Over the Thanksgiving weekend I read "Haunting the CEO: A tale of true leadership in an era of IT failure," which the author, John D. Hughes, sent me a month or so ago. It's a short novel, easy to read for the most part, telling the story of a CIO who confronts a do-or-die challenge from the newly appointed CEO at his distribution company. 

The main theme behind the book is by now a well-rehearsed refrain: CIOs need to move beyond the role of technologist and into the role of leader, making it their job to help advance the business' growth, increase profits and promote innovation. (Caution: The dreaded "A" word is sprinkled liberally throughout the book. If you aren't sick to death of hearing about the imperative of business/IT alignment, then you should probably pick it up right away.) 

Hughes' work makes for a quick, straightforward read. The challenges the main character faces in his evolving role may sound eerily familiar to anyone who has worked in corporate IT. Basic principles of leadership are reviewed, mostly in dialogues between the main character and another CIO, who serves as his mentor. At times the dialogue feels a bit stilted and contrived, but I would contend that it's still a smoother read than a conventional business school primer. 

The conversations between the CIO and his mentor--as well as conversations between the CIO and his own team or the CEO--offer insights and strategies for creating an effective mindset and approach for leadership. One passage that I found illustrative was an analogy the mentor makes in explaining why CIOs need to learn to delegate the nitty gritty to employees and focus on the big picture instead:

"You're like the conductor of a professional orchestra who's frustrated at how his pianist is playing. So you stop directing, jump down from your podium, shove the musician off his bench and start banging on the keys yourself. Then you hear the lead saxophonist miss a note so you rush over, push her out of the way and start blowing. All the while, the music starts sounding like a middle-school rehearsal instead of a world-class symphony, the actual purpose of the orchestra."

At this point, however, I would be surprised if these ideas are new to many CIOs. Maybe it's the ongoing economic pressures of the last year or two, but it seems that most CIOs who have survived have come to understand the imperative of making the IT organization a strategic player in the business.   

It also seems that CIOs these days have come to embrace the opportunity for leadership rather than resist it. The novel's struggling CIO at first seems to epitomize a stereotype that may be past its prime. His voice cracks when he addresses the CEO, he mumbles under his breath when given constructive criticism, and initially he fails to see the need to exude strength and confidence in his role. This could not be farther from the style of the CIOs I talk with regularly.

For aspiring CIOs, or any other aspiring business leaders, though, "Haunting the CEO" provides some good insights into developing leadership skills in a quick, easy-to-read narrative. It could be one to add to the training seminar reading list. - Caron