Leadership You might be a “CIO Luddite” Gary Davenport @itworldca Published: March 11th, 2016As a follow-up to my previous blog on “Long live the new CIO” and borrowing on Jeff Foxworthy’s comedy routine theme of “you might be a redneck if…” Here are some lighthearted attempts to define “CIO Luddites” in the world of the “new CIO.”So, the top 10 reasons you might be a CIO Luddite are:If you think that “cloud computing” is actually in the skyIf you haven’t figured out that “big data” is about more than just lots of dataIf your major apps are all still mainframe and green screen basedIf you are attempting to define your digital transformation strategy in isolation of your business peersIf you are still trying to strictly control “shadow IT” and not getting any further aheadIf you still haven’t got a “seat at the table”If you haven’t leveraged strategic supplier relationships to advance your plansIf you believe that CIO actually stands for “career is over” and that is a good thingIf you are not current on the latest trends and directions within your industryIf you are not actively engaged in networking to advance your careerDon’t be a “CIO Luddite,” instead aspire to be a “new CIO” which means:Working with customers, peers, subordinates and strategic suppliers to constantly find new ways to improve both organizational effectiveness and efficiency through digital transformationLetting go of traditional ways of doing business and being open to new possibilities by challenging the status quoBuilding organizational structures and third party relationships that facilitate executive leadership accountability for IT operations and service levels without the need or your direct involvement so that you focus your time and attention on higher value producing activitiesCommunicating in the language of the business and not “techno speak”Being current on the latest trends and directions in their industries and having an awareness of external threats and opportunitiesBeing comfortable in dealing with the ever-increasing complexity of technology infrastructures and the related regulatory and legal requirements while also being able to simplify and focus on the essence of any issueUnderstanding that positive and productive user experiences, and appropriate data and security measures are given in today’s worldBeing able to operate in an agile and flexible environment, but also understanding that structure and processes are necessary to ensure consistent quality and predictable resultsNot forgetting the lessons from the past and being able to build bridges between the past, present and futureBeing an active and contributing member of a professional association for CIOs (i.e. CIOCAN) for the benefit of your organization, the overall industry and your careerLong live the “new CIO”! You can learn more at the upcoming CIO Association of Canada’s annual CIO Peer Forum on April 20th and 21st at the Allstream Centre in Toronto which is based on the theme of: Rise to the challenge…someone will. I hope to see you there.Would you recommend this article?00 Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article! We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication. Click this link to send me a note →Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada Leadership Canadian CIOs, CIO Association of Canada, CIO Luddite, new CIO