CIO Top Ten Gotcha’s

#1 Your Job Starts the Moment You Accept It Navigate through bridge period without doing two jobs Put safeguards in place to protect yourself Stay informed  Avoid making decisions

#2 You May Need to Make Major Decisions on Day One Reflect on your bedrock values Please your boss or adhere to your principles? A question of principle or tactics? Speaking truth to power

#3 Your calendar will have a life of its own! Let go! Trust your administrative assistant Limit the number who can write to calendar Save one day a week for flexibility in the office Allow travel time Block quadrant 2 time Let go! Trust your administrative assistant Limit the number who can write to calendar Save one day a week for flexibility in the office Allow travel time Block quadrant 2 time

#4 May I have a quote please?---the media will hunt you down! Get acquainted with your media relations staff Be proactive with the media Develop sound bites Prepare news release information in writing Be clear on who can speak with the media Designate a central person to coordinate

#5 You Have Less Political Heft Than You Thought You Did CIOs report to the President, Provost, CFO Each reporting relationship presents challenges Double reporting relationships Be realistic about your political power You are the Secretary of Agriculture

#6 Are You an Insider or Outsider?: It Matters CIOs are either recruited from the outside or promoted from within Pros and cons for the outsider Pros and cons for the insider

#7 You have less money and more expenses than your initial information suggests CIOs continue to rank funding IT as a top annual challenge, and you won’t understand your budget until you have been through an entire year-budget cycle.

#8 Nearly Every Decision is Political Every issue and decision has broad impact and many sides. Try to listen and identify as many facets as possible before offering decisions or opinions. Don’t get trapped by apparently obvious and easy decisions. There are likely good reasons your predecessors made many of the decisions that they did.

#9 Metrics #9 Metrics You haven’t been collecting metrics for the whole year and now you have to write the annual report. Decide early what metrics need to be collected and set up a process for that. Use the EDUCAUSE Core Data information to benchmark with peer institutions. You haven’t been collecting metrics for the whole year and now you have to write the annual report. Decide early what metrics need to be collected and set up a process for that. Use the EDUCAUSE Core Data information to benchmark with peer institutions.

#10 Performance Evaluations You discover that your new institution’s performance review system doesn’t really address what you think is important about staff performance Check out the performance review system early Work with your management team to develop alternatives if needed Monitor the process to insure equitable evaluations You discover that your new institution’s performance review system doesn’t really address what you think is important about staff performance Check out the performance review system early Work with your management team to develop alternatives if needed Monitor the process to insure equitable evaluations

Questions