3 ways to be on the right side of the CIO divide in 2017

In 2016 we continued to hear the term “digital transformation,” and it’s not something that’s going away any time soon. According to Gartner’s 2017 CIO agenda survey, more money is being invested into technologies that support shifts to digital services than in the past. CEOs and board members are putting increased pressure on CIOs to take the organization to where it needs to be technologically in order to keep up in this ever-increasing digital world. So, whether that means migrating a company’s data center to the cloud, putting an increased focus on analyzing data or defining the organizational culture to work more digitally, businesses are not taking this “transformation” lightly.

In 2017, CIOs have to be agile and willing to experiment with new technologies. Due to the sheer amount of innovation, competition and urgency within the market today, organizations are learning they cannot take chances when it comes to their technological future.

In 2017 I predict we will see executive reorganization in 35 percent of the global 2000, simply due to a lack of commitment from CIOs to become more modern and compete more fiercely with competitors. CIOs at companies like G.E., McDonalds, JP Morgan, Capital One and Time Warner are examples of some of the most adaptive, agile CIOs who are bringing their companies into the digital transformation head-on. These are the CIOs who will be the most sought after.

By late 2017 most of the more traditional CIOs will get pushed out of their organizations if they don’t adapt to the changing IT landscape and prove they have innovative approaches. CEOs and board members will quickly recognize that they do not have the vision of moving the company forward in a way other CIOs can. The CIOs who will succeed in bringing success to their organizations are the ones who think competitively and are willing to try new ideas in order to make their organizations more successful.

Here are the three top ways you can be on the right side of the CIO divide and not be forced to plan an early retirement:

1. Preach your vision on a daily basis
Make it known to your entire team that you have an innovative vision for how to push your organization into the cloud, how your applications will transform to be modern, cloud-driven applications and how new development will be built in the cloud. By expressing this passion and excitement at the possibilities of what’s to come, it will show you have a forward-thinking mentality and you can bring positive results.

2. Invest in changing your team, not just the products and processes
Each of the leading companies in IoT, digital transformation or cloud has invested heavily in the evolution of their teams, which they recognize they are the most valuable business assets. As a CIO you should invest in long-standing programs that bring new skills to your team, recruit new talent, and allow company-wide standards to develop agile practices. Don’t make it a committee to police your organization, but rather create a measurable program that is results-oriented and open to consultation. The program must drive speed and freedom of innovation if it’s going to decline the growth of your competition.

3. Take immediate action because you are already behind the times
Unless you and your company are already viewed as thought leaders in the age of digital transformation (i.e. Netflix, GE, GoPro, Apple), speedy action is required in order to catch up. The leaders of the digital transformation age are leaders that take initiative, commit to grand visions, and ensure their companies get there by forcing achievement with both rewards and penalties. As a CIO you have to enforce both if you are going to move your company into the new digital world. It’s also important to realize that a company cannot achieve complete digital transformation alone. You must employ consultants and partners who are experts in cloud and mobile, and scale so that you can properly adapt to this new market. You have to get the right people on the bus, and then continue driving to get to where you want to go. Most importantly, you have to take action and commit. The keys are: be agile, experiment, get help, and get started.

Lack of CIO engagement and dedication to digital transformation is a real problem that CEOs in all industries are becoming frustrated with. 2017 will be the year that having a “maverick” CIO is a non-negotiable and so, with the traditional CIO getting left behind, many new positions will need to be filled. Unfortunately, there are not enough forward-thinking, maverick CIOs, so we will see promotions of the CIO direct reports. I expect we will welcome a lot of first-time, highly-qualified CIOs in 2017.