Five Shifts Required to Make the Leap from IT Leader to CIO

VPs and directors may be operational experts with deep technical skills, but that’s not enough to succeed as CIO. IT executive and advisor Eduard de Vries Sands outlines the five changes high-potential IT leaders must make to confidently step into the C-suite.

Many high-potential IT leaders aspire to the CIO role. Most are strong operational leaders with deep technical credibility. In mentoring these IT vice presidents and directors, I find the same thing holding them back from stepping into an executive position: they operate as exceptional player-coaches, but not yet as enterprise leaders.

The transition to CIO is not about doing more, moving faster, or mastering another framework. Instead, it requires fundamental changes in approach that will support the evolution of an IT director or vice president of IT, from one that leads delivery to an executive that owns how technology enables business outcomes, growth, and risk management.

What It Takes to Level Up as an IT Leader

Over the years, I’ve identified five shifts in mindset, behavior, and presence that are the signals executive teams and boards use, often unconsciously, to decide whether a candidate is ready to occupy the CIO seat.

Shift 1: From order taker to business strategist

As an IT director or VP, success is often defined by responsiveness. The focus is on understanding requests and leading teams to execute reliably. The goals are meeting commitments, delivering on time, and keeping stakeholders satisfied. In this mode, technology leaders tend to:

• Accept priorities as given rather than shaping them.

• Frame conversations around feasibility, cost, and timelines.

• Optimize for delivery excellence within parameters that others set.

While this approach builds trust as a dependable operator, it also reinforces a perception of IT as an order taker, not a business strategy driver.

At the CIO level, the expectation shifts from responsiveness to ownership. CIOs don’t wait for direction; they actively shape the agenda. They bring a point of view on how technology can drive growth, mitigate risk, and create competitive advantage. Rather than asking what the business wants, they engage as a peer in defining what the business should do.

CIOs operate as business executives who happen to lead technology, not the other way around. They:

• Proactively frame problems in business terms.

• Bring trade-offs, implications, and recommendations to the table.

• Own outcomes, not just execution.

CEOs and boards are not looking for another functional leader to execute instructions. They are seeking executives who share accountability for results. In the face of ambiguity, disruption, or risk, they expect the CIO to take ownership alongside other C-suite leaders; make informed recommendations (even with imperfect information); and stand behind decisions that affect revenue, margin, compliance, and reputation.

A CIO who operates as a business owner earns trust, influence, and a true seat at the table. One who remains an order taker, no matter how capable, does not.

Shift 2: From asking for priorities to recommending actions

Prioritization is often treated as an input rather than a responsibility at the director or VP level. Leaders look to business partners or executives to define priorities and then focus on sequencing and delivery. Many IT directors and VPs will:

• Ask stakeholders to rank initiatives.

• Receive long lists of competing demands.

• Avoid expressing a strong point of view to maintain alignment.

While collaborative, these behaviors signal deference rather than leadership.
CIOs are expected to provide clarity. Rather than asking for priorities, they synthesize input from across the enterprise and provide a clear recommendation grounded in strategy, value, and risk awareness. They make trade-offs explicit and stand behind their judgment. The CIO becomes a decision shaper, not a facilitator, and will:

• Propose a small number of prioritized bets.

• Clearly articulate what will not be done and why.

• Anchor recommendations in business outcomes and constraints.

CEOs and boards operate in constant ambiguity. They rely on their executives to reduce complexity and enable decisions that drive the business forward. A CIO that offers clear recommendation and a point of view accelerates decision-making, builds confidence and trust, and signals readiness for enterprise accountability. Asking for priorities shifts responsibility upward; proposing them demonstrates executive ownership.

Shift 3: From waiting for certainty to acting early with ranges and options

Many IT leaders are trained to wait for sufficient clarity before committing to action. Decisions are delayed until requirements are firm, estimates are precise, and risks are minimized. This often results in:

• Requests for more analysis.

• Hesitation to commit without full information.

• Missed windows of opportunity.

It’s a prudent approach but can slow progress at critical moments.

CIOs operate in environments where certainty is rare. Instead of waiting, they act early by framing decisions in ranges, scenarios, and options. They:

• Clearly state assumptions.

