10 mistakes rookie CIOs make — and how to avoid them
New CIOs have a wealth of guides, whitepapers, and blogs to help them set themselves up for success from day one, as the first 100 days of a new leadership role are critical.
But the theory can only bring a new leader so far. Leadership comes with practice, and as anyone who’s been through this challenging process knows, the first few months of the CIO job are likely to be full of mistakes.
To complement your guide on what to do as a new leader, we felt it was important to educate you about the missteps that are most likely to trip you up. We polled half a dozen veteran CIOs and researchers to share what they think are the most common mistakes inexperienced CIOs make — and how to avoid them.
Here are their top 10.
Trying to change too much too quickly
Change is a top priority for CIOs. According to our State of the CIO 2022 report, 84% of IT leaders say CIOs are increasingly viewed as change makers and leaders in business and technology initiatives. That, say veteran IT leaders, can put a lot of pressure on new CIOs to come in and shake things up.
But such an approach can be a mistake, says Transnetyx CIO Joel Schwalbe, noting that first-time IT leaders are often tempted to embrace too many changes at once.
“Rookie CIOs strive to make a good impression, but this creates potential challenges. Organizations are only able to absorb a certain amount of change. Setting realistic expectations is essential to the success of rookie CIOs,” he says.
Keep everyone on the payroll
Brian Jackson, research director at Info-Tech Research Group’s CIO practice, has examined how CIOs approach their first 100 days in the role and found that many new IT leaders think there’s no reason to shut the house clean.
“They assume there’s no one who deserves to be fired, and sometimes there is,” Jackson says.
He understands the impulse to maintain the status quo with staff. New leaders in general, and newcomers in particular, don’t want layoffs to be part of their first steps, he says. But it is often a necessary step that must be taken.
“It’s not about going in and saying, ‘I’m going to fire someone,'” he says. Rather, one recognizes that a toxic personality must go. “That’s your job as a leader. And if you let it linger too long, the situation will only get worse and you’ll wish you had done it much sooner.”
Failure to assess culture early on
Most CIOs have probably heard that “culture eats strategy for breakfast,” management guru Peter Drucker famously said. However, according to researchers and veteran CIOs, novice CIOs don’t often take this message to heart.
“One of the rookie mistakes is not really understanding your business, your culture, and your organizational structure,” said Richard A. Hook, executive vice president and CIO of Penske Automotive Group and CIO of Penske. “Everyone is focused on their 100-day plan, but the reality is that the pace of that plan and its composition will vary from company to company. Before you get too aggressive, get to know your colleagues, their teams, your team, and the organization as a whole. In the end, organizations win with the best people, make sure you know your teams and understand the business thoroughly before you act too hard.”
Jackson agrees, saying that new leaders should evaluate their department’s culture and the overall culture of the organization early on. This, he explains, lets leaders know how to adapt and change so they can move forward most effectively.
“There are different leadership styles, all of which can be equally valid, but your organization’s culture will determine what works,” he explains. “And if it’s not the culture you prefer, then you have work to do. There are ways to change the culture and get people to behave differently.”
Underestimating the human (and political) part of the job
C-suite executives and board members now recognize technology as an integral part of business, and they increasingly contribute to—and even lead—technology decisions.
For example, consider the findings of technology research and advisory firm Gartner. It found that 53% of the organizations surveyed said their directors are among the key decision makers for investments in new technologies, ranking just behind their CIOs and chief technology officers. Gartner also found that 74% of technology purchases are at least partially funded by non-IT business units, with only 26% of technology investments being fully funded by IT.
This may not be new to most CIOs, who have long talked about collaborating with their line-of-business colleagues to develop the IT roadmap. Yet sometimes new CIOs still underestimate the importance of relationship building, the importance of persuasion, and the art of influencing.
“Rookie CIOs underestimate the internal politics that come with a C-level role. There are often hidden plans and initiatives that don’t appear in the official corporate strategy,” said Jeff Stovall, industry executive director at Oracle and former CIO of the City of Charlotte, NC
Schwalbe makes a similar observation: “The CIO job is a people, PR and marketing job. Some inexperienced CIOs may think this is a tech job, which is not the case.”
