In the last "CIO Chronicles" ("Don't Survive, Thrive," March2007), we talked about what stands between a CIO and thepossibility of greater accomplishments. As always, our goal was tokeep it simple and pragmatic. There, we focused on some criticalelements of CIO leadership in their own right. Judging by thefeedback, we seem to have struck a chord with quite a few CIOsamong midsize carriers.

Of course, ours is not the only opinion out there. For quitesome time now, experts at large have been musing about and dishingout advice to the beleaguered insurance CIO. Certain things such as"alignment of business and IT," "bridging the gap between businessand technology," and "improving relationships with the CEO and therest of the C suite, other VPs, etc." are mere table stakes.

The professed Holy Grail is this: "What makes a great CIO?" Andthat's the point at which things get interesting and imaginationsrun wild. Some go so far as to recommend CIOs must know aboutbusiness generally and understand "the" business in particular atleast as well as–if not better than–CEOs. The premise for such anabsurdly tall order for CIO greatness is IT "touches" every singleaspect of business. Even if that's necessarily true, so what? DoCIOs really have to excel to such a high degree to meet theirchallenges? Given the pervasive predicament of business-ITrelations, anyone with the qualities and skills so many companiesseem to be insisting on today for the CIO job likely would bebetter off seeking fame and fortune somewhere else.