| | December 20209CIOReviewSwim as hard as you want, but the tide will win in the end if you are not smart about setting your courseAs CIO/CTO, as the leader of the technology of your organization, you must do what you were hired to do. You must lead. Leading does not just mean to ensure you have a Business Continuity Plan in place, adequately cross-trained staff, robust work-from-home capabilities, and a good communications plan. These preparations are the price of entry. No, what is most needed right now from a leader is calmness. Confidence. Assurance that no matter how strong the tide, how swift the current, how gusty the wind ­ you will navigate through the rough conditions. You need not guarantee you have all the answers to all the possible scenarios that come up. You do not and you will not. But you do need to provide the calm in the eye of the storm that keeps the team focused and the organization on track.Projecting this type of calmness and confidence can be as simple as looking people in the eye and showing them you have a plan. That your organization is prepared. You should take the time to spell out the planning, explain how it is addressing the issues that you know of, and how you are prepared to assess and deal with the unexpected. Show that you have faith in your people and your organization. Do what leaders do anyway ­ talk with your people, listen to their concerns, show empathy, and follow-through on what you say.Today we are in rough weather. Perhaps it is not as bad as we think, maybe it is worse. Whichever the case, we need to provide calm and thoughtful leadership to get through it and come out the other side. Douglas Duncan
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