Launched in 2017, Central Ohio IT Leaders.org is a peer group that meets monthly to network, discuss ideas, learn from experienced speakers, and establish collaborative relationships with the goal of nurturing the next generation of Columbus IT leadership. Several times throughout the year, the peer group will host CIO guest speakers to discuss various aspects of IT leadership. The following lesson learned is based off of my interpretation of a recent presentation by Angelo Mazzocco, CIO of Central Ohio Primary Care (COPC).
There are five key attributes of the CIO role. One attribute is to be knowledgeable on every aspect of the horizontal view of the current technology that your organization utilizes, such as:
- How do you run your network?
- What is your security profile and risks associated?
- What is your cloud footprint?
This concept seems elementary, but it is worth stressing as you must be aware of the technological strengths and weaknesses of your organization to be able to adapt as you move forward. Please note, this does not mean that you need to be a subject matter expert on all aspects of your organization’s technology environment. That’s why you have a staff after all– to be the experts in their role and the technology they work with.
A common mistake made by IT professionals as they move up the ladder is that they believe that they need to be experts in all technology. The truth is that with technology changing so quickly and constantly increasing in complexity, it’s not possible for one person to have expertise in all types of common technology and do it well.
Staying ahead of this constant change requires each member of your IT staff to be the subject matter expert in their area, whether it be systems administration, networking, or cloud architecture. For CIOs, this means being the subject matter expert in leadership. As discipline, it’s hard to do, even harder to do well, and must be exercised every day. In next week’s post, I will share another key attribute of the CIO role that was discussed at Central Ohio IT Leaders.org.
If you’re interested in discussing the IT Leaders program, digital transformation, cloud technology or how to get involved with Central Ohio’s IT community, please reach out to me at steve.gruetter@expedient.com.
