CIO Perceptions Matrix, Innovation During Disruption, AI Sales Strategy, and More
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Winning Over the C-Suite: How CIOs Can Elevate Their Influence
CIOs must go beyond business priorities to win executive support.
Most CIOs know they need to communicate the business value of technology. But Gartner’s latest research reveals a critical gap: Only 18% of IT teams consistently adapt their message to both the audience and channel. That means most CIOs are missing a key opportunity to drive strategic influence with C-suite stakeholders. Why does this matter? Because executives respond not just to logic, but also to emotion and reputation.
💡 Keep reading: Winning Over the C-Suite: How CIOs Can Elevate Their Influence
📣 Join us at the premier conference CIOs and IT leaders: Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo™ 2025 conference
📩 Gartner CIO Edge Newsletter: Get practical insight and tools to enhance your strategic planning and leadership skills
Cutting Innovation in a Downturn? Here’s Why That’s a Strategic Mistake.
Innovation during disruption is tricky — and non-negotiable.
Demonstrating innovation’s value during a downturn is tough. ROI metrics arrive too late for meaningful course corrections, while early metrics get dismissed as “soft.” Perceived risks and uncertain outcomes often tempt leaders to pause innovation until conditions improve.
But because building innovation capability takes time, organizations that break new ground amid turbulence often pull ahead, while those that play it safe risk falling behind or becoming obsolete.
✅ Success starts here: Gartner Executive FastStart™
ThinkCast | How to Rewrite the Sales Playbook With Agentic AI
Sales leaders face an urgent challenge: how to hit their numbers and lead their teams through AI-driven reinvention.
In this episode of Gartner ThinkCast — recorded live from the 2025 Gartner CSO & Sales Leader Conference Opening Keynote in Las Vegas — Gartner VP Analyst Dan Gottlieb introduces the “Great Sales Awakening,” a new era in sales transformation. From navigating quota pressures and cross-functional expectations to deploying agentic AI, Dan outlines the bold leadership shifts required to succeed in a world reshaped by digital labor.
🎧 Keep listening: How to Rewrite the Sales Playbook With Agentic AI
💬 AskGartner: Your AI-Powered Tool for Trusted Gartner Insights
AI in HR: Position Your Organization for Success
Integrate AI into HR to enhance efficiency and drive innovation.
GenAI adoption in HR is rapidly increasing. The share of HR leaders who are actively planning or already deploying GenAI has jumped from 19% in June 2023 to 61% by January 2025. This sharp rise highlights growing recognition of GenAI’s power to reshape HR processes. To maximize AI’s value, HR leaders must address challenges and plan carefully.
💡 Keep reading: AI in HR: Position Your Organization for Success
📊 Gartner AI Use Case Insights: Pinpoint High-Impact AI Opportunities
Improve Demand Planning With Consumption Data
The nuances of consumption data for demand planning.
Consumption data refers to the sales of products beyond the part of the value chain you control — the sales of customers or the sales of customers of your customers. When organizations gain access to and consider using this data, they often expect it to be linearly correlated with sales data. If this were the case, consumption data would enable rapid adjustment of demand planning to reflect changes in consumer behavior. In reality, however, there may not be a one-to-one correspondence between the two.
💡 Keep reading: Improve Demand Planning With Consumption Data
🏆 Client Stories: How Lenovo Developed a Circular Economy Roadmap
Upcoming Webinar | 2025 Gartner Hype Cycle for the Future of Work
Join this complimentary webinar as a Gartner expert cuts through the hype, highlighting the most significant human-AI innovations on the Hype Cycle for the Future of Work, 2025.
AI, Strategy & Growth: What Every CMO Must Do Now
In the Opening Keynote from the 2025 Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo, Gartner experts Alex De Fursac Gash and Kristina LaRocca-Cerrone outline how marketing leaders can navigate heightened demands, avoid strategic dysfunction and embrace what they call the "Epic Journey to Growth." Listen now.
🙌 Thank you to our experts, Daniel Sánchez Reina , Tsuneo Fujiwara , Dan Gottlieb , Cristina Carvallo , Tori Paulman , Alex De Fursac Gash and Kristina LaRocca-Cerrone for contributing to this article.
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💬 Join the conversation: Share your key takeaways from this week's C-level insights in the comments below.
Marketing Leader | 0→1 Growth & Go-to-Market Strategy | Brand & Partner Marketing | Hands-on Execution that Scales ❤️
1moSo how do you convince the company to keep innovating when times are rough?
Let’s turn change into a competitive edge. Navigate Change. Amplify Potential.
1moLeaders often talk about driving innovation or building alignment, but this article shows that influence is not only about what we know, it is about how we communicate it. Whether it is AI in HR or innovation during disruption, progress depends on leaders who can translate complexity into clarity and inspire people to participate. That is the real future of work, not more technology but better conversations about how we use it.
Driving Digital Transformation Through SAP, Odoo ERP | RPA | IoT | AI\ML #ERP #SAP #Odoo #RPA
1moGreat insights highlighting the critical importance of emotional intelligence and stakeholder relationships for CIOs and all leadership roles. The CIO Perception Matrix is a powerful reminder that technical expertise alone isn't enough to drive strategic influence—understanding and nurturing relationships with stakeholders can be a game-changer. As organizations navigate constant digital transformation, leaders who adapt their communication style and develop genuine trust will be better positioned to lead successfully. This reinforces the idea that soft skills are strategic assets in today’s technology-driven landscape. Thanks for sharing such valuable perspectives!
Fractional Chief of Staff/COO | I help execs get out of the operational weeds so that they have more time to focus on strategic imperatives and growth | IT Operations and Turnaround Specialist
1moReally appreciate the CIO Perceptions Matrix. Having served as Chief of Staff to multiple CIOs, I’ve seen firsthand how a leader’s interpersonal style - beyond the IT team’s technical competence - can make or break stakeholder alignment. Often CIOs spent a lot of time crafting messages around strategy execution and project status, but overlook how those messages 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙, as that is shaped not just by content but by their relationship with the stakeholder. This visual is a good reminder: emotional intelligence isn’t a soft skill—it’s a strategic lever. CIOs who reflect honestly on their stakeholder relationships, work to improve them, and adapt their communication accordingly are far more likely to be in that upper right corner.
Technology & People Transformation Leader | SAP | Project Methodologies | Innovation & Growth Mindset
1moGreat insights! The Perception Matrix is a powerful reminder that CIOs are not only judged by their technical expertise, but also by their ability to build trust and genuine human connection with the C-Suite. In many cases, that human connection becomes the true differentiator in driving influence and impact.