He recommends doing some research rather than digging in your heels. "Try and understand the motivation for killing your project," Gingras says. "Find out if it was because of the budget or a change in direction. Or it may be something that you can't be privy to, and then you have to take a leap of faith."
He also recommends some soul-searching. "You have to be introspective about the reasons your project was killed," Gingras suggests. "Was it something you should have foreseen? If so, you may need to be more aware of the bigger circumstances around your job."
Misstep 2: Not Learning the New CIO's Priorities
If your IT department is like many others, the news that a new CIO is about to arrive will prompt staffers to frantically search the Internet, watch presentations on YouTube, query colleagues and read IT industry publications in an effort to learn whatever they can about the newcomer. "It's hard for a CIO to be anonymous," McDonald says. "They will have some presence in the Internet sphere, which should give you a sense of how the new person talks and what's important to him or her."
Make a special effort to find out what's important to the newcomer, he advises. In fact, when you meet the new CIO, the first thing you should do is ask about his priorities. "Say something like, 'I'd like to understand why you came here and what upper management expects from you,'" he says. "You may get an answer like, 'They hired me to consolidate IT operations.'"
Whatever that mission is, make it your mission. "Ask the new boss what you can do to help him or her be successful," Gingras says.
Similarly, it's wise to give careful thought to the new CIO's priorities before requesting extra funding or other resources. "Too many people come into a new CIO's office and say, 'I'm sure glad you're on board, because we couldn't get anything done with the previous CIO. Here's what we're doing, and if we just had additional resources, we could deliver much more,'" notes Steve Watson, managing director for the Dallas office of search firm Stanton Chase International.
Case Study
United States Tennis Association: Right People, Wrong Jobs
When Larry Bonfante took over as CIO at the United States Tennis Association more than eight years ago, "the situation I inherited was a train wreck," he says flatly. Upper management thought IT personnel were the problem and expected Bonfante to clean house. But he soon concluded that the majority of unsuccessful IT employees were simply in the wrong jobs. "If you work to people's strengths, they'll be successful. If you work to their weaknesses, they'll fail," he says.
