Navigating Disagreement: How CIOs Can Communicate Effectively
CIOs must prioritize approachability in their interaction to foster trust and ease change management, according to industry experts. Deliberate strategies include consistently soliciting feedback, acknowledging concerns, and clearly explaining the rationale behind decisions.These habits, as highlighted by Christison, “reinforce trust and make change easier to navigate.”
Creating a safe space for open communication is also crucial. Murrah emphasizes striving for approachability, encouraging team members to share innovative ideas and openly identify potential risks. An approachable leader, she explains, handles this facts “with confidence and confidentiality, and recognizes good ideas, facilitates brainstorming solutions, and avoids taking retribution.”
A key communication pitfall for CIOs is poor listening. Depretis asserts that effective CIOs practice active listening – paying attention, withholding judgment, and seeking clarification when needed.Maintaining focus during discussions is also vital, but should be done with a gentle approach. Depretis suggests a tactic like saying, “I think this idea is a really good one, but I’m not sure it pertains to this specific project – I’d like to table it until our next meeting so that we can give it our attention then.”
Furthermore, leaders should avoid underestimating the impact of technological change on their teams. Christison cautions that even well-intentioned leaders can unintentionally minimize the disruptive effect of “disruptive new systems” on employees, possibly leading to resistance and frustration, as highlighted in a recent article on the growing IT skills gap.
