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Decision Making

Industry Articles

Why CIOs Avoid Explicit Tradeoffs... And Why It Hurts Them

CIOs routinely omit the one piece of information executives need most: what is being given up to fund the ask. The executive room reads that omission as incomplete prioritization, and adjusts trust accordingly. The CIOs who declare the sacrifice ... and stand behind the call ... earn a kind of credibility that thorough analysis alone cannot produce.
Scott Smeester
March 2, 2026
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What Most CIOs Get Wrong About C Suite Peer Groups

Most executive peer groups reward comfort and validation. CIOs who settle for affirmation over structured confrontation are weakening their decision quality and eroding the political capital they need when it matters most.
Scott Smeester
February 17, 2026
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CIO Mastermind vs. Gartner? Why You Don’t Have to Choose.

Already using Gartner? See how CIO Mastermind can turn research into strategic action through peer collaboration, accountability, and implementation support.
Scott Smeester
June 17, 2025
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Leadership Blogs

Dear board: You don’t know what you don’t know.

Decisions are never meant to be made in a void, and information alone isn’t education. Wisdom is the pool in which information and context swim together. Very few board members have technology experience. Less than 10% have technology subcommittees from which to draw. What is a board to do?

Scott Smeester

October 26, 2020

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To Remote Or Not To Remote

The benefits of remote work are without question, but that still doesn’t mean it is best for your company. How do you know if remote work is for you? A number of questions here will help you work through to the answer.

Scott Smeester

July 21, 2020

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