Fostering Innovation

21Build that Network

It's not uncommon for people to send me a LinkedIn request the day after they lose their job. While networking is the key to landing your new role, the time to start building a network is long before you need it. As networking advocates like to say, “You need to dig the well before you're thirsty.”

The most important network for a CIO is other CIOs in the same industry. In the 2000s, there was a thriving retail community in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area, and the retail CIOs got together frequently. These get-togethers were almost always dinners organized by professional connectors and paid for by IT vendors. Professional connector Cathy Hotka built an entire business around connecting retail leaders. Not only does Cathy arrange the dinner, pick the menu, and invite the right mix of people, but she shows up in person and keeps the conversation flowing. Cathy ensures that everyone has a say and nobody dominates the discussion. She gently coaches her paying customers about networking etiquette, strictly prohibiting PowerPoint presentations and other overt sales tactics. If you work in retail, you need to be on Cathy's list. If you work in another industry, you need to find your version of Cathy Hotka. If there isn't a Cathy, start your own CIO networking group.

When I worked for Pier 1 Imports, Andrew Jackson, the president and co-founder of BravoTECH, came to me with a proposition. Andrew would hold a monthly IT leader roundtable in my office. He would ...