The Art of Influence - Editorial - CIO

THis is good advice for anyone in the IT department.

The Art of Influence - Editorial - CIO: "Heintzeman's initiative to weigh in on a strategic business issue is familiar to any executive but particularly challenging for CIOs, who have little formal power, observes Susan Cramm, a former CIO of Taco Bell who is now an executive coach (and a CIO columnist). Often, a CIO's impact comes down to how good she is at convincing business leaders and end users—who don't have to listen to her—to follow a strategy that the CIO deems important. 'The ability to ‘lead from the back' becomes essential for success,' says Cramm. 'Without influence skills, CIOs are relegated to being order takers.'"