leadership

The CIO Succession Gap Nobody Admits

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The article highlights a significant issue in CIO succession planning, revealing that many CIOs become unable to leave their roles because their top technical deputies lack the leadership skills and boardroom experience required to succeed them. This “architect trap” results in a weak leadership bench that appears deep technically but fails to gain board approval, which can delay CIO career moves and stall organizational transformations. The author recommends deliberate succession planning early on by assigning deputies real decision-making authority, exposing them to challenging executive interactions, and introducing them to the board to build credible future CIO candidates.

https://www.cio.com/article/4168461/the-cio-succession-gap-nobody-admits.html

Coherence: Where Leadership and AI Success Intersect

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BNY's CIO Leigh-Ann Russell emphasizes “coherence” as a vital leadership discipline in successfully integrating AI within complex, fast-paced organizations, connecting strategy to execution and balancing innovation with control to avoid chaos. Under her leadership, BNY has rapidly advanced AI adoption, deploying over 220 AI solutions and 140 digital employees through a centralized platform, while fostering talent and clarity to embed AI at the core of operations sustainably and ethically.

https://www.cio.com/article/4166851/coherence-where-leadership-and-ai-success-intersect.html

AI Is Spreading Decision-Making, but Not Accountability

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As AI systems become widely adopted in enterprises, decision-making responsibilities are distributed across various teams, but legal accountability tends to concentrate on the organizations deploying these systems and their executive leadership, particularly CIOs. While AI governance frameworks involve multiple functions like legal, risk, IT, and business, courts generally hold humans—especially those integrating AI into real-world decisions—responsible when failures occur, underscoring that AI spreads decision-making but does not absolve accountability.

https://www.cio.com/article/4160986/ai-is-spreading-decision-making-but-not-accountability.html

When the CEO Leads the AI Initiative

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The article emphasizes that successful AI adoption in enterprises requires active leadership from the CEO, who champions the initiative internally and externally, while delegating execution to senior executives like the CIO. The CIO plays a critical role in developing realistic AI strategies, balancing enthusiasm with practicality, and maintaining strong communication with the CEO to ensure AI efforts align with business goals and avoid overhyped expectations.

https://www.cio.com/article/4166686/when-the-ceo-leads-the-ai-initiative.html

The Rise of the Double Agent CIO

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Ravi Malick, CIO of Box, illustrates the evolving role of CIOs in B2B SaaS companies as “double agents” who balance internal technology leadership with external market engagement, including direct interactions with customer CIOs. This expanded role demands managing internal priorities like modernization and operational excellence while also supporting revenue growth through customer relationships and transparency, highlighting the increasing strategic significance of CIOs as technology becomes central to business growth and trust.

https://www.cio.com/article/4162394/the-rise-of-the-double-agent-cio.html

You Can’t Train Your Way Out of the AI Skills Gap

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Jeff Carson argues that while many enterprises recognize an AI skills gap and invest heavily in training, the core challenge lies not in skill deficiencies but in outdated work design. He emphasizes that true AI-driven transformation requires redesigning workflows, roles, and operating models to leverage AI’s capabilities effectively, moving beyond faster individual productivity to achieve improved organizational performance. CIOs play a critical role in leading this redesign to ensure that AI adoption translates into faster decisions, reduced bottlenecks, and better business outcomes.

https://www.cio.com/article/4165040/you-cant-train-your-way-out-of-the-ai-skills-gap.html

Why I, the CEO, Am Personally Building Our AI Strategy

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Kris Beevers, CEO of NetBox Labs, argues that AI strategy is too critical to delegate and requires CEOs to be personally involved in building and experimenting with AI tools to fully understand their potential across the organization. Emphasizing speed over perfection, Beevers highlights the need for hands-on leadership, cultural shifts to normalize AI use, and lowering barriers to experimentation to drive company-wide AI adoption and stay competitive in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

https://www.cio.com/article/4164492/why-i-the-ceo-am-personally-building-our-ai-strategy.html

Slow Down to Speed Up: Why Steadfast IT Leadership Is Critical in the Age of AI

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In the article “Slow down to speed up: Why steadfast IT leadership is critical in the age of AI,” Glen Brookman emphasizes that successful AI adoption depends on strong foundational elements like governance, data quality, and operational readiness established well before deployment. He argues that while the pressure to rapidly integrate AI is intense, organizations must prioritize disciplined preparation and responsible innovation to mitigate risks and build sustainable transformation.

https://www.cio.com/article/4163277/slow-down-to-speed-up-why-steadfast-it-leadership-is-critical-in-the-age-of-ai.html

Delivering an Impactful 15-Minute Board Briefing

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Cyber risk oversight is increasingly a priority for audit committees, which often allocate only 10 to 15 minutes per quarter for cybersecurity briefings amidst other responsibilities. Effective CIO and CISO briefings focus on delivering concise, actionable insights that highlight material risks, changes in the external environment, and program health, enabling directors to govern with clear priorities and decisions rather than merely receiving status updates.

https://www.cio.com/article/4163334/delivering-an-impactful-15-minute-board-briefing.html

CIOs Struggle to Find Clarity in Their Organizations’ AI Strategies

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The 2026 State of the CIO survey reveals that many organizations lack a clear and cohesive AI strategy, causing challenges for CIOs in driving AI initiatives effectively. Key issues include unclear corporate AI strategies, uncertain ownership of AI goals, and difficulty engaging line-of-business leaders, with experts emphasizing the need for executive alignment and defined accountability to ensure AI investments deliver measurable business value.

https://www.cio.com/article/4162949/cios-struggle-to-find-clarity-in-their-organizations-ai-strategies.html

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