Every leader needs an advocate who serves as a champion, guide and resource for each leader’s identity, success and experience of supportive community.

We have never been in better days for the CIO to be at the table, and for the CEO to shed the burden of trying to represent the critical dynamics of technology that must influence board decisions.

Too many CIOs know how to win in the realm of technology but then lose in the arena of political leverage. I’ve learned 7 insights that help me come out on top. The first is to engage it, not avoid it. What follows are the rules of engagement.

Collaboration takes shape as IT possesses a comprehensive understanding of business vision and can act as an internal consultant, driving business and IT as a learning community with mutual understanding and mutual expectations.

You always have been more. Your love of what technology has longed for others to see its value. That day is here. But you must make some shifts, and you can’t wait to be invited to make them. You must demonstrate your value, or the thing you always knew technology could do will be entrusted to someone else.

This is why you have risen to the top of the pack. In particular, the CEO, CIO and C-Suite are hyper-sensitive to being distracted from what matters most. Especially, the CEO and CIO have moved into a working relationship different than before and more essential than ever.