In 2008 JB Homer launched a series of semi-annual CIO/CTO Breakfast Roundtables to create a forum for small groups of senior technology executives from the tri-state area to come together to discuss some of the issues facing them as technology leaders, and the solutions they have instituted. When we decided to host these events our initial targeted group was women executives, who had expressed to us numerous times in the past the feeling that they have had less opportunity than their male counterparts to participate in events where they could network with their peers effectively. The positive feedback from the events encouraged us to expand future invitations to all CIOs and CTOs who are interested in attending.

The foundation of the Breakfast Roundtable remains to offer technology executives a comfortable environment to exchange ideas and to build relationships with their peers both inside and outside of their own industries. We consciously make the effort to attract as wide a spectrum of industry representation as we can to keep the conversation from being industry specific and to offer a more diverse spectrum of experience.

The success of these events is totally reliant on to the candor of the participants who freely express their ideas and opinions about issues they have elected to discuss.

What has been tremendously interesting to us as the discussion facilitators are the common threads that run through the topics that the participants bring to the table. Several weeks in advance of each event we request that all the attendees submit discussion points, and we then incorporate the most requested topics into the agenda. The magnet for coming to these events is that the participants know exactly what topics will be discussed, who will be participating in the conversation, and that each participant will have ample opportunity to be heard.

It’s also interesting that the participants always turn out to be people who I would characterize as Champions – highly accomplished, articulate, well respected in their own industries, and possessing a strong desire both to share their own experiences and to learn from others. The caliber of the ideas and opinions being exchanged really has demonstrated why these executives deserve their status as some of the best in the business.

We restrict the attendance to a select group that can comfortably fit into a conference room to create a sense of intimacy and camaraderie for the discussion. All of the attendees participate in the discussion offering up both questions and opinions that are thought-provoking and very insightful. Every participant to date has provided us with feedback that they’ve gotten something useful out of the discussion that they can take back and implement within their own organizations.

At the last event which we hosted on Feb. 25th there was almost an universal consensus that the topics that were of primary importance to those attending that particular session were: Leadership - how to manage effectively in a down economy; Staff - how to maintain the productivity and morale of staff, and Cost Control - how to continually reduce or control the cost of technology solutions without jeopardizing the effectiveness of the business you are supporting. We found the conversation to be lively and unexpectedly optimistic about the impact of the economy and their companies’ future.

Due to the high volume of requests that we’ve received from CIOs expressing interested in participating in these forums we’ve decided to increase the frequency of the events from semi-annually to quarterly.

I believe when you bring great minds and personalities together you have a formula for a successful discussion. Throw in a continental breakfast and it turns out to be the perfect way to start a day – truly a Breakfast of Champions.

Career planning and development are activities that occur throughout a person’s lifetime. Throughout our careers we often pause to review and reset our own expectations for our professional development and personal development. You may be in the process of your own review now after reviewing your personal finances, changing positions, recovering from a job loss, totally changing your career path or a multitude of personal issues. The career that you have chosen influences your entire lifestyle, self-concept, income, prestige, choice of friends and even living location. Career planning is a significant subcomponent of life planning. It is influenced by many of the same factors, but it focuses attention on work tasks and work environment.

The planning and development process is ongoing and sequential. When you are contemplating making some of these changes it may be easier and less stressful if you have someone in a professional capacity to advise you.

Professionals who may be able to assist you in making career decisions come by many names. They could be called career counselors, career coaches, job coaches, career development counselors, or psychologists for your personal issues. One could become very confused in trying to decide who to choose.

There are many individuals out there that do not really have your best interests in mind and may be misrepresenting their qualifications. Some will have advertisements that promise you higher paying jobs, fast career movement, more fulfillment in your job, and a better quality of life. No one can guarantee you any of those things. A true career advisor or coach can only explore with you your career options, make you aware of market trends, do assessment testing to determine your skill sets, interests, and work related values. Most of these individuals will also assist you in honing the skills necessary for a successful job search or gaining an internal promotion. Some companies that see leadership an exceptional growth potential in you may even suggest, through company sponsored programs, your participation in a career development program.

While credentials are not the only thing you should look for before hiring someone to help you in your career they are certainly a good starting point. You would not see a doctor who does not have a medical degree with the associated credentials and you should not pay someone for career advice that does not have the proper professional credentials.

After you feel you have done all of your research and identified several qualified individuals you should take one further step and have a one on one meeting with each of them to see if the chemistry between the two of you is compatible and you feel comfortable with their approach. If you feel after that meeting that you can work openly with them, the process will move forward and hopefully you will receive career advice that will be helpful to you in reaching greater success and fulfillment in your career.

