10 Things IT Leaders Can Do To Grow In 2024

IT leaders are at the top of the tree but that should not stop them from learning new things. The pace of technology evolution keeps CIOs in the learning mode all the time. They can not afford to sit back and relax just because they are the CIO of the company because their competitor might be doing a better job than them. This would put your company at a disadvantage and give the competitor an edge over your business.

To grow both personally and professionally, CIOs must do certain things that keep them moving forward. Wondering what those things are? This article is for you. In this article, you will learn about ten things IT leaders can do to grow in 2024.

10 Things IT Leaders Can Do To Grow In 2024

Here are ten things IT leaders can do to grow in 2024.

1. Develop Your Personal Brand

Most IT leaders have too much on their plates so much so that they don’t even think about creating a personal brand. If you are one of those IT leaders then, 2024 is the year to create your personal brand. It will not only help you advance your career but can increase your influence as an IT leader.

Most importantly, it can influence minute details such as how you carry yourself, how you show up and what decisions you make. All these minute things can have a huge impact in reshaping your personality and set you up for success. It will change your mindset and make you focus more on value.

2. Improve Your People Skills

Most IT leaders are technically sound. They have the experience, knowledge and skills to help businesses navigate through tough situations Unfortunately, they struggle when it comes to people skills. Their communication and collaboration skills are not as good as their technical skills. If that sounds familiar to you then, you should focus on improving your people skills in 2024.

3. Master The Art of Pitching

With tough economic challenges ahead, CIOs might find it difficult to get the IT budget they want. This means that you will have to convince the board members about the business value of IT. You might have to convince them about the cheap dedicated servers you are planning to buy. This would only happen if you present your case effectively. For this, you need to brush up your pitching skills. You have to prove that IT is no longer a cost center but a business enabler that can help your business generate more revenue.

4. Bring Out Your Hidden Storyteller

Caitlin McGaw, a career strategist and job search coach, emphasizes the significant role of storytelling in business, particularly in sales and marketing. Despite its established value, many executives lack training or skill in this domain. McGaw encourages professionals to make 2024 the year to change that, highlighting how storytelling can influence, inform, and inspire in ways that straightforward information sharing cannot. 

By encapsulating a message in a story, it becomes memorable, fostering a deeper understanding and connection. McGaw suggests that storytelling, with its ability to inspire bold change, is crucial for leaders to effectively communicate their vision, encouraging teams to embrace necessary risks.

Recognizing that storytelling may not come naturally to everyone, McGaw recommends taking classes or using storytelling frameworks to develop the craft. She advises starting with small stories that incorporate key elements such as a challenge or conflict, a clear narrative, and a resolution.

Additionally, practicing with peers or mentors helps refine the stories to ensure they elicit the desired responses and convey intended messages. Whether personal or broader in scope, stories should serve the purpose of crystallizing a message for the audience to absorb and retain.

5. Take Your Financial Education To The Next Level

Another area IT leaders tend to fall behind is financial literacy. Understanding cash flow statements and reading balance sheets to evaluate the health of a company are skills that they don’t possess. 2024 is the year when IT leaders must allocate time and resources towards learning financial management. Work with the CFO of the company and they will help you with this.

6. Dig Deeper Into Business Operations

One of the biggest complaints business leaders have about IT leaders is that they don’t understand how business processes and business operations work.In fact, this lack of understanding of business operations is one of the biggest reasons behind lack of IT-business alignment. If IT leaders are serious about resolving this issue, they will have to work on increasing their knowledge about business operations.

7. Help Nurture Others

Irrespective of how good you are at what you do, there is a time when you have to pass on the torch to the next generation and move on. Preparing future leaders should be on top of your agenda as an IT leader. You might have made a lot of mistakes along the way. Now, your goal is to help others by sharing the lessons you have learned the hard way.

8. Get Better At Change Management and Leadership

Embrace change as a constant in the IT industry. You might be forced to ditch your legacy systems and migrate to cheap dedicated server hosting. Develop expertise in change management and leadership to guide your team through transitions smoothly. Be adaptable, communicate effectively during changes, and lead by example to inspire confidence in your team.

9. Have a Personal Board of Directors

Everyone needs a group of trusted advisors and IT leaders are no exception. Just like the board of directors you present in the IT case, you should have a personal board of directors of your own. This close circle of trusted people will help you stay motivated when you are feeling down and give you direction when you feel stuck.

10. Master Artificial Intelligence

Saby Waraich, the CIO and CISO at Clackamas Community College, emphasizes the essential role of mastering discussions on AI for IT leaders to stay at the forefront in 2024 and beyond. He recognizes the rapid evolution of AI, underscoring the need to invest time in continuous learning about its changes and impacts. 

To stay ahead, Waraich plans to enroll in an AI course and actively engage with the AI special interest group established by the Society for Information customer relationship management software Portland chapter, acknowledging that failure to embrace this evolving technology may result in falling behind in the dynamic landscape of IT leadership.

Did this article help you in growing as an IT leader in 2024? Share your feedback with us in the comments section below.