In the rough-and-tumble world of the CEO, sometimes things don't go the way you want. Last year, Ron Thieme was promoted from CIO to president and CEO of AIT Laboratories, a privately held medical test company, when company founder Michael Evans stepped down but remained chairman. Seven months later, however, Evans was back and Thieme had resigned. Thieme declines to talk about the details of the reversal. But he says that because he had approached the CIO job from a business viewpoint and was a motivational leader, he was well suited to being CEO.
In his short time as top leader, Thieme recognized he needed a wider mind-set. "Rather than being a partner with all the other functions, they are your direct reports," he says. "You look at how they all work together to improve our position in the marketplace."
Now he is working on a startup company: a poultry and beef farm focused on the local food movement. But he's still on the lookout for a CEO position.
Aspiring to the Corner Office
Metrolist CEO Kirby Slunaker predicts that more CIOs will rise to the CEO job, citing the fact that, perhaps more than any other officer, CIOs see all parts of the business. Many CIOs aspire to be CEOs. One industry survey found that 42 percent of CIOs worldwide say they have the necessarily skills for the job. But just 4 percent of existing CEOs among the world's biggest companies are former CIOs.
Boushy, disappointed that more CIOs haven't arrived in the CEO office in the last decade, perhaps because many IT leaders are still too tactical and risk-averse. "The CEO's role in most organizations is about as broad a role as you can have," he says. "One's ability to be prepared for what comes your way--despite the fact that maybe you've never had that experience before--is a very important commodity."
Horner says the portion of potential CEOs in the CIO ranks is "a small percentage."
He laments the "disservice" some CIOs do to themselves and their IT groups when they tolerate their staff being too focused on in-the-weeds technology in discussions with colleagues outside of IT. "They behave like technical nerds instead of business-improvement folks who happen to know technology," he says.
现在他不会容忍它。“我会阻止人们中间的句子，说：'我不需要知道。”
If Horner hires a CIO--and he sees no need for one yet--it'll be someone of a new mold. He'd want someone to spot emerging IT and train professionals on those hot technologies so that Mastech will be out in front of staffing needs. Or the CIO would advise him on smart acquisitions. "They wouldn't be taking care of PeopleSoft and our outsourced email," he says. "They would be helping me grow my business."
Kevin Horner, CEO of Mastech and former CIO of Alcoa, offers advice for CIOs who aspire to the top job.
- 创建时间通过委派尽可能多的日常操作任务尽可能和发展潜力的CIO继任者把重点放在战略制定和客户问题。
- 发展你的公司内部和外部的行政同行和导师的网络，这样你可以学到一些表演比其他CIO首席级高管职位的细微差别。内部志愿者运行一个大的并购整合或建议的外部非营利组织。
- Work up the org chart to build relationships with key internal customers. Then help them solve the problems oftheir外部客户。
- 让IT策略你的个人目标。也就是说，不要委托它。花你的新腾出的时间生活和销售这一战略。
Kim Nash is managing editor of CIO Magazine. Follow her on Twitter @knash99.
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This story, "CIOs Share How They Made the Leap to CEO" was originally published byCIO .