Stepping into the role of strategic CIO

Kapil Dev Singh

No other CXO role has ever been as complex as the role of the CIOs today.  On one hand, they are the custodians of the complex IT infrastructure. On the other hand they are expected to be a part of the strategic business transformation initiatives.

CIOs will need a different leadership orientation to cope with their new role demands. We call it change leadership as it will mostly be concerned about leading change to enable enterprises digitally.

The CIO Leading Change initiative has two related aspects, like the two sides of the same coin. One is the concept of CIO Leadership Assessment Centre and the other that of CIO Leadership Development Workshops.

The base for both the aspects is a unique CIO Leadership framework for assessing CIOs, the CIO Leadership Roles and Competencies Inventory (CIO LRCI) framework. The framework identifies 24 unique roles and 24 leadership competencies for the CIOs to function effectively.

The outcomes of the assessment and development process include positive behavioral shifts, an integrated self, higher change leadership competencies, enhanced role effectiveness, increased job satisfaction and personal growth.

Te author is the founder of Coeus Age.