The Universe of The Chief Information Officer

Mr. CIO Meets the Interns

My company has started a new program to get our interns oriented to process and provide relevant information about various departments. It is called “Jumpstart”.  The goal is to give all our interns a flavor and/or in depth knowledge of various “things” they should know to work effectively. Most firms just throw their interns into the deep end and have them either sink or swim. We are taking the more humane approach in our internship program.

So I was asked to present about what is IT, what we do and some high level overviews of some critical apps. It has been some time since I present such information. Like most CIOs, I usually present to boards and execs, information with a lot more detail, ROIs, KPIs, budget projections, and a bunch of stuff that can make the average person fall asleep. It has been a very long since I was intern, so I had to spend some time thinking back to when I was one what did I want to know?

It was hard. So I created a fluff 40 slide PowerPoint that showcased the MIS department and the critical processes and applications I think any intern should know. I was shocked. It worked out well–very well. I had engaged my audience of 20 somethings by keeping it light and funny or as funny as technology can be.

Something else had occurred that I was not expecting. They started asking questions about why we do certain things and it turned into a brainstorming class as they began to think outside the box on how to improve the organization. Some of their ideas, I must admit, were out there, but I saw the future benefits.

The lesson I learned was to not write off the interns. In fact, as CIOs we should listen to them. They have not been tainted by corporate politics or turned into status quo zombies. They might have fresh ideas that can improve the bottom line of an organization. Think Facebook…

CIO Blogs for July 2011

Reinvent Your Training Methods by Chris Curran

Available does not equal best by Eric D. Brown

Transitioning IT from a technical focus to a business focus by IT BS Watch

How to Kill Projects and Develop Agile Programs Part 1 by Isaac Sacolick

Free Answers From Google On How CIOs Can Be Better Managers  by Jim Anderson

CIO Blogs for January 2011

Better Communication: Technology Isn’t Always The Best Solution by Mike Schaffner

CIO as General Manager? by Mark Brewer

Can a CIO be successful without IT experience? Define your terms! by Peter Kretzman

Four Models for success for the CTO / CIO- CTOVision by Eric Brown

Why CIOs Need Management Power Maps To Get Anything Done by Jim Anderson

How To Cope When The Boss Is A Bully by Andy Blumenthal

CIO Blogs for November 2010

Creating a vision by Don Lewis

One CIO’s “lessons learned” in managing others by Peter Kretzman

Is Project Management a skill or a technique? by Eric D. Brown

Selfishness and The Paradox of Emotional Intelligence by Andy Blumenthal

CIO Blogs from August 2010

Becoming a CIO – Current Thinking for IT Leaders by Scott Booher  

Countering a disturbing bandwagon: rich vs. poor IT organizations by Peter Kretzman

The diminishing role of IT and the CIO(?) by Eric D. Brown

Strategic or Operational, the choice is yours! by Oh I See (CIO Inverted)

CIO Blogs from March 2010

Change Management by Mark Brewer

Licensing Challenges by Mark Brewer

Yes we can, yes we must: the ongoing case for IT/Business alignment by  Peter Kretzman

Outsourcing–When it works, when it doesn’t by Don Lewis

Is Creativity & Innovation enough? by Eric D. Brown

The VolksPad by Oliver Widder

Taking Control Of Your Technology by Mike Schaffner

What keeps CIOs awake at night by Oh I See (CIO Inverted)

CIO Blogs from February 2010

Metrics by That IT Chick

Fire Fighting by Mark Brewer

6 Management Lessons I Learned by Watching Tabitha’s Salon Takeover by Will Weider

Enterprise Collaboration – What’s Your Problem? by Chris Curran

Final word by Corporate Lunacy

It’s all in the Risk by Don Lewis

CIO Blogs from January 2010

A New Year, a New Decade. Here are links to blog postings that are worth reading this month:

CIO: Don’t square up to the CFO by Ade McCormack

Does the CIO Control IT Spending? by Chris Curran

Must-read books on the human factors of IT — part 1, the 70s by Peter Kretzman

Very funny, Mr. Magoo by Don Lewis

I hate consultants by Eric D. Brown

Does the CIO Need to be a Visionary to be Successful? by IT BS Watch

Is Twitter Dying? – An Update by Mike Schaffner

Is It Time To Say Goodbye To The CIO? by Jim Anderson

CIO Blogs for December 2009

Here are links to blog postings that I found interesting this month:

CIO: Rebrand the IT Function by Ade McCormack

IT Planning is Broken by Chris Curran

CIOS – 2010 Predictions That Could Change Your Life…or Not by Fibol

The CIO and the fine art of vendor negotiation by Peter Kretzman

Total CIO – PMO becomes cornerstone of IT executive leadership by Eric Brown

How The Net Has Changed Our Life by Oliver Widder

The Power of Plain Speech by IT BS Watch

Role of a CIO by Oh I See (CIO Inverted)

Method CIO by Chuck Musciano

Blogs for October 2009

Here are some blog postings that I found interesting this month:

Managing Tough Times in 2009 – Grinding it out by Lui Sieh

Risk in IT by Mark Brewer

Conventional wisdom that fails for IT by Peter Kretzman

Good Service vs. Bad Service–A Lesson for IT by Don Lewis

Poisonous Snakes, Sharp Knives, And Angry Natives – How Much Risk Can You Handle? by Jim Anderson

Blogs for September 2009

Here are some blog posting that I found interesting this month:

Cultural challenges and challenging cultures by A Pai Mei Guy

e-Skills: Beyond Buzzword Bingo by Ade McCormack

I am not Google – an email rant by Will Weider

4 CIO Priorities for 2010 (slideshow) by Chris Curran

When are you “ready”? by Don Lewis

Agility and The New CIO by Eric Brown

Avoiding The IT Death Spiral by Mike Schaffner

How to become a CIO by Oh I See (CIO inverted)

Characteristics of Innovative Organizations, Pt. 3 of 3 by SSP BPI Group

The Three Cs Of IT Failures by John Moore