Handling a critical hygiene issue

As the new CIO or CISO, it is wonderful if you can help resolve a long-standing issue and get a quick win. Often, these are simple things that get attention, and your team is noticed for acting swiftly. In the 90-day plan, you will have assigned this as one area to focus on.

As you do the rounds of stakeholder meetings, they won’t be shy about suggesting some areas to address. You should manage expectations and make it clear that you are interested in understanding their concerns, but also can’t promise that will be the one item that gets prioritized.

I’ve seen an example of a large financial transformation underway and taking up all the bandwidth and resources for other projects. There were many stakeholders who felt that their needs were not being met and that they were crowded out by the larger strategic priority. A quick win was to acknowledge that digital innovation is on the agenda, and it is part of the overall portfolio...