I have been tweeting the “CIO Quote of the Day” for several years now. Enjoy this round-up, our sixth installment of The Quotable CIO!

Every day, CIOs provide me with profound and even existential bon mots on everything from leadership to relationships to business to technology. I have been tweeting these nuggets as “CIO Quote of the Day” for many years, now. Enjoy our sixth round-up of The Quotable CIO!

--

"We're building products, not platforms - they need to be designed by customers, not IT."

--

"With proper governance, IT will never have to say 'No.'”

--

"I don't want to fight shadow IT; I want to be a co-conspirator."

--

"With cybersecurity, boards need to move from fear to understanding."

--

"Bad news doesn’t get better with age."

--

“I refuse to automate another bad process.”

--

"These days, long-term visions for systems get very outdated very quickly.”

--

"When people give up budget, they feel like they are giving up power."

--

"For most companies, IT no longer enables strategy, it defines it."

--

"IT was such a mess that I was pretty sure I had just started my dream job."

--

"Solving a very specific problem is the best way to start making big changes."

--

"IT is not a popularity contest. We often have to deliver tough information."

--

"IT governance taken to an extreme is an impediment."

--

"90% of what I do is maintenance. Staying in business & being secure is high value."

--

Chief Information Officer quotes"You can’t instill passion in someone, but you can bring it out.”

--

"We often think we need a technology person to lead tech solutions, but that is no longer true."

--

“We don't track IT metrics anymore. We measure everything in terms company performance."

--

"We are data rich but information poor."

--

"It makes no sense for IT to go Agile when the rest of the company is not equipped."

--

"My supreme responsibility as an IT leader is to create a great work culture."

--

"Culture is the most important thing at founder-led companies, and it can’t be changed."

--

“CIOs are in a constant state of transformation and must be good at leading during periods of ambiguity.”

--

“Help your best talent connect dots between a project, its value to the biz, and to their resume.”

--

"All successful projects have 1 thing in common- a leader to 'will' the project to success"

--

"We are all millennial in our own way. We all want to change the world and have a meaningful impact."

--

“Most people think about problem solving; risk management is problem seeking–a different mindset. “

--

"Developing soft skills takes work & energy, & means devoting less energy to maintaining tech expertise."

--

"As you grow as a leader, you must relinquish the mantle of expert, or you'll stifle those you are leading."

--

"In the digital age, we need to move our core business processes to algorithms."

--

“In IT you need to act w/as much urgency–or more–than those you provide service to.”

--

"When I started this job, I walked into a dumpster fire, and IT was a 4 letter word."

--

"It takes two to be agile: IT and the business."

 

View the previous installment of The Quotable CIO

Social CIOs

Roles We Recruit


 

Read our weekly e-newsletter packed with career advice and resources for the strategic technology leader, and information about active searches.

The Heller Report

Add a Comment

Mark Sander of Azurity Pharmaceuticals on Leading in Times of Dynamic Growth and Change

Mar 27, 2024

My CIO Career: Hands-on Involvement Serving Clients Informs CIO Sharay Erskine’s Strategy at Atlanta Community Food Bank

Mar 13, 2024