A dreamed CIO life ?

Here is, below, some thoughts I exchanged with a consultant in the Paris metro, regarding CIO life. Does it match your knowings ?

Once you have stepped in as CIO, you are facing quickly to a lot of operational concerns which usually are managed by crisis meetings. Your people expect from you to take the harsh decisions they have not been able to take and they think they need, to be backed in their day to day work. You are trying a say about strategy, everybody hears you politely, but they all seem to think : « hey, guy shed your illusions ! Here, you will deal with the hard. only if such a thought may support the budget, it is worth to have ». Your team is expecting a change but nobody believe it is still possible.

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