Cultivating skills to ensure longevity

We have already noted that the average tenure for a CIO and CISO is two to three years, and while there are some exceptions of executives who can enjoy real longevity in their roles, these are not the norm.

There is a private joke I have heard about CIOs and CISOs, where the role acronyms are said to stand for “Career Is Over” and “Career is Shortly Over,” respectively. For the average CIO and CISO, longevity in their roles is not typical. Therefore, while this is said in lighthearted jest, there is a reality that these positions are intrinsically demanding. To survive in the longer term, you need to have a strategy that is flexible and can pivot across different dimensions. What I mean here is that the CIO and CISO should seek broader experience across a variety of industries, different scales of organizations, and diverse business and technology challenges. Thus, their career is a series of traditional, lateral...