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Thread: How do you spot a bad CIO?

  1. #1
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    Default How do you spot a bad CIO?

    The Wall Street Journal has a great article—Keys to Spotting a Flawed CEO Before It's Too Late (registration required)—that got me considering the same question for CIOs: How do you identify a bad CIO? What are the tell-tale signs? Is it possible for recruiters and hiring managers to read the writing on the wall before they hire the stinker CIO?
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    I came up with a few ideas, but I want you to add to my list:

    * High employee turnover.
    * Rehashing the same ideas, projects and technologies that s/he's implemented in all previous CIO positions.
    * Firing existing employees and replacing them with people who've worked for him/her in the past.
    What are your tell-tale signs that a CIO is a bad one?

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    Well for me one was stated in that article....
    High employee turnover: most of the time, please don't leave there job because they don't like it...it because of there superiors (TL/Sup/Manager). Being a CIO, you should have the needed skills to recognize why your department has a high turn over rate and how to counter it.
    Doesn't speak out for department CIOs don't have to be Tech savvy, they are managers after all, there main purpose is to manage the department. If a CIO cant convey his departments thoughts/suggestions/objections to management lvl thats a tell. for example if you see that your companies mail server periodically crashes, and your team sees that its a failing disk array, depending on the company the department would either have it in there budget to get a new one or talk to the heads to get the funds. If he cant do that...after his team made it perfectly clear that if they don't replace it the company up .... creek, then that can be a tell.

    there are a few more ...but i got to at least pretent to look like im working here....my manager ain't flawed
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    What other signs are there?

    I can think of a few:

    - Micro managing. What's the point of having managers if you're going to be managing their resources and people for them?

    - Trusting outsiders more than your their own people. Getting an objective opinion is fine and healthy, but when a CIO acts as if the expertise their own people has no merit, then thats a recipe for disaster.

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    The full article is up on the site.
    Today we're studying the technologious variety of the species nocens executor, more commonly referred to as the bad CIO. The nocens executor remains a mystery to many observers. He lacks distinguishing physical characteristics, and, chameleonlike, he quickly adapts to new surroundings. This makes him difficult for certain headhunters, hiring managers, CEOs, CFOs and boards of directors to identify.

    The elusive nocens executor—or bad CIO—stealthily migrates from habitat to habitat. He lays waste to business and information ecosystems. He destroys tribe morale, pillages budgets and imperils shareholder value. His destructive actions can go undetected for many months, often long after he's left his last conquest.
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