Many CIOs have the technical and management know-how to lead their organizations well, but is there one path to the top that produces top-notch CIOs? In general, CIOs get to their positions in one of four ways: rising up from within the IT department, coming across the corporation from a non-IT function, coming into the organization as a change agent, or entering as a consultant. Each has its strengths and weaknesses: CIOs recruited externally may have trouble relating to their colleagues and will be seen as an unknown quantity, while CIOs from the IT side can be seen as outsiders to their corporate peers. CIOs appointed from elsewhere in the corporation can experience a lack of trust by the IT staff, while CIOs who come from the IT ranks tend to stick around longer. The most popular way to rise to the level of CIO is through the IT ranks. But ultimately, it may not matter: careers are driven by character.

Read more about what makes a top-notch CIO:
- read the article at ComputerWeekly