Why technically strong leaders still aren’t CIO-ready
Executive Take
Technical skill alone will not make your next CIO succeed. Sitting CIOs need to start teaching successors influence and delegation years before the promotion, not after.
Executive Summary
At CIO.com's CIO100 event in Frisco, Texas, about 100 rising tech leaders scored themselves on a five-dimension CIO Readiness Framework. The group averaged 3.4 out of 5, "Proficient," with no dimension reaching "Advanced." Technology stewardship scored highest, while influence/narrative and relationships/talent scored lowest, with about 65% rating themselves Proficient or below on those two.
Why It Matters
HR and technology leaders building succession plans should note that top technical performers often lack the political and people skills a CIO role demands. Without targeted coaching, strong IT operators get promoted and then struggle.
Bizquad Perspective
Most succession plans measure technical readiness because it's easy to score, while the harder skills that actually predict CIO failure, like coalition-building, go untracked until it's too late.