10 Questions Good CIOs Should Ask Themselves
Dialed In
Question 1: “How well do you align skills, interests, knowledge base, passions, etc. to the true job demands?” Individual talent means little if it’s misallocated.
20/20 Vision
Question 2: “Have you sat down with staffers to lay out a mutually beneficial short- and long-term game plan?” Teams need to know the immediate—and ultimate—goals at all times.
Best Practices
Question 3: “Have you established expectations for communications, collaboration and performance—and do you reinforce them often?” Don’t leave this as something for “employees to figure out themselves.”
Unwritten but Understood
Question 4: “Do you clearly identify the less tangible ‘job within a job’ that isn’t included in the position description?” These duties often matter as much as the stated job functions.
Above and Beyond
Question 5: “Are you rewarding employees for exceeding ‘job within a job’ expectations?” If you don’t, they won’t feel compelled to do anything beyond the basics of their job description.
Problem Solver
Question 6: “How often do you proactively remove roadblocks and bottlenecks which impact team performance?” In doing so, they’ll respect you as an IT department advocate who delivers.
Personal Assessment
Question 7: “How high does the employee’s working-life quality rank on your list of priorities?” Good bosses demonstrate compassion by caring.
On Point
Question 8: “Do you come to meetings prepared with relevant information and research?” Your teams will spot a boss who wings it—and conclude that you’re wasting their time.
In Conference
Question 9: “Are you willing to meet as often as is useful, but only as long as is necessary?” Leaders take pride in their meeting utility and efficiency.
Follow-Through
Question 10: “Do you follow-up either formal meetings or one-on-one ‘actionable conversations’ with e-mails that put in writing what needs to get done?” When you do, there’s no ambiguity about your expectations.
