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Thursday 9th February 2012

Executive Women in IT: The 10 Most Important Pieces of Advice

From securing entry-level jobs to reaching the pinnacle of the CIO position, women have a unique perspective on the challenges to become top executives in a primarily male-dominated business, the IT profession. At the request of the CIO Executive Council, a global peer advisory community dedicated to advancing the IT profession, female senior IT leaders around the world in our Executive Women in IT (EWIT) group collaborated to document their most important advice to women in all stages of their career. Behind each piece of advice are personal stories from women who have become strong IT leaders and better business executives.


Gain a broad view of the business early in your IT career
When you set your sights on moving up, remember to take advantage of the all-encompassing view of the business that IT provides and start building your strategic business skills.

Project confidence and promote all that you do for your company as an IT leader
Be a more effective voice for IT at the executive table and showcase confidence in publicizing your successes.

Overcome the tendency of men not to hear you by changing the way you relate to them
Know your audience and target your discussion of IT’s role in their processes to immediately form connections and engage them.

Master the communication and cultural differences of the global IT business environment
Listen, be respectful of cultural diversity, draw different perspectives from members of the team and focus on change management practices in your role as a global IT leader.

Become known as a business-oriented leader
Change your way of thinking from ‘technology first and foremost’ to a business perspective.

Be a trailblazer and risk taker
By taking risks as a business leader and in your IT career path, you will become better prepared as a leader.

Employ a support system at work and at home
Successful IT leaders have found that outsourcing aspects of their personal lives by delegating to others helps them to prioritize the important things.

Foster an environment where everyone on your staff can achieve ‘life balance’
You are not the only one seeking balance in your IT career and home life—as a leader, it is up to you to create the environment where all of your team members can become the most effective individuals they can be in all arenas.

Identify the impact of your personal life on your IT career journey at each stage
Be comfortable with the effect decisions such as taking a different job or cutting back on hours may have on your career, and with the fact that your choices will change over time as your family’s needs change.

Always look ahead in creating your legacy
Prepare for your career growth and upward mobility by planning ahead and developing a strong bench of IT leadership to succeed you.


Executive Women in IT – Our Mission
  • Provide a managed community for women IT executives to share expertise, best practices and solutions to business challenges
  • Further the career development of women in IT
  • Raise the visibility of women in IT through speaking opportunities at CIO magazine and IDG events
  • Increase and improve the pipeline of young adults entering the IT workforce
  • Serve as role models to girls of all pages to foster their interest and passion in math, science, engineering, IT and business

For more information about the Executive Women in IT group please visit: http://council.cio.com/groups/ewit.html