The Wolf in CIOs Clothing

by Tina Nunno

As a CIO under fire, is it better to be liked or respected? How do you distinguish between risk and recklessness? When should you defend your position, and when should you give ground?

The answers may surprise you.

Business is a hotbed for conflict, and CIOs often find themselves at the center. As Italian political philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli implied, you’re either predator or prey, and the animal you most resemble determines your position on the food chain. In The Wolf in CIO’s Clothing, Gartner analyst and author Tina Nunno expands on Machiavelli’s metaphor, examining seven animal types and the leadership attributes of each. She posits the wolf — a social animal with strong predatory instincts — as the ideal example of how a leader can adapt and thrive.

Technology may be black and white, but successful leadership demands an ability to exist in the grey. Drawing on her experience with hundreds of CIOs, Nunno charts a viable way to master the Machiavellian principles of power, manipulation, love and war. Through compelling case stories, her approach demonstrates how CIOs and IT leaders can adjust their leadership styles in extreme situations for their own success and that of their teams.

The eBook features five videos with the author and links to an online quiz that highlight the key questions CIOs should ask themselves to assess their readiness for extreme situations.

Genres: Business, Leadership, Nonfiction, Technology, Professional Development, Audiobook

150 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 4, 2013

Reviews

[William Cabell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Refreshing departure from the usual business book that’s unrealistically positive about the business environment. Politics are everywhere there are people and Machiavelli’s analysis is still valuable today. Nunno says we should strive to emulate the wolf, though if anything, she seems to be a hedgehog. Her theories of political behavior are simplistic and overly broad in their scope. Still, it’s far more original than most business books.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few months ago I read some discussion posts on a CIO listserv about this book. The book evoked strong opinions those who posted about the core premise of the book. This peaked my curiosity to read it. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend the Gartner Symposium / ITxpo for the first time. I was fortunate to pickup three books for free while attending conference, one of which was this one.

I've met and heard the author, Tina Nunno, speak previously. I always found her talks, research, and writings to be informative and enlightening. This book was a little different for me. I enjoy reading just about anything about CIO's and IT leadership to help me grow and develop in my role as a CIO. I started into this book with a little skepticism which were partly due to my biases and perhaps influenced some by my colleagues posts on the CIO listserv.

Initially, I admit, I really didn't agree with the basic premise of leading through three Machiavellian disciplines: Power, Manipulation, and Warfare. I'm not sure if it was a bias against Machiavelli or the three words having negative connotations. I prefer leading with positivity. This is my bias!

When I read about the Light and Dark side of leadership I immediately thought of Yoda/Luke Skywalker (Light) and Emporer/Darth Vader (Dark). Don't laugh! However, not everyone or every situation will be nice or positive. CIO's must be able to recognize the dynamics and respond accordingly. This means we must able to use light side and dark side techniques appropriately and effectively.

Then the comparison to animals to demonstrate the pairing of light and dark for each discipline was something I had to contemplate. Perhaps it was the first few sentences in her introduction which asked if you're predator or prey / wolf or lamb? I didn't like the binary choice since I believe leadership is not binary. Leadership isn't always black or white. It is often situational and varying shades of grey.

As I read each chapter, I started to understand what she was trying to say. Her use of case studies from CIO's experiences helped illustrate the concepts a little better. The introduction was, in my opinion, purposely provocative, and set the stage for the book. The further I read, the more I could look back on my career and find examples of my own journey which applied one way or another. I can distinctly remember when I realized I used a dark side technique (unconsciously) to deal with a situation successfully. I also recalled situations where I didn't apply the correct approach and the feeling which followed.

I would recommend this book, especially to new or aspiring CIO's only to educate and make them aware of the politics or cultural dynamics which occur within senior leadership. Reading this books, especially the examples given, and the "Wolf Packet" she includes at the end of each chapter will help you recognize the dynamics of a situation and provide a strategy for how to work with or counter the situation.

Additionally, if you want to be seen as a strategic leader and be recognized as more than a service provider CIO, then you should read this book. At the very least reading examples of successes and failures of other CIOs will help you navigate your future.

Tina includes a Wolf CIO quiz on the Gartner website and I encourage you to take the quiz (before you read the book). I did. The results for me in The Extreme Animal System was:

Approach to Power: Jr. Wolf
Approach to Manipulation: Jr. Wolf
Approach to Warfare: Jr. Wolf
Extreme Animal Profile: Jr. Wolf CIO

So it would seem I have some room to grow to become a full-fledged Wolf CIO which according to Tina is the ideal. My journey continues!!

[Michael Webb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very readable and enjoyed that finally a book is frank about the fact that being an arsehole at work is a legitimate management tactic. I've certainly worked with a few.

[John Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for every technology leader. More Lion, Less Lamb. Clear and thoughtful presentation of the current role of Technology Managers in today's corporate environment and how to thrive. Be a Wolf. Recommended for Tech Managers and Leaders! Lots of good advice!

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were some useful stories shared, and I learned a few things, but the animal metaphors were silly. They served the narrative and gave the the characters counterparts, but still thought they were silly.

[Bookich Store · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the relation of real-life to theory. Better than MBA school. Would highly recommend reading this if you are a mid-to senior-level manager or director looking to move up.

