Building a Foundation

The first leadership skill in this category isn't really a skill - it's a quality. CIOs must show personal character. This means doing and saying what's right, not just what is expedient or what others want to hear - even if it's at substantial personal risk. Without the credibility that comes from demonstrating character, you can't build a great IT team. In 2010, as today, CIOs will need committed staffers and partners to be successful. This will require mastery both of "hard" management skills (such as establishing clear performance expectations and dealing firmly with poor performers) and "soft" skills (such as mentoring and celebrating team successes). CIOs must foster passion among their staffs and suppliers and build a sense of enthusiasm for the work at hand.

In the next few years, the importance of influence and persuasion skills for CIOs will only grow. Leading other executives to a full understanding of the game-changing nature of IT will require a planned approach to influencing. Involve other execs in IT decisions to get their buy-in, and customise your approach for each person. There are limits to your personal influence; only by persuading others to support your course can you move the organisation in the right direction in its use of technology.

Creating Impact

Once you've gained an understanding of where IT needs to go and have built your IT team, you're ready to make waves. CIOs in 2010 will need to be high-profile in their organisations. They must set a course for others to follow toward strategically important goals. They must act with bold decisiveness - when there's a difficult decision to be made, don't hesitate. You know you've become an impact player when you can accomplish tasks without having to always lean on your formal authority. The credibility you've built gives weight to your opinions.

A lot of lip service is paid today to the notion that CIOs should act as business partners. By the end of this decade, however, it will become vitally important that IT leaders fully engage with their colleagues in the business - not simply to get their buy-in on IT projects, but to provide input that business leaders actively seek out. CIOs will need to articulate unstated business needs and guide the organisation to better processes and solutions, tactfully challenging their colleagues' positions, when necessary.

Finally, CIOs in 2010 will need to be resilient. When there are problems - as there always are - IT leaders will need to emphasise solutions rather than hurdles. When IT is changing the game, you're the one who needs to develop new approaches to work over, around and through obstacles and setbacks.

I believe that by 2010, every CIO of a major, prospering corporation will possess all of these leadership skills, by definition - because organisations without great IT leadership will be also-rans. For today's CIOs, the requirement for the future is clear: Build on your strengths and work hard on your weaknesses. We each need to be personally accountable for improving our leadership skills if we are to become true change agents.

Charlie Feld is the former CIO for Frito-Lay, Delta Air Lines, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and First Data Resources. He is CEO of the Feld Group, a CIO consultancy, which was acquired by IT-consultancy EDS in January