Each of these learnings has been picked from IT leaders who I have met, and typically interviewed, during the pandemic. They struck me as important and not equally exhibited. The winners shared many of these aspects and those that lost, lost because in some way they didn’t.  It’s not prescriptive but looking back they are different than the attributes focussed on say just a decade ago. Not all of course – some remain constant over time, but I hope the analysis provides some focus for IT leaders today.

1.      CIO’s are there to lead the deployment of technology that adds value to the enterprise. That may be cost reduction, it may be revenue enhancement; it may be longer term innovation; it may be trajectory; it may be share price alone; it may be margin focussed and one or two other factors, but it is all about enterprise value. Go and learn the in-depth economics of adding value to an enterprise and religiously focus your teams on positive issues that impact value.

2.      Agility may well be key again in future. You need to be able to scale up and scale down appropriately. How agile are you truly? Are you able to see trends quickly and take brave decisions? The more automation you have the easier the scaling decision becomes. Automate.

3.      Data. You cannot have enough, provided you have the tools to interpret it and understand it. Ensure your team are at the heart of data collection and storage – not necessarily interpretation. That is not your job. You facilitate and do, only if the business is not taking the helm on data decisioning.

4.      Your team. How do you continually strengthen your team? Training for a strong career path, open communication and clear direction seem vital. There are legion books about leadership. Read a few, develop your own style but you ARE THERE TO LEAD.

5.      Organisation needs. Be it business, government, institution or charity, there should be prioritised needs. Help the organisation to develop its strategy and its operational needs and measures. This makes your job easier and it is the single most important personal activity you can indulge in. If you are focussed on needs on a day to day basis then you will veer to value creation naturally.

6.      Man is not an island. Except Fred Madagascar 😊! Communicate like never before. However, there are now so many ways to communicate you will be more effective if you help your organisation pick a small toolset. Try not to let every specialist demand a specific modus of communication. It’s more effective to pick limited channels. Effective means efficient, which means value enhancement.

7.      Ensure you have a regularly updated people plan and development chart. Know what you have and what you might lose – through mobility or illness. Where are the deputies and stand-ins? Make sure they are identified, nurtured and developed. Protect them as best as you can by at least knowing them better.

8.      Carry no passengers. You cannot afford deadweight and you owe it to your team to eliminate it as it helps protect the overall entity. Be human and civil and responsible but make sure you take brave and well-judged people decisions that impact not only individuals but the team as well. Everyone is long-term better off.

9.      Innovate. How does one do this to prescription – I don’t know, but without innovation you are treading water and no organisation can survive that way in the 21st century. Copy from other sectors. Read the Economist and Wired as a minimum. Plagiarise the thoughts of others but change stuff for the good. All the time – even if it’s only a better Word macro or web page – it moves you forward. Head down, keep on moving.

10.  Learn to keep a sense of humour. Fun is important as it makes us all feel better. Yes, there is a time for trench warfare, but it’s made possible by the game of no-man’s land football. Engender fun as part of your culture. You cannot afford to lose good people through neglect or taking their efforts for granted. Balanced people perform better most of the time. Money alone does not cut it anymore (if it ever really did), but it still underpins the ambitious decisioning no matter what they say.