A CIO’s short slide deck captures the best traits of IT leaders

Shane Schick

10 years ago

He may work for a post-secondary school in the U.S., but David Hinson’s ideas on IT leadership should find a welcome audience on this side of the border.

Hinson is the CIO of Hendrix College, a private liberal arts institution based in Conway, Ark. He uploaded the following presentation to SlideShare last week, and while there aren’t a lot of notes or context provided, his “five Ps” — professional, proactive, prescient, passionate, persistent — make for a compelling way to remember some of the characteristics that lead to success in technology and business strategy.

The Five “P”s of Being a Successful CIO from David J. Hinson

Of all his five Ps, I found the notion of prescience stood out. While many CIOs probably do a pretty good job of being professional and persistent, the sense that they are one step ahead in terms of identifying the ways IT can contribute to business value is what I think drives many of the best IT leaders I’ve met.

Beyond this particular slide deck, which could be reused by other CIOs to start a conversation about the kind of culture you want to foster across an IT department, Hinson is one of those CIOs who seems to do it all. He’s a regular blogger with some interesting thoughts on social media policy. He recently took part in a podcast with some of his peers in higher education. He’s also an avid mobile app developer, creating tools and games for iOS, Android and BlackBerry.

Do Hinson’s five P’s cover off the ideal qualities of a CIO, or are there alternatives and additions to his list? Share your ideas in the comments below.