Has the job of CIO become so trying that few IT professionals even aspire to it anymore? CIO magazine's Meridith Levinson reports that some IT leadership opportunities are not being over-run with eager candidates.

One IT manager reported seeing more IT professionals move downward from management to technical roles lately, taking a pay cut along the way to avoid the stress and politics involved in the management positions. Others are leery of career advancement because of the often futile-seeming efforts IT leaders must engage in.

"It seems to me like enterprises are setting up their IT leaders for such a miserable experience (real or perceived) more and more often that the smart and gifted IT people who could be developed into strong leaders and could make a real difference in their organizations are turning away from the challenge in significant numbers," one IT manager told Levinson.

There will always be IT pros who prefer to leave the leadership to others, executive recruitment specialists say.  Their numbers may be on the rise, however, as professionals with families seek better work-life balance.

But even if fewer IT pros are aspiring to the top job, it probably doesn't constitute any kind of crisis, said Ellen Barry, former CIO at Metropolitan Peer & Exposition Authority in Chicago. With relatively few executive IT positions to fill, a huge pool of candidates isn't necessary.

Other CIOs see plenty of potential replacements in the making. "I have a good sense of who's looking for advancement, and specifically who's gunning for my job, and it's a pretty long list these days," said Will Weider, CIO of Ministry Health Care.

For more, see:
- Meridith Levinson's article at CIO

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