3 Ways CIOs Can Support People

"There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about."

― Margaret J. Wheatley

Throughout the month of May, Evanta, a Gartner Company, held 16 Virtual Town Halls for CIO communities across the globe, hosting nearly 1,000 IT executives in discussions centered around ‘Resetting for the Future - Embracing Opportunity.’

In the course of the conversations, clarity around what’s important to the overall CIO community during the evolving crisis became abundantly clear – people are what’s important, not technology, not strategy, not risk assessments, but people. The true depth of this understanding came to light as CIOs repeatedly stated, “Empathy is what will get us through this,” and “We had to make sure our people were safe, before we could do anything else.” 

Admittedly, the first conclusion I developed out of my time spent listening to CIO leadership conversations was a predictable one — now more than ever, implementing digital technologies to enable the enterprise is critical to the future. It’s very clear that IT leaders have rapidly implemented digital technologies during this time in order for the businesses to survive.

In fact, we asked participants of the Town Halls the following question, “As a result of global circumstances, the rate of adoption and implementation of new digital technologies will drastically increase throughout 2020. Do you agree?”

Unsurprisingly, 94% of respondents marked that they either agree (8%), somewhat agree (14%), or strongly agree (72%). There is a small percentage (6%) that disagree with this statement.

These statistics proved our hypothesis, but the constant theme of people overshadowed validation or insight over the rapid acceleration of digital technologies. It’s as if many CIOs have known that at some point the levy would break – that enterprises would eventually concede to the need or circumstance for these technologies. In a sense, it was only a matter of time. 

So, IT was ready… to distribute the technology… but what about the people?

Based on the community discussions, here are three ways a CIO can support their people throughout these times.

1. Reflect

In the midst of a discussion with the New York CIO Governing Body about enabling remote work and measuring productivity, one of the CIOs posed this question to his colleagues, “What have you discovered about yourself, your family, your community, or your company during this crisis and what have you re-discovered?”

Reflecting upon himself and his company, he concluded, “I’ve learned that work is something you do and not a place that you go.”

During your day, set aside some time to reflect on your needs and the needs of those around you. Don’t be afraid to share your reflections with your peers and your team. We are all discovering new capabilities and being pushed to unknown limits. Be kind to yourself, so you can return that kindness to your people.

1. Keep in touch with your community

There is no doubt that CIOs, as well as other executives, need their peers. I’ve often heard CIOs talk about the loneliness of their roles because they are wedged between executives who may not fully grapple with the opportunities that technology can deliver and managing teams of IT individuals who at times struggle to understand the business. 

During a time of crisis, whether it be a global pandemic or social disruption, validation that you are doing the right things or on the same track as others can be profoundly influential to your state of mind. 

Brené Brown writes in her book Dare to Lead, “One of the most important benefits of reaching out to others is learning that the experiences that make us feel the most alone are actually universal."

Create space and time for yourself to talk to your peers. Join a Virtual Town Hall, schedule a happy hour with people you’ve met at a CIO Summit – talk, listen and learn.

1. Listen and learn

During the Chicago CIO Town Hall, executives discussed a myriad of things involving the well-being of their customers and employees, in particular as they begin making plans to move back into the office.

One CIO noted, “It’s important to us to ensure the safety and security of our employees. If they are not comfortable going back to the office, we have to meet those needs. In no way do we want to put their health at risk.”

This way of thinking forces employees to be honest and share their comfort levels, but it also influences executives to really listen and support their team members. 

There is a level of empathy needed from CIOs today, which requires them to listen and understand their workforce. This human connection that empathy inspires will truly pay dividends for IT leaders as they inch toward normalcy.

As Margaret Wheatley suggests change helps communities learn about the things they care about the most. There’s no doubt that CIOs have uniformly considered people their most valuable resource. In fact, I’ve never met a CIO who’s ever admitted to valuing process or technology more than their people. But the current global circumstances have deepened the need for empathy and stretched CIOs to think about the human side of their teams.