Team over Title

Team over Title

Originally posted to: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7127722537995698176/

Every so often one of LinkedIn’s suggested article topics catches my attention.
This was a recent one…

❓ What advice do you have for those interested in pursuing a CIO/CISO role?

🧔🏻Above all other advice I can give on this topic the single most important thing is, “Do 👏🏼 NOT👏🏼 chase 👏🏼 a 👏🏼 title!”. Getting stuck in the myopic view of “I need this title” can lead to ignoring some red flags about your role or the company.

During this leg of my journey, I am often asked, "What title are you looking for?" My response is always a version of "What my title is, matters less to me than what my impact is, what business value the role brings, and what the company's culture is (or can be with my influence)".

🏃🏻‍♀️After chasing titles, founding my own company during the pandemic, and joining two large enterprises, I have adopted the philosophy that it's not just the road you are on but the people who are on the road with you. People matter, and the team matters over and above what your title is.

If I'm joining the C Suite then I want to ensure that my peers and I can work together and that together we can accomplish the company's goals. We won’t always see eye-to-eye on everything but together we should be more than the sum of our parts. As a mentor and good friend said to me, “As a member of the C Suite, your team is your fellow C Suite members.”

If I'm reporting to a C Suite member I need to be in lockstep with that leader, I need to ensure that our relationship allows for me to manage up while leading a team and or function.

🚩Lastly, as mentioned above getting stuck in the myopic view of “I need this title” can lead to ignoring some red flags about the role or company. If your perspective is so narrow that you are willing to ignore major personality incompatibilities with your manager or the company direction (or that the company doesn’t have a direction) then your chances of succeeding in the role are limited at best.

Title: Team over Tile
Author: Aaron Wurthmann
Date: 11/01/2023
Link: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7127722537995698176/