The winning is in quitting.

People can downplay titles, but you can’t overplay their power.

Anger is not misplaced in the workforce. But it is often mismanaged. Master it so that it doesn’t master you.

Getting buy-in isn’t so much about the work you do but the way in which you do it.

You meet challenges and opportunities. The doorway in is for another to help you out.

It’s not the tyranny of the urgent that has you down; and only one practice will build you up.

Eventually, what either trips you up or builds you up has to do with three leadership constants.

Confidence is the product of what I call Near Leadership. You get alongside (to focus and to educate) to help others get ahead.

Importance is measured by absence and ability.

Great leaders group. But not just in any group.

Transitioning into a new company is a thrill. Five priority first-actions will cause you to thrive.

Life has transitions. You have had them. You may be in one. We often waste them. Here is how you take advantage of those rare moments (gifts) when you are between leaving and starting.

Two keys will communicate your competence and reinforce your credibility. But it all starts with one major difference maker.

We understand change leadership. We don’t talk as much about turnaround leadership. There is a difference, and it shows in whether you stay and leverage or leave and start again.

CIOs are leaders, but not all are high-performers. The difference isn’t what they do themselves but what they do for themselves.

Urgent requests and unreasonable timelines are normal. Accepting those requests does not need to be the norm. Five responses will help protect your team to stay focused and your technology vision to be fulfilled.

CEOs want their CIOs to be of greater influence, especially where they don’t have decision making authority.. That means the CIOs need to invest and leverage three critical assets their CEOs have been utilizing for years.

You will run into CEOs who do not have right expectations. They will run over you if you don’t know how to manage their expectations. How do you lead CEOs who have unrealistic expectations of IT while remaining an integral team player?

There is one trait that is consistent with leaders who fall behind. It’s not about their knowledge, skill or work ethic. It’s about who is or isn’t with them.

CIOs benefit from periodic resets. Approaching the end of a calendar year is a great time to reset for a new beginning in the new year. Reset to three essential needs.

Transformation is a deep word being lost in translation. So what does it really mean to transform IT? It must be comprehensive, including eight key areas of development.

We know the CIO role is changing. Do you have to wait and see what those changes are? Or is there a better way to transform yourself? Move over Darwin, we have some designing to do.

There are two reasons you are not invited to significant meetings and it isn't because you don't know what you are talking about.

You may have arrived, but fail to keep investing in yourself, and you will be left behind.

Intelligence Firms like Gartner have their place, but they alone may not best serve your purpose or be the first place to look. What must have first place in your leadership is a community of peers who get behind your purpose and bring practical answers to your pressing needs.

It’s not what you don’t know or overlook that bites you as a leader. It’s what is right in front of you that you choose to ignore. Two changes will change everything

Effective technology leaders are driven by a certain obsession. Fail to be consumed by it, and the work you put out will be a box to check but hardly art you can’t wait to display.

Old-school CEOs need to be re-educated by CIOs who only know how to be lifelong learners, innovators and adaptors. The key is understanding the difference between mindset and mentality, between what they view and how they see.

CEOs are quitting. A major reason cited is because they don’t have the skills to lead their company into transformation. The problem is, people misunderstand transformation. CIOs don’t. And that is why the CIO needs to help keep their CEO from quitting prematurely.

The CIO role is always changing. Now, some say it is soon to be on its way out. Is the CIO going to be replaced by the technology they have championed? No. You are more than a Chief Information Officer. You are the Chief Insight Officer. And that is key.

Leaders are being misled in how to communicate, whether to one or many. Following this advice will leave you confused and frustrated. Taking back your power will leave you and your listeners better off for what you said and how you said it.

Leaders lead leaders. They can’t help it, but they can own it and be more effective in it. The first of four strategies is to serve by being clear and unapologetic about the value you bring. There are three areas in which you must do so: What can’t be contained in you, What can’t be denied from you, and What you must handle with care.

In my annual end of the year article, I thought you should know what I have learned about you

Leaders need a personal brand. But not for the reasons that they think. You aren’t trying to stand out from others; you are trying to communicate your fit. Knowing the difference, and understanding how to do it, will lead you to the opportunities you seek.

An evening visit of familiar ghosts teaches the C-Suite a better way to filter budget decisions and cost justification.

I have stayed and left to my regret; I have stayed and left to my reward. I’ve become a bit wiser in knowing which is called for.

We need women to lead in technology, but the standard narrative as to why misses the point. And as women continue to elevate their leadership, they do so knowing the critical areas to focus on, the mistakes to avoid, and the skills to develop.

CIOs aren’t usually trained in organizational psychology, but they live in its reality everyday. The dysfunction is real. If you think of it as a people problem, you have a bigger problem. Here is how to spot what really holds your team back and what to do about it.

It’s one thing to have earned a position. It’s another to feel established. Is your feeling grounded in reality? Discover the traits of those who are, and who are not yet, established.

The Imposter Syndrome haunts technology leaders, leaving them subject to unsettling moods, lack of motivation and limited margins of opportunity. Knowing its source and how to overcome it is critical for those who want to become established and effective in their life and career.

Threats of inflation and recession have companies preparing for budget restrictions. The one thing you can’t cut, that is instinctive to cut, are the outsiders who are key for your insiders. How do you know who they are?

It’s not enough to get back in the saddle after you fall. You must embrace a shift within you. You must address a crowd around you. You must change a story about you.

Leadership trends come and go. Riding them can be a great adventure. But leadership isn’t in the riding, it’s in the landing. Leaders know where to get off and take a stand.

You want to be a leader that others turn to or go with. But the competition is immense. Leaders who stand out have learned to avoid two pitfalls by focusing on one key element: They know how to be noticed, remembered and talked about.

We think that influential leaders are the ones who have the best to say. It turns out, it’s the ones who have the best to ask. And asking the right questions is a skill not often or easily mastered, especially by those who think they already have it down.

Technology leaders don’t always get their way right away because of who gets in their way. Three practices will help you settle down and move forward constructively.

Career stall and role-rut are within your ability to move forward from. Tech-leaders who keep growing are intentional to develop personal, relational, positional and vocational areas that make them better professionals, better leaders, better executives and better experts.

Leaders look to IT as a Savior. CIOs know better than to live in that shadow, and they ask three powerful questions to help business leaders face reality and effectively allocate technology resources.

Great leaders are multipliers. And you must be; it’s not just the company that needs you to do so, it’s your country and your legacy that needs you to do it.

The Cut-Above CIO is a leader who understands the differences each of his key leaders bring to him, and knows how to chart a course with them that is unique to their ambition.

CIOs who leverage their leadership embrace five pace-setting qualities: They are opportunity-focused, certain enough, influence minded, network established and resource savvy.

CIOs and their team must have creative moments to be productive. Too often, those creative opportunities are crowded out. Three key practices will restore and increase productivity.

Boredom is an executive experience. It is also a sign. Before you are quick to escape it, step back and look at it. One of three things may be at work more than you think.

CIOs handled 2021 in exceptional fashion. It’s because they know a secret, because they know who they are and what they have up their sleeve.

The one thing CIOs and technology leaders can’t get away from is the need to deliver. Today, that need is overwhelming. The answer to overwhelm is four essential dynamics that keep leaders well-ordered and able to work above the overwhelm.