Soft skills a hard requirement for successful CIOs

CIOs are doing a lot more these days than just managing the bits and bytes in an organization. Many find themselves managing large teams and helming massive transformation projects. Consequently, soft skills (such as emotional intelligence) are critical for any CIO these days. Research increasingly shows that mastering these areas can determine everything from whether you get promoted to how happy you are at work. While the old mode of thinking may have been to check your emotions at the front door when you come to work, recent studies show that people want to hire, promote and be around people that they like. Some of the most commonly requested traits include confidence, optimism, commitment and trustworthiness.

The components of Emotional Intelligence, according to CIO, are: Self-awareness (being mindful of one's moods, emotions and drives), Self-regulation (the ability to think before acting and control negative impulses and moods), Empathy (being able to put oneself in another's shoes), Social skill (the ability to build and manage relationships and influence others) and Motivation (drive that is internally generated rather than motivated by external rewards or financial compensation).

Believe it or not, there is a group called the Emotional Intelligence Consortium that studies this stuff. A few ways to strengthen your emotional intelligence, according to the group: take responsibility, take a public speaking course, even practice yoga and meditation. Who knows, it just might just get you into that million-dollar CIO club.

For more on emotional intelligence:
- read all the details in CIO Article