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I recently came across an excellent article by George Spalding on SearchCIO that captures the reality many technology leaders face on day one. He paints a very accurate picture of the first encounter between a new CIO and their internal business partners.
You might expect that first meeting to revolve around a bold strategic vision for innovation, transformation, and building a world-class IT organization. Instead, the opening conversation is often far more tactical. The topics usually sound something like this:
- The network is slow
- Wi-Fi keeps dropping
- Skype or Teams meetings never work
- The VPN disconnects every hour
- The service desk is unresponsive
Not exactly the strategic dialogue most CIOs imagine as they walk into the role.
The truth is, for any incoming CIO, the first priority should be understanding the current relationship between IT and the business. More often than not, that relationship needs repair. You cannot drive strategic change until the organization trusts IT to execute on the fundamentals.
In many cases, the quickest way to build trust is by addressing the chronic issues that frustrate employees every day: poor network performance, unreliable conferencing tools, recurring outages, inconsistent service desk support, and unstable change management practices. These problems often seem small, but they have a disproportionate impact on productivity and perception.
Before presenting any visionary PowerPoint about the future state, the CIO’s first meeting should be spent listening. A pen, a notepad, and a willingness to ask thoughtful questions are far more valuable than a polished deck. Your business leaders will likely be surprised, and they will appreciate the shift from presentation to partnership.
Once you understand the real challenges people face, you can begin addressing the immediate pain points. Only then can you move the organization toward the strategic and innovative initiatives that truly transform the business.
You can read the full article here:
https://www.searchcio.techtarget.com/opinion/The-strategic-CIOs-first-day-In-search-of-IT-operational-excellence