We can all agree that in today’s talent market the competition for leadership positions in technology keeps getting fiercer. As a search firm we interview for specific success factors that will distinguish potential candidates in the eyes of our clients. One of the key differentiators that we are asked to assess for is a candidate’s leadership style. The most desired leadership style has significantly changed in response to current market demands.

Facilitative Leadership is a leadership style rapidly gaining in popularity as executives look for ways to keep their companies competitive and to motivate their staffs to be as productive as possible. An executive utilizing Facilitative Leadership blends being a visionary decision-maker with being someone who is also committed to empowering their team to identify and take responsibility for their own deliverables. This is the antithesis of the "command and control" style of leadership. Roger Schwarz, PHD, one of the major evangelists of this management style, has defined the facilitative leader as one whom: "helps groups and individuals become more effective through building their capacity to reflect on and improve the way they work".

Facilitative Leadership has 3 core components:

Valid Information - meaning that all team members share all the information they have pertinent to the problem they are dealing with including any information that may not support that individual’s own favored solution to that problem.

Free and Informed Choice – choices are based on valid information. You are committed to your choices and responsible for their consequences because those choices were made with your free will and without anyone else’s influence. The basis of Facilitative Leadership is to empower members within a team to accept responsibility for their own actions and commitments - creating a higher level of communication, productivity and company loyalty as team members feel they are acting in their own best interests.

Internal Commitment – the team makes a personal commitment to perform the tasks they have undertaken to the best of their ability based on the information they’ve been given and the free and informed choices they have made. This calls into play each team member’s sense of personal integrity because they perform to the best of their ability not only for benefit of their team and their company, but as a reflection of their own commitment to excellence.

Facilitative Leadership is gaining in popularity with management and staff because team members consider this management style to be a reward system empowering them in their workplace. Returning control over their own actions and giving them access to much more of the information about the company gives staff members a sense of being respected as important members of their team and valued for what they do. CIOs and other "C" level executives who have adopted this style are excited that they are able to quantify increases in productivity and cooperation among their teams, and are also experiencing a significant increase in team morale and staff retention.

Facilitative Leadership is a major change in management style for leaders or teams who have operated within the paternalistic model of dictating to team members what to do and expecting them to just blindly adhere to their leader’s set plan. With Facilitative Leadership the responsibility for success is now divided far more evenly between the leader and his team –as is the sense of accomplishment and reward. This truly creates a win-win situation for everyone.

The popularity of Facilitative Leadership will continue to grow as the value it generates becomes a greater factor in more and more companies’ continued success. If this is not the prevalent management style at your company its demonstrated success certainly makes it one worth exploring further.

Cyber risks and actual attacks have grown dramatically in the past two years and are expected to grow in the next two years. This growth is occurring at a time where Information Technology budgets and security staff are being reduced while regulatory requirements are increasing. As an executive search firm who interviews prospective candidates for clients in need of C-level executives including corporate IT security officers, we have discovered effective plans of action these executives have incorporated into their own organizations as the demand for corporate Cyber Security solutions becomes more and more important:

Corporate IT Security groups need to first understand where the security risks originate from and then develop and execute a plan to mitigate these risks to their data and networks. Security breaches and intrusions can come from both outside and inside the company’s realm. The first plan of action is to have an Incident Response team already in place which allows an organization to prepare for and respond to an actual breach in security. IT Security typically manages Incident Response, however, security breaches may also involve other key stakeholders such as finance if the breach involves loss of funds and Human Resources if the breach involves an insider.

The next part of an effective Cyber Security plan involves Forensic Analysis. This analysis can help determine how the network and data was breached, where the cyber attack was initiated from, what information was compromised and to see if the network is still vulnerable to attack. It’s also vital to have a notification plan in place to inform both internal clients and external agencies such as law enforcement and regulatory groups as to the nature, cause and extent of the breach. These incidents should be properly documented as well in order to facilitate legal action against an intruder and to put preventative measures in place to help ensure that the breach is not repeated.

A Remediation strategy is also an integral part to the Cyber Security Plan. Remediation is the tactical response to vulnerabilities that are discovered. This involves prioritizing the areas of vulnerability that need the most immediate attention and the recovery of data. Lastly, a plan should be developed to stop further breaches from occurring. A review of security incidents should quickly take place and then effective solutions and remedies need to be implemented to prevent a repeat of the breach from other cyber intruders who may discover the same vulnerabilities.

Cyber attacks can drive significant losses for corporations through the theft of sensitive corporate, customer and employee data. An effective Corporate Cyber Security Plan can go a long way in helping to ensure the security of company data and its intellectual capital.