Evaluation of only the internal landscape
CIOs are leaders and must act as such. But there’s a learning curve, and Jackson says his research shows that many first-time CIOs fail to study the external landscape in which their organization operates, even though it’s a key responsibility for any C-suite position.
“New CIOs are often so focused that they get tunnel vision,” he says. Sure, they’re busy learning more about their business, meeting their C-suite peers, and evaluating their IT team.
“It’s all understandable. But you can concentrate like this [internally] that the blinders are on the outside world. But now, as a leader, it’s also your job to know your competitors, what they’re doing, and what technical differentiators they’re using to gain a competitive advantage.”
Jackson encourages CIOs to join industry associations, build their professional networks, and attend leadership events. This results in market, industry and IT strategy insights.
Jump without looking and listening first
Similarly, Hillary Ross, managing partner and IT practice head at WittKieffer, an executive search and leadership consultancy, says new CIOs may be tempted to jump straight into their jobs without gaining a solid understanding of the waters they land in will.
“To be successful, you want to learn what works and what doesn’t, how to influence change in your new organization,” she says. “That’s why it’s important for the new CIO to listen, learn, and then lead.”
Taking the time to do this, Ross explains, allows CIOs to uncover vulnerabilities within the organization, prioritize projects with confidence, and identify the peers and employees who would make strong advocates for the IT agenda.
Establishing relationships only between the C-suite
Another mistake some inexperienced CIOs make is they only talk to senior management.
According to Ross, all new leaders should “make the rounds and talk to all levels of the organization. It’s important to go out and talk to everyone so you learn what they all need and what they think is really important.”
That includes front-line employees and back-office employees in finance, accounting, marketing, etc. “They are your customers, too,” adds Ross.
New CIOs should also prioritize building relationships with their IT vendors and suppliers, says Ross, adding that they may end up being among the largest contributors to your IT department (and IT budget).
Overview of the process and the technology itself
CIOs know it’s about people, process and technology. But while meeting their senior peers and speaking to others across their organization, new CIOs should also study the processes and technologies that drive both IT and the larger business as a whole.
However, Ross says the work is sometimes overlooked by new IT chiefs. “It’s important to find out what works, how they do things, and if those are the right things,” she says.
As the new CIO, Ross says figuring all this out is imperative. For example, consider what happens when a new CIO fails to delve deep into the technology stack he or she inherited.
“Some things can be fragile and work with chewing gum and shoelaces. CIOs need to come in and evaluate the technology. Some things seem to work, but they really don’t,” says Ross.
New CIOs who overlook such issues early are unlikely to make a positive impression.
Walk alone
Studies have consistently shown that mentors help mentees to improve and achieve their goals. An Olivet Nazarene University study of workplace mentoring found that 76% of the 3,000 professionals surveyed thought it was important or very important to have a mentor, but less than half were actually engaged in a mentoring relationship at the time.
According to Ross, people entering a new position can benefit tremendously from a mentor, but, as the survey shows, too many do not seek a mentor. She recommends new CIOs find an experienced CIO who will sign up for the role and provide them with “someone to call for honest advice and lessons learned.”
fly alone
CIOs don’t just need mentors; they need allies. So says Greg Layok, managing partner of consulting firm West Monroe and head of the technology practice advising CIOs. “I’ve seen new CIOs miss this many times,” he says.
Novice CIOs often feel that if they bring the best technology and provide best-in-class solutions, they will be successful, says Layok. But they don’t realize that “if they don’t take everyone on the journey, their good ideas may be perceived as bad ideas and they won’t have the business on board to develop the right solution in some way for the highest value creation.” “
He says new CIOs may bring great ideas to their new organizations, and those ideas may actually be really needed to move those organizations forward. However, these CIOs fail to recognize the need to convince others that their ideas will reduce risk, reduce time to market, increase profitability, or otherwise add value to the business.
“CIOs who are new to this role but grew up in very mature organizations could do well, but so can many others [just] assume the organization is aware of the value,” says Layok, adding that new CIOs must work to get peers to support their vision.
He notes that all leaders want to demonstrate their strategic impact on the business, but it’s particularly challenging and important for CIOs “because in today’s world, IT can’t thrive in a silo.”