How CIOs Build Real Influence

Many CIOs want greater influence - with their executive peers, at the board table, and in shaping business strategy itself.

Yet despite the growing dependency on technology and digital initiatives, that influence often remains out of reach.

After working with hundreds of CIOs over the past seven to eight years, a consistent pattern emerged. High-performing CIOs (those who genuinely co-own the business strategy) do three things exceptionally well. This is how CIOs influence.

Clarity

First, they have absolute clarity of strategy. They clearly differentiate between a technology strategy and a digital strategy. The technology strategy focuses on how technology creates value within the organisation - stability, scalability, security, and efficiency. The digital strategy, by contrast, is about value creation beyond the organisation - customers, partners, revenue growth, and experience. High-performing CIOs not only understand this distinction, they back both strategies with clear programs of work and are relentlessly transparent about progress, outcomes, and commercial impact.

Connection

Second, they build genuine connection between IT and the business. This goes far beyond “alignment.” In high-performing organisations, business stakeholders actively co-own decisions. They are embedded in programs of work, involved in trade-offs, and accountable for outcomes - particularly from an ROI perspective. Technology initiatives stop being “IT projects” and become shared business investments with shared accountability.

Capability

Third, high-performing CIOs are deliberate about capability. They invest in their people and take ownership of critical roles. Rather than outsourcing core capability to third parties, they build or hire the skills that matter most to the organisation’s future. This creates resilience, improves decision-making, and strengthens credibility at the executive level.

These three factors - strategic clarity, genuine co-ownership, and intentional capability building - separate CIOs who deliver from CIOs who lead.

More importantly, they define CIOs who earn influence and help shape the broader business strategy, not just the technology agenda.

To support this shift, I’ve developed a clear framework for CIOs looking to excel. It'll be released shortly in an upcoming special report, with early access available via the waitlist, along with a special gift for those who join – a copy of the bestselling book Making Life Happen.