| | OCTOBER 201719CIOReviewRevitalizing IT with STRATEGIC PLANNINGBy Dawn Roth Lindell, CIO, Western Area Power AdministrationThe strategy begins at the top but it sure does not end there. Many organizations now recognize that the chief information officer needs to be seated alongside the chief financial officer and the chief operating officer at the executive table. Information technology is crucial to every aspect of an organization's mission. I have heard the statement, "IT is taking over everything." I have to grin a bit inside at that assertion because it is true. Yes, IT is taking over everything. For many organizations that happened more than a decade ago. Today, IT is literally embedded into everything we do. For example, the simple task of digging a ditch requires a work order submitted through an IT system, which tracks actual performance to the task, enabling better planning and scheduling for the next project.How do we change the paradigm for leadership across the business, regardless of discipline, to guide our organizations to success? IT leaders must become integrated, strategic partners. We must earn the trust and the mutual respect of our peer leaders at every level. It is not enough for the CIO and fellow "c-suite" leaders to equally share the mission and responsibility of delivering to the external customer base. This must be cascaded through the vice president, manager, supervisor and even individual contributor levels. IT leaders and professionals must understand business dynamics as well as internal partners in areas of the business IT supports. For the CIO, this means taking the perspective of the chief executive officer with a clear strategic focus on markets served customer relationship development, operational challenges and support services needs within the organization. So, given that, IT leaders have a strong obligation to deliver effectively for the organizations and the employees that they serve. Proof of competency is the baseline performance. The baseline is on-time, on-schedule, agile project delivery in partnership with the area of the organization who will primarily use the technology and rapid, thorough problem/incident management. Without this baseline, IT has no credibility at the strategic table. Beyond this competent delivery of the old definition of IT's role, IT leaders must be embedded in the business areas that they serve. They need to network across the organization, spend time with peers, leaders at the next level up and staff member's one level down in other parts of the organization to understand challenges, identify struggles, anticipate future needs and define the technologies needed to handle the diverse spectrum of issues business leaders face. We need to deliver strategic, mission-driven value at every level of the organization. Therefore, we need to build the skills­negotiation, facilitation, public speaking­in our technical staff to enable their success. While IT-types are technology oriented, emotional intelligence still matters. Humans have feelings and managing the complaints, conflicts, and concerns of others can CiO INSIGHTS
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