If you have been a loyal reader of CIO magazine, you probably have come across Baldoni on Leadership. For several years, John Baldoni, an internationally recognized leadership consultant and author of six books, dispensed his management advice to CIOs. His CIO magazine columns include The CIO of Chief Communicator, Give Recognition Where Recognition Is Due, What to Do When You Are the New Boss, and Does Your Organization Provide the Space for Innovation?In Baldoni’s new book, Lead By Example: 50 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Results, he describes the traits and abilities leaders need to know inspire others to follow. He says that a great leader does what is right for the team by supporting, developing, and defending them, in good times and in bad times. In addition to writing books, Baldoni also coaches C-level executives, including CIOs, as well as middle managers. In 2007, LeadershipGurus.net recognized him as one of the “30 Most Influential Leadership Gurus.” His articles or his comments have appeared in publications, including USA Today, Chicago Tribune, and Investor’s Business Daily.
Enterpriseleadership.org recently sat down with Baldoni to discuss how CIOs can improve their visibility and credibility in their organization. Here is what he had to say:
EL. How does the leadership role of the CIO differ from other C-level positions?
JB. CIOs come at from a little different angle than other CXOs. CIOs have a specialized area of expertise, namely, technology. They oversee the IT function. For decades, CIOs have been known as the tech guys. In some companies, the CIO position plays a strategic role within the business. Some CIOs, however, have an inferiority complex, such as ‘I really don’t belong here’ and that’s nonsense. Because IT is intimately ingrained and integral to any business function, CIOs know more about what’s going on in the corporation than most other executives at their level.
EL. If you were to develop a CIO succession plan, what key things would it have in it?
JB. The person has to be technically competent and really understand the world of IT. That is a given. I would also look for someone with exceptional people skills. This person needs to have the ability to lead others, the ability to bring folks together for common purposes, and the courage to do what is necessary for the good of the organization. I would also look for someone who has the ability to communicate effectively. Many CIOs today face the challenge of how to bring more simplicity to IT. If you keep adding to your systems what people desire, then your systems will become complex and cumbersome to operate. A good strong CIO can stand up and face the challenge of pushing for simplicity. This person has the ability to persuade others to his or her point of view, especially people he or she has no authority over. This person also needs to have a strong vision of where the business wants to grow and how IT can enable that growth. And finally, this person must have good execution skills or the ability to carry out things to completion, according to business guidelines.
EL. You recently were the keynote speaker at a Society for Information Management conference in Dallas. What did you learn from that venue?
JB. IT people hunger for good strong management and leadership information. They like to explore new ideas. They want to be perceived as a leader in the organization. They are willing students. Because many IT people have engineering backgrounds, they, by nature, like to solve problems, gather information, and make informed choices.
EL. CIOs often get criticized by not speaking the language of the business. How do they improve their skills in this area?
JB. If IT professionals are hungry for this stuff, then I would recommend they enroll at a recognized executive education program. Another alternative is to take a graduate level management course or a finance course. Better still, they should take a course in anything they perceive they don’t know.
EL. CIOs often perceive their IT organization as being a partner with the business. What does it take to be a true business partner? What are some of the key lessons CIOs need to learn in order to master this partnership?
JB. They really need to know everything about the business. IT folks are integral to what the organization does. So CIOs need to study up on the organization and its industry. They should network throughout the organization. Because CIOs are in a position to help the organization solve problems, they should not wait for people to come to them for advice and counsel. You might say, ‘I know you are wresting with this. Here is a solution for you. Here is how we can help you.’ That is how you raise your profile within the organization. In doing so, you learn how the business works.
I know this might not be the comfort zone of some CIOs. If CIOs want to be perceived as a true strategic partner, they need to get outside of their own skin and accept they are in the business of leadership. If you don’t want to do that, perhaps executive leadership might not be for you. The bottom line is this: If you want to manage others and to lead effectively, you have to extend yourself to others in an authentic way. That doesn’t mean you have to become a different person. You need to communicate, network, be proactive, and to seek out. You must be active, not passive.
EL. Not all CIOs report to the CIO or are part of the executive management team. What can an aspiring CIO do to secure a seat at the table?
JB. If a CIO can demonstrate strategic value to the corporation, then he or she should be considered someone who can sit at the C-level table. You might have to start thinking holistically, which comes naturally to IT professionals. IT people can look at the entire system and then think tactically about how to solve the problem of a network. The person at the top of the organization thinks about how all of this stuff fits together. C-level executives need to have this kind of mindset. Look for ways you can introduce that kind of thinking to others. It will not happen overnight.
EL. Any comments on the CEO leadership skills of Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, or Rick Wagoner, former CEO of General Motors?
