp. Image Credit: Andy Goodwin

8 Never think you know it all, because you don't. But even if you do, it will change. Read voraciously, and know what's going on. Read outside of your expertise so you can see the world on a bit larger stage. I love Harvard Business Review, The Economist and MIT Technology Review, along with all the other technology magazines and newspapers.

7 Understand the corporate strategy and mobilize IT to support it. Be sure you're part of the process, not just the implementer. This is a high priority, and you must make yourself necessary in the strategy meetings. This requires that you think in company terms, not IT terms. This is really a stretch for some of us, and it's where the rubber meets the road.

6 Develop a "cheap" image. For some of us, especially a Norwegian like me, this is easy. IT is an expensive, misunderstood area that

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