Working well with partners, clients, vendors and every business unit head within an enterprise is a key aspect of any tech leader's role, but it often isn't an easy one. It's a no-brainer that poor relationships don't reflect well on any leader, so it's important to be able to identify when things are taking a turn for the worse--and what to do to change things. That's the focus of a great article [1] over at CIO this week written by Damian Smith, managing VP of corporate management with Hitachi Consulting. As Smith outlines, there are some clearly defined stages in the death of a relationship and breakdown in communications and collaboration. It's a great read that could prove useful moving forward when it comes to your IT career aspirations.

In the meantime, here are some recent career announcements about colleagues taking on new leadership roles:

The Department of Education has tapped William Vajda as its new CIO.

Former Harrah CIO John Boushy has been named president of Ameristar Casinos.

Edward Brouwer is the new VP and CIO at CanWest MediaWorks Publications.