Buy the ebook now:

The Wolf in CIO's Clothing

[André Baudeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, one of the books that stuck with me for a very long time after reading it. I keep going back to the animal metaphors used to describe leadership styles and generally to identify people as I go about my everyday life.

[Harvey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Silly, pretentious leadership book.

[Petrov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read

Not a frequent opportunity to read about dark side of management in IT. Appreciated the honesty of the author and got some advice to take away.

[Mark Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mammal analogies were helpful. I tested as a Wolf and will continue to practice Wolf tactics.

“I would rather be a Wolf. I can be a Wolf. I will practice being a Wolf.”

[Trever · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for IT Leaders and for other in IT to understand why their leaders have to make the decisions they do

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought provoking insight into career of CIO

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice view on IT-Leadership, which is also acknowledging the fact, that you cannot always be friendly and nice to everyone.
A bit short but still worth reading.

[Lucas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed. This book assumes you are part of the most type of toxic environment.

[Harry Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Johan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review by @johanosteyn

I heard about this book when a prominent CIO mentioned it in a presentation I attended. I am a sales professional so CIO’s are my target customers. This book gave me valuable insights into the challenges that CIO’s face. It is also a book about being a strong and effective leader, and it should be read by anyone interested in leadership.

What I learned from this book is that you do not have to be a horrible person to be an effective leader. But neither do you have to be a super nice person. I have worked for both kinds of managers before. Sometimes I think that the strong, know-what-they want, often perceived as horrible bosses, get much more done than managers who are too nice. I heard the term “servant leadership” mentioned many times before, and I know in principle what this is about, but my experience is that people do not want a friend as a leader – they want a leader.

It is possible to be a wolf leader – one that combines the light side and the dark side of leadership – and lead teams in a way that inspires them. What people want is a leader that gets things done for his/her team and for the organisation. I would rather have a good, inspirational leader, than a person who is friendly, respectful, but weak.

[Roger K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a provocative book that is worth reading by anyone who works in information technology. Nunno provides a wealth of examples that illustrate the limits of the stereotypical transparent, just-the-facts, service provider approach to IT leadership. To her credit, she also shows where these behaviors are best employed.

My key takeaway from this fast read is to tailor how we behave to the situation, be clear that serving our peers does not always equal serving the enterprise, and remember that sometimes the best we can do is choose the least bad option. Here is my favorite quote from the book to ponder.

"There are only two reasons for a CIO or anyone else to solicit the input of stakeholders — either the stakeholder has information that will improve the quality of the IT decision or the CIO requires permission to make a change he does not have the power to make independently. CIOs must distinguish between information gathering and asking permission.

Gathering a reasonable amount of input when it is needed is wise. Allowing others to make decisions democratically when it is not required can create a massive control and power drain."

[Sam Motes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes the political teachings of Machiavelli and gives lessons for today's CIO on how to survive and thrive. It paints a picture of three dichotomies that the CIO leader must navigate through and compares them to dark and light side animals that embody each concept. They include Power (lion vs lamb), Manipulation (snake vs dove), and warfare (shark vs dolphin). The dichotomies have a Myers Briggs type self evaluation to determine your natural bent on each. The book advocates a mixed situational approach that it calls a wolf tactic that uses a blended combination of all the dichotomies for optimal results. It then discusses building your power base by grooming a wolf pack of followers who can build the political influence. The book advocates a level of manipulation and non-transparency that will be uncomfortable for many. Definitely embraces the Machiavellian principles espoused by others such as in Robert Greene's "48 Laws of Power".

[Claudio Escudero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tina Nunno has written the first book on CIOs and business policy really useful I've read. Most books are normative or descriptive CIO: Do this, must perform this, but none comes with the frankness of this book, the problems of power, manipulation those who might be exposed CIO. I hope Tina does not abandon this line, because his sharp pen can further research into the subject and allowing us to open in little more eyes to how things are.


Tina Nunno ha escrito el primer libro sobre CIOs y política de empresa realmente útil que he leído. La mayoría de libros para CIO son normativos o descriptivos: Haz esto, debes realizar aquello, pero ninguno trata con la franqueza de este libro, los problemas de poder, de manipulación a los que pueden estar expuestos los CIO. Espero que Tina no abandone esta línea, porque su aguda pluma puede seguir profundizando en este tema y permitiendonos abrir in poco más los ojos a como son las cosas.

[Anton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frankly, I am still reading it and will continue to do so, as the book is not really readable in one sitting. Still, it is a fun book that TOTALLY screws up your thinking (in a good way!!) about IT management.

Literally every chapter has quotable bits on how to deal with hard situations that require manipulation and other "dark side" tactics. The book nicely summarizes "every trick in the book" that allows IT leaders to survive and suggests many new ones.

An enjoyable and useful read for those who have to manage IT and face adversity in the process of doing so.

[Sachin Gopal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminded me of 48 laws of power by Robert Greene. Similar in view but from the IT leadership point on politics and succeeding in the current IT role. In leadership and warfare, nothing can be polite and the author throughout emphasizes on that point. I loved this book and the only add on i would have wanted would be more real life examples.

Do take the survey on what fox are you on the Gartner site.

[Tejas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good premise. But then gets repetitive. May apply some of the learnings