JB. Wagoner was with General Motors for many years. His is a very sad story. He was a very good manager and a good self-less leader. He liked to share the spotlight with other competent senior level executives. We don’t see that trait in many CEOs. The tragedy of General Motors and Wagoner’s demise focused on the organization’s failure to address some tough questions. These questions had been building up for more than 15 years. They include the following: Do we need to go to market with seven or more brands? How can we get a better hold on our labor costs? How can we reduce our fixed costs? How do we downside over time? How do we make a model mix that is more appealing to consumers? These questions demand tough answers.
GM has had a non-confrontational culture. You just don’t approach executives and ask them about the serious issues facing them or the company. Wagoner was a classic example of that. People I know who have worked for him say that he is a very wonderful, congenial person. You might call him a good guy. I was sorry to see him take the fall. Again, it’s too bad that he and his management team didn’t face those tough questions a long time ago.
Carly Fiorina was a brilliant strategist and a very capable executive. Her failure to build a network of support within the organization caused her downfall. Former employees said she put herself first ahead of the corporation and others. Many managers resented that. As an outsider, she should have done more to say, ‘I am a team player like you.’ Her team did not perceive her to be a team player. When the time came, she was hung out to dry.
EL. Which CEOs do you admire the most?
JB. I like Anne Mulcahy of Xerox who is retiring. She has turned the reins over to her number two person, Ursula Burns, a long-time operations executive. Mulcahy came through the ranks from human resources at Xerox. She cares about people. She understands the Xerox culture. She has made an effort to learn new things. For example, she tutored herself about finance so she could understand how the financial operations worked, and thus make more informed decisions about finance. She also connected very well to the organization, and could people get to buy into her vision of Xerox. She helped saved the company. In fact, she did this within the existing resources of what Xerox is like.
I also admire Al Mulally, CEO of Ford. He took over a very serious turnaround effort. While Ford is not totally out of the woods, he made a key strategic decision to ride out the storm by opening lines of credit, especially while it is inexpensive He has received much criticism for this move. He has championed the idea of one Ford by pulling together for a common vision. He has done a good job of breaking down the silos. It is very difficult for an outsider to come into a high bound culture and affect positive change. He has been able to do that. He is a very enthusiastic person. People sense he has much energy. People trust him and want to believe in him. He has been a good person for Ford at that time.
EL. Are their other CEOs you would cite as examples of good leaders?
JB. When we talk about iconic leaders, we need to remember that many organizations are led by fine men and women in the trenches. These people do a terrific job of leading with scare resources, especially an inadequate number of staff members. These folks have many challenges especially during these tough times. We don’t know their names. In fact, we might never know their names. Remember, people in the middle hold together many organizations. They affect change and positive outcomes. Leadership is alive and well within the middle ranks of corporate entities.
EL. You have come across many CIOs who want to become CEOs?
JB. I don’t see many CIOs moving up. If they prove themselves as a capable executive, why shouldn’t they be considered for a CEO spot? On the other hand, if they love what do in the IT world, they should stay put. Management culture truly doesn’t recognize this yet. We unwillingly push people into levels of incompetency for reasons of prestige and compensation. We turn good engineers into managers. If they are comfortable working in the lab or in IT or in research, don’t put them in a management job where they would have to give up what they love to do. Why should you give up your technical competency to do a job for which many organizations don’t adequately prepare you for? That is a hard decision to make.
EL. Can you describe some of the coaching you have done with CIOs?
JB. When it comes to CIOs, I do much work on leadership presence which is how to connect effectively with individuals, and how to demonstrate your earned authority. I work on how one can be a more effective leader by bringing together folks with a common purpose. It is all about leading with influence or without authority. Much of what gets done in a corporation occurs down through people of influence. If you approach a person on stature with your idea, you cannot expect them immediately to accept it, embrace it, and preach and teach it. For example, a CIO needs to sell leaders of operating units on simplifying their systems, and thus making them more efficient. They might say their systems are fine. The CIO must use a fair amount of diplomatic persuasion to convince these leaders that the system changes are better for everyone and will not disrupt current operations.
EL. What are you doing to prepare executives for social media?
JB. I am teaching them that transparency is alive whether you like it or not. If you are a leader in your organization or your function, you need to know what is going on via a variety of social networks. Social media may be an extension of the grapevine. You do not want to monitor it out of the sense of spying on people. On the other hand, we want to get a feel for what people are thinking. People will comply with an initiative from on high. Listen to your people. What is the feedback? Is there a better way to do something? You do not want to create the Dilbert-like work force comprised of totally incompetent managers and incompetent employees.
EL. With so much emphasis placed on e-type communications, what is the best way for executives to communicate during these tough times?
JB. The e-world, through things such as social media, has fueled the move to flat organizations. However, in times of crisis we want a strong leader. It’s ebb and flow time. Leaders have the challenge of staying in tune with their people. They do this by listening either through Webcasts, or better still, face-to-face video conferencing or face-to-face town hall meetings.
Elizabeth M. Ferrarini - She is a free-lance writer and IT consultant from Boston, Massachusetts. Reach her at elizabethferrarini@yahoo.com.
