The Heller Report: 7 Truths CIOs Must Accept to Succeed

CIOs must drive transformation and shape digital strategy – and move beyond the supporting cast to a true leadership role. CIOs can deepen their impact by adapting their behaviors, cultivating relationships and delivering performance, writes Joe Topinka, the founder of CIO Mentor. Those who do, he says, “drive greater business impact, shape enterprise strategy and become the kind of leader that others seek out for guidance.”

A meaningful customer experience transformation requires a radical rethinking, not just of IT systems but also the relationship between a brand and its customers, veteran IT executive Aboudi Roustom argues. This means that companies looking to burnish their brands must foster dynamic collaborations that convert customers into ambassadors by, for example, incorporating feedback into improved offerings.

On May 24, 1844, Samuel F.B. Morse transmitted the first message over a telegraph line between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Morse had demonstrated the system six years earlier in New Jersey with Morse code, his invention using dots and dashes to represent letters and numbers. Morse sent the biblical message, “What Hath God Wrought?” at the suggestion of Annie Ellsworth, the young daughter of his friend. It was what we would call a disruptive innovation. “Western Union’s completion of the first transcontinental telegraph line in October 1861 doomed the Pony Express,” the Library of Congress notes. Abraham Lincoln was a power user, frequenting the War Department for Civil War updates.

Heller has been retained to recruit a Chief Information Officer for a veterinary healthcare company based in the Boston area. This role will lead and execute projects across the organization, focusing on improving communication and efficiency. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the ideal candidate will be a strategic leader with expertise in change management, healthcare IT systems, and data management, capable of transforming IT operations and improving organizational efficiency. They should also possess strong communication skills and experience in leading nimble IT teams, with a proven track record of transitioning organizations from shadow IT practices to centralized, strategic IT operations.