Carl Gilchrist, who leads the North American Information Officer Practice for executive search firm Spencer Stuart, has seen his share of CIOs come and go, and he says their staffing decisions often determine how successful they are. With that in mind, he offers CIOs some tips on how to stay on top of the recruitment front, and get the most from their staffs, during a prolonged economic downturn:
⢠Remain positive–communicate constantly with teams about the difference they’re making, and let them know they’re important.
⢠Continually ensure that you’re matching the right IT skills with your business needs.
⢠Stay networked with other CIOs.
⢠Always be developing and assessing your staff–you can’t afford to have the wrong players in leadership roles.
Of course, any list of “do’s” can be countered with a list of “don’ts.” Here are a few that CIOs should remember:
⢠Don’t gravitate toward the lowest bidder–the cheapest employees probably aren’t the best.
⢠Don’t get too enamored with technical wizardry–look instead for good team players.
⢠Don’t wait for the economy to improve before ramping up your recruitment efforts.