As the former vice president of IT at Hills Department Stores Inc. in Canton, Mass., he was smack dab in the middle of that company's turnaround. Collaborate with other executives. Once you've stood up and been counted, you need to take a leadership position. You must develop a social architecture to go with the network architecture and spread your ideas beyond the IS department, advises Jack Cooper, vice president of information management at Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. in New York City. It doesn't happen overnight, but you have to be willing to initiate a change in your behavior.
Nothing diminishes productivity more than rumors and gossip.
It's the CIO's responsibility, as the person in charge of IS, to make sure the right information is disseminated. That diminishes everyone's fear factor by eliminating secrets and uncertainty. Take advantage of chaos. Focus on the future. When finances are going south, the natural inclination is to point fingers.