In this week's edition of news for CIOs and IT pros, we delve into the day-to-day lives of several CIOs who are leaders in their field.
A day in the life of a CIO
What does a CIO actually do? As complex as the role of IT leaders has become in today's era of connected devices and fast moving technology, this can be a difficult question to answer. When no two days look alike, how do CIOs fit in all of their technology demands, business strategy, and digital transformation to-dos? CIO Magazine asked four CIOs to detail the activities of an average day. See how the roles of Aditya Fotedar of Nexenta, Jason Smylie of Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, David Bray of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (and fellow Enterpriser), and Kris Singleton of Omni Hotels & Resorts compare, and what each do to prioritize and stay focused.
Now, what does a CIO do over the course of their career to be regarded as one of the most revered IT leaders in his field? Wall Street Journal features the legacy and career of Alfred R. Zipf, who joined Bank of America as a transit clerk in 1936 and quickly rose within the company to become the first CIO ever by relentlessly focusing on how he could solve business problems with technology. Khalid Kark, research director at Deloitte, outlines three lessons CIOs can learn from Al Zipf's inspiring career.
These tips and lessons are sure to come in handy in a near future when everyone is playing the role of CIO, complete with the integration, security, and complexity issues IT leaders face every day. Larry Dignan at ZDNet reports on how Best Buy is preparing for this Internet of Things, every CIO future.
More news for IT pros
- Harvard Business School recently put out its list of the top eight leadership traits needed for success today. Business Insider reports that they are very different than they were 20 years ago, today centering on adaptability, agility, and collaboration to address the complexity of the business world.
- While Harvard's big picture leadership advice is great, if your particular challenge is big data, you may want something more focused. John Weathington of TechRepublic highlights five effective leadership styles for managing data scientists, which address both the need for speed and inclusive decision making.
- Speaking of big data, perhaps you noticed last week when Gartner published its latest “Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies” that big data was not on it. Alex Woodie explain why in Datanami.
- And finally, on emerging technologies, this week Gizmodo featured the winner of a Dyson Award – The Open Hand Project – a true innovation in robotic prosthetics.