• Present best-, base-, and worst-case scenarios.

• Recommend a direction while acknowledging uncertainty.

This approach allows the organization to move forward while managing risk.

Speed matters at the executive level. CEOs and boards value leaders who can make progress without false precision. A CIO who can act with partial information enables momentum, reduces downstream risk, and demonstrates judgment rather than perfectionism.

Inaction is often riskier than a well-framed early decision.

Shift 4: From delivery focus to outcome and value focus

At the director or VP level, success is frequently measured by delivery metrics: projects completed, milestones hit, systems stabilized. These leaders emphasize:

• On-time, on-budget execution.

• Feature completion.

• Technical quality.

These metrics matter, but they are not sufficient at the C-level. They also require translation, from IT work completion to enterprise value, for the business to understand them.

CIOs shift the conversation from what was delivered to what changed. They define success in terms of:

• Business outcomes.

• Financial impact.

• Risk reduction.

• Customer or user experience.

Delivery is a means, not the end.

Boards do not fund projects; they fund outcomes. A CIO who consistently ties technology investments to measurable value strengthens credibility, improves capital allocation decisions, and elevates technology from cost center to growth enabler. This shift in focus is central to earning and maintaining trust.

Shift 5: From invisible success to discernable leadership

Many high-performing IT leaders assume results will speak for themselves. They focus on execution and avoid self-promotion. This often results in:

• Limited visibility outside immediate stakeholders.

• Underrepresentation in enterprise narratives.

• Missed opportunities to shape perception of IT.

Their impact is real, but largely unseen.

CIOs understand that leadership presence is part of the job. They intentionally:

• Communicate progress and impact in business terms.

• Show up in executive and board forums.

• Represent technology externally with customers, partners, and talent.

Visibility isn’t ego; it’s stewardship.

Boards need confidence that technology leadership is sharing the story externally. This boosts the organization’s brand market recognition, improves talent attraction, and illustrates excellence to customers. A visible CIO builds trust before crises occur, shapes the technology narrative, and attracts top talent and partners.

Invisible success limits influence, regardless of performance.

Shifting into C-Level Gear

The changes described above aren't theoretical exercises; they require completely rewiring how IT leaders think about their roles. They’ve spent years building credibility through delivery excellence, but as CIOs, they must balance execution with strategic ownership. That creates a tension that feels uncomfortable at first.

The challenge is that IT leaders can't wait until they’ve been awarded a CIO title to start making these changes. The shifts must happen before the promotion. The key is practicing these behaviors while the stakes are lower:

• In your next business review, lead with the outcome rather than the solution.

• When the next request comes in, pause before saying yes and ask what business metric will change.

• Volunteer to present technology updates at board meetings.

• Write one LinkedIn post per quarter on how technology drives business results.

• Find a CIO mentor who will challenge your thinking, not just validate your expertise.

A CIO who operates at this level becomes a growth accelerator, not just a cost center. They spot market opportunities in the data that other non-IT business leaders can’t see—and before competitors do. They translate AI hype into P&L impact. Most critically, they free the CEO and board from worrying about technology risk, because they know someone owns it at the strategic level. That's worth millions in enterprise value.

What Leveling Up Looks Like

I watched a VP of IT at a large hospital group make this transformation. She had stellar delivery metrics: 99.9% uptime, on-time projects, and team retention above industry average. But she got passed over for C-level roles. When I asked the CEO why, he said: "I don't know what she thinks about our business."

So, she shifted her approach. She began joining finance calls to see what really moved the needle. She proposed a $2 million data platform investment, not because IT needed better tools, but because the technology would improve revenue collection by three percent. She quantified the impact and built a business case the CFO could defend to the board.

The CEO recognized her as an executive who drives business outcomes. Six months later, she was promoted to CIO. Within a year, that data platform delivered exactly what she promised.

When you finally slide into the CIO seat operating at this level, something changes. The CEO starts pulling you into strategy sessions that have nothing to do with technology, because they trust your business judgment. Board members ask your opinion on M&A targets. Your team sees you differently, too, and they start driving outcomes that show up in earnings calls.

You're not fighting for a seat at the table. You're setting the agenda.