Are You Ready for the CIO Hot Seat?

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Written by Linda Ranostaj, CTS - Sr. Staffing Consultant at WhitakerIT

Oracle’s prestigious list of award-winning CIOs is out. This elite group of highly accomplished, forward-thinking CIOs from around the globe all have two things in common: a savvy sense of business technology and leadership acumen. We took this opportunity to glean some key nuggets of business and leadership wisdom from the recipients of Oracle Magazine’s coveted Editor’s Choice Awards. We’ve divided their insights into two specific areas: hiring and employee management; and business directives. Click here for the full article, http://www.oracle.com/technology/oramag/oracle/08-nov/o68awards.html.

Hiring and Employee Management

What traits put these CIOs above the rest in the areas of hiring and employee management? Following are some tried and true practices:

  • Ability to hire the right people.
  • Strategically defining roles and responsibilities to set the direction of IT.
  • Utilizing IT resources effectively—knowing what to outsource and what to keep in house.
  • Commitment to developing talent through training and mentoring.
  • Creating strong leadership and teamwork from the top down.
  • Providing clear goals and having a high level of transparency.

Business Directives


When it comes down to the business, what sets one CIO apart from another? Here’s what we found:

  • Ability to sell change upward and downward—change management.
  • Ability to adapt to change quickly.
  • Commitment to defining and redefining best practices.
  • Ability to delegate.
  • Listening to the business and following their lead.
  • Communicating using business language.
  • Identifying technologies and solutions that can help drive new business