So much of what is written about CIOs amounts to slight variations on a handful of themes: The need to align IT with business goals; the need to make IT a value center, not a cost center; the need to be transformative; the need to (brace yourself) do more with less. I find the constant harping by non-CIOs on these themes wearying, and I have to believe it's much worse for you.

I don't normally focus this column on a single outside news item, but a special report by John Hughes at CIOUpdate sheds some refreshing light on the question of how CIOs are covered by the tech industry. Hughes reviewed IBM's (NYSE: IBM) biannual study, "The Essential CIO," which opens by asking "Who needs a CIO?" and goes on to many other questions that have already been asked and answered to death.

Hughes, founder of the advisory firm GrowthWave, summarizes each section of the 72-page study, directing readers to the few needles worth finding in an otherwise stale haystack. Most of the study, he warns, presents "well-traveled notions of IT leadership" and hackneyed categories that CIOs often get boxed into. It presents four CIO mandates, "which are similar to other IT value models floating around consulting firms the world over."

Hughes goes much easier on the vendor toward the end, where IBM calls on CIOs to become business leaders, not just IT leaders. The study outlines five steps CIOs can take to achieve this goal, including enhancing collaboration, improving efficiencies, embracing analytics (yes, the study is a marketing tool), becoming entrepreneurial and becoming an expert in integrating new technologies. I probably wouldn't have eased up as much on the authors as Hughes does. It's not as though CIOs haven't been told a million times already that they have to be more strategic and innovative, and collaborate more closely with business units. 

What are you sick and tired of being told a CIO should do? Let me know. - Caron

On an unrelated topic, I know I revealed my Luddite proclivities a few weeks ago when I raised the specter of cell phones leading to the demise of honey bees, but one item I recently saw must be added to my "Wait! Are we really ready for this technology?" list. In an effort to cut fuel costs, American Airlines is finishing up a trial iPad program that lets pilots leave their heavy flight bags of paper maps and documents on the ground and carry the 1.5-pound iPad onboard in its place. A special iPad application provides electronic charting with digital images of flight routes. I don't like escalating airline prices and fees any more than the next traveler, but I'm not sure I want my pilot relying on a tablet computer designed for consumers to guide the flight. Is anyone with me on this one?