CIO Spectator

I spent two days at a conference targeted to the highest technology officers and their direct reports. The latter group was easily distinguishable from the former by the absence of key indicators (to borrow one of their favorite terms): crisp suits, VIP ribbons, and complimentary leather portfolios with CIO emblazed on the front. Even without these outward tell-tale signs, one could have presumed the pecking order by the expression on the vendors’ faces upon entering the swooping radius of their booths. Strategic smiles cranked up for CIO consumption fell in proportion to their expectation of a sale.

Under other circumstances we could have assumed good postures, choked back our southern drawls, and pressed the flesh with CIO-like assurance. We’d pretend we had been hand-picked by our CIO as his successor. Instead we opted to congregate conspicuously like gangly teenagers forced to attend a grown-up function, taking comfort in each other’s shadows. We networked, sharing helpful information like which vendor booth was giving out nifty flash drives that converted to a pen and which had such notorious reputations for post-conference stalking that it wasn’t worth leaving a trail for the chance of winning an iPod. Of course if you slowed down at all while traversing the catwalk from conference room to facilities, a vendor would take aim at any prey available (even the skinny, non-CIO variety) and zap your barcode-enabled conference badge. Voila: you became a record in a customer relationship management system. That’s when I would start answering my work phone with a prepared response: “Oh…you really need to speak with our Network Administrator about that. Here’s his number…”

“We’ve got a diverse group here today,” one conference administrator began, introducing the “distinguished panel” of speakers. “Diverse? Really?” A female, non-CIO coworker to my right muttered. “Looks like a bunch of middle-aged white men to me.”

“What animal best describes your leadership style?” The facilitator posed the question to the panel of CIOs while I silently animalified [is there no equivalent to personified?] my own coworkers. One was clearly a bull dog…no, maybe a Pit bull. One was definitely a turtle. A former coworker was self-described as a pack mule. I settled on myself as a hound dog….the faithful sort with tired eyes that can be a pretty useful hunting companion when the spirit moved.

How would these CIOs describe themselves? I figured a gazelle would be a good answer if you wanted to be perceived as agile, but sensitive. A panther if you were more the cunning sort, crafty enough to keep up with the speed of technology evolution. Maybe an eagle? Perhaps a lion, symbolizing an unintimidated conqueror of the technological jungle?

The first response was “a giraffe”. You know…above the forest…able to see the big picture. The second response was…um…a giraffe. (Oops…guess they didn’t discuss their answers beforehand.) The third was “a chameleon.” A lizard that changes colors to suit the circumstances? Well…it could fit. (I was later told in confidence that one of the respondents in question was, in fact, not the animal they named, but a Tasmanian Devil.)

Of course the conference was a fascinating opportunity to observe so many CIOs in close proximity... like a corporate petting zoo. In particular I paid attention to the topics (supposedly selected by the CIOs themselves) that seemed to be foremost in their minds. Last year it was all about risk and outsourcing. This year the buzz was storage management, IP telephony, and next generation wireless…with a few timeless classics such as change tossed in for good measure. As a developer, the catch-phrase that stuck in my mind last year was “code is a commodity.” This year I remember, “You don’t out-task innovation; you out-task execution.”

Despite my propensity for mind-wandering during Powerpoint droning (I planned an entire event menu and made a list of Christmas cards to send during one especially productive session), I realize that the opportunity to get an insider’s view of the CIO perspective is valuable since I will likely spend the rest of my employable years reporting to one.