Tales from the CIO: First Steps

You are the successful internal appointment to the role of CIO. You deserved it. Your passion, diligence, and commitment have been rewarded.

The transition should be smooth — the team knows each other, it's business as usual, the organisation continues on its current trajectory.

Or maybe not.

The Reality of Stepping Up From Within

Your peers are now your direct reports. Some of them may have been your rivals for the role. There were important reasons why there was a change of guard at the CIO office — and you were certainly part of those reasons and the need for change.

Undoubtedly you are proud of past successes and have learned from the challenges. But is this sufficient to launch and conquer new peaks?

How do you transform from a peer to a leader of your peers within the same organisation? How do you learn from the past but leave the baggage behind? How do you forge a new path for the organisation — celebrating achievements to date, yet aspiring to greater heights?

How do you steer the boat, remain authentic, and motivate the team to become more passionate, more diligent, and more committed than ever before?

The Pivotal Move

In our experience, a pivotal move in a successful new CIO role transition is to acknowledge the past and look into the future through the eyes of skilled and experienced outsiders.

Take advantage of this unique moment to reflect objectively on how things are — and then innovate and set the new direction. Learn from others, listen to their challenges, and identify the opportunities for your new role and the organisation.

Engage your team in debating the most efficient operating model, the winning organisational structure, and create new rewarding ways of working together.

How Mulberry Group Can Help

Mulberry Group helps technology leaders develop pragmatic, innovative, and integrated operating models that deliver both value and service excellence. If you are navigating a leadership transition or rethinking your technology operating model, get in touch.

By Dimitrios Bairaktaris PhD | October 17, 2023

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