CIOs Are People Who Need People

Opportunities for relationship building occur every moment of a CIO's workday. Whether it's attending meetings, dropping by a peer's office or spending a few days at an offsite, a CIO is constantly in the process of forging ties.

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3. Using Personality to Your Advantage

Relationship building is easier if you can leverage an outgoing nature, positive energy and charisma. "The beer business is a relationship business," says Wasielewski. Because of this, relationship building tends to be a core skill for Coors leaders. Gilpin agrees that many executives say relationship building comes naturally but cautions that leaders must practice. "You can't just rely on your natural talent or tendencies. It comes down to how you work with people on a daily basis, including communication, collaboration, taking criticism and being flexible," says Gilpin.

If you don't count relationship building among your core skills, coaching can help. "Right now," says Whitmer, "I'm coaching one of my more introverted team members to do things as simple as meeting with someone face-to-face rather than sending an e-mail."

4. Bake It into the Job

Gilpin likens the relationship process to finding time to exercise; she knows it's valuable but difficult to do. Gilpin recognizes the need to have a weekly meeting with her peer associate CIO of application development. She also has a brief weekly meeting with all associate CIO peers to touch base. "By having a set time each week reserved, the relationship is constantly being managed," says Gilpin. At the IRS, "it's become part of the normal workday to communicate with different stakeholders."

In the end, strong relationships provide benefits not only to the enterprise but to the executive's career. It's much easier to survive a mistake if the CIO has a store of goodwill and credibility. Two relationships Langston nurtured with the COO and SVP of HR while he worked in the employee benefits area were integral to his getting placed in the CIO role. The two executives strongly recommended Langston, even though he had no IT experience. "You may not realize it at the time," says Langston, "but the relationships you are establishing today will undoubtedly help you in your career down the road."

Carrie Mathews is senior manager, member services, for the CIO Executive Council.