Information Technology

Another task for Serafin: Getting CUNA Mutual technology leaders quoted in business media, either through press interviews or writing articles. CIOs who don't market themselves and their group this way may be hurting their companies' ability to attract talent, she says.

"They don't understand the impact external communications can have for recruiting and retention," she says. "The next-generation workforce looks at blogs and websites and Google when they're looking for a job. They have to find you." The CIO's reputation does influence potential hires, agrees Egon Zehnder's Patrick. Big-name CIOs "can attract talent simply because of who they are and being visible."

The Operations Expert

An operations expert relieves the CIO of the daily burdens of down-and-dirty IT problems, but is a bit more tactical than a deputy CIO or other "second-in-command" managers. John Melott can parachute into a problem IT situation and in a matter of weeks, assess infrastructure and engineering, top to bottom, says Loomis 's Sadin.

When they met in 1983, Sadin recalls, Melott was night-shift lead computer operator at Murray Financial in Dallas (where he's still based). Melott came into Sadin's office to volunteer an explanation of what was wrong with Sadin's data centre plans. For one, the walls were in the wrong place and cabling would be a bear. "That marked him as a comer, as far as I was concerned," says Sadin. "I listened to him and he was right."

Sadin recruited Melott to almost every company he worked at thereafter — five cities in four states. Sadin typically brings in Melott when a company has outgrown its IT department, and its staff and approach need changing. Melott's value lies in his breadth of experience. "He's certified in project management, certified in disaster recovery planning and boy, can he motivate people," Sadin says.

Melott is most proud of his ability to shield a CIO from daily IT upsets. "You just take care of them," he explains. "If you don't sift through the events and information, you can get your CIO bogged down in too much day-to-day stuff rather than focusing on strategy."

But you always, always tell your CIO about an IT problem that affects customers, Melott says. "When they don't know about something not working, that makes them look foolish and if they look foolish then all of IT looks foolish."