When I spoke with an insurance IT executive last week, shebrought up a point that is too often overlooked in the developmentof an IT team. IT staffs are traditionally thought of as being allabout the technology—what the carrier needs to run a successfuloperation and how to improve and maintain the technology forbusiness users—but that completely ignores the businessequation.

Many CIOs will also tell you their biggest worry for the futureis finding qualified people to staff their IT department. You wouldthink people would be clamoring for high-paying jobs in technology,particularly as personal technology has come to take such animportant role in our daily lives.

It is even more perplexing when you consider the fact that theinsurance industry is digging itself out of a business hole thanksto the adoption of new technology, particularly mobile applicationsand telematics. But even insurance IT leaders are unable to agreewhy insurance IT has earned such a bad rap among potentialemployees.

One area that will help young people consider insurance forfuture employment opportunities involves the support they receivefrom their bosses. The IT leader I mentioned above explained to methat the key to being a good leader was taught to her by amentor.

The mentor explained that an IT leader needs to be just asexcited about the career development of her staffers as she isabout seeing a technology initiative completed. Such selflessattitudes are difficult to discover in the business world; to finda boss that is looking at your potential and how it can bedeveloped rather than pushing cuts, cuts and more cuts whiledemanding more and more service from the staff is a nugget to becherished.

This is a results-oriented business, though, so we need to berealistic. If the work is not getting done on time and at budget,it doesn't matter how many gold stars the boss hands out, peopleare going to pay the consequences.

But good leaders can never forget that the people that work withthem are hoping for a future that includes more and variedopportunities as they move along. Such a leader is the definitionof a mentor. Everyone should be lucky enough to have one along theway.