CIO's Role and Leadership

In the attached HBR article the Dalai Lama shares his observations on leadership and describes how our "strong focus on material development and accumulating wealth has led us to neglect our basic human need for kindness and care." He offers leaders three recommendations. First, to be mindful: "When we're under the sway of anger or attachment, we're limited in our ability to take a full and realistic view of the situation." Also, to be selfless: "Once you have a genuine sense of concern for others, there's no room for cheating, bullying, or exploitation; instead you can be honest, truthful, and transparent in your conduct." And finally, to be compassionate: "When the mind is compassionate, it is calm and we're able to use our sense of reason practically, realistically, and with determination."

Last year around this time HBR brought out some golden words of Dalai Lama on compassionate leadership. Its ironical that today there is so much talk about lack of leadership in the current pandemic situation we find ourselves today. There is a timely article while we all work from home, that McKinsey just published about the role of CIOs -The CIO's moment: Leadership through first wave of the coronavirus crisis. Please read the two attached readings and give your thoughts on the following questions:

1. How companies can learn from the current situation on how to approach their Information Systems Strategy? If they did not, what will be the consequences?

2. How CIO's can redefine their role to be more deeply involved in corporate strategy/ mission based on the McKinsey paper.

HBR Dalai Lama on Leadership.PDF

The-CIOs-moment-Leadership-through-the-first-wave-of-the-coronavirus-crisis.pdf