Communicating with fellow executive leaders can be challenging, especially if everyone isn't speaking the same language. Andy Bryant, chairman of Intel, spoke with the Wall Street Journal about these communication barriers and how to overcome them.
Here are three tips for CIOs to improve their corporate communication skills.
1. "Go beyond first-level analysis." Mr. Bryant said CIOs and CFOs often are after the same end goal, but they don't always approach conversations about projects from the same perspective. But once CIOs and CFOs recognize their objective is the same, they can began productive discussions on how to get there.
2. Illustrate the problem before demanding a solution. "What I typically see from the boards I'm on is the CIO comes in and says, 'If you don't give me this, we will die. It's over.' And you just kind of say, 'Wow, that's a big statement. Let's go through this in some detail,'" Mr. Bryant said. Instead of making it a budget pitch, outline the issue to be solved.
3. Learn business strategy. Mr. Bryant said CIOs certainly should be part of a company's board, but with that position, they need to have the business strategist position alongside their CIO position. "I want somebody who can take that capability, understand the business strategy that goes with it and help me figure out how to get through some of these waters," he said.
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