We have been extremely lucky to have some of the most impressive leaders from the tech world join us on IT Visionaries. We’ve taken some of the best insights those folks had on what it means to be a leader and put them into one place.

Below is some distilled wisdom from Paul Chapman (T: @PaulChapmanBox, LinkedIn), the CIO of Box, Juan Perez, the CIO of UPS, Mark Settle (LinkedIn), CIO of Okta, Susie Wee (T: @susiewee , LinkedIn) SVP and CTO of Cisco DevNet, and Mark Rackley (T: @mrackley, LinkedIn), a Partner / Chief Strategy Officer, PAITGroup. Each of these IT professionals have climbed various ladders to get where they are. They have a lot of valuable insights to share that we think will benefit you – whether you’re occupying a C-suite office already, or working your way up to the top.

Paul Chapman

At Box, Paul is leveraging an economy that can bring innovation to the organization. He believes that the CIO should be a great introducer of new capabilities – and always ahead of where things are moving.

“It’s much more about partnership and realizing there are ways to make the organization more productive and efficient,” he says.

Paul also says that most people in the role of CIO have been tested before, and have learned to be scrappy to achieve the things they need.

“Most people who step into the CIO have been in environments that have helped them to learn and build perspectives on different things,” he says. “You’re the one who has to be constantly worried about where the organization is going, as opposed to being part of – or following – where the organization is going. There is no one else to turn to. You’re responsible for that strategy and direction.” 

Juan Perez

As an IT leader, it is critical to open yourself up to ideas from every area of your company. Juan explains that he does this by maintaining an open-door policy for every person in his organization.

“As the CIO, I keep a truly open door policy,” he says. “Anyone who wants to share a concept or idea can reach out to me and we can talk about it.”  

Mark Settle

The idea Mark stressed the most was the importance of the team you build around you. Your team members are vital to your success, he explains, and you need to be open to shuffling people around and testing their capabilities to see how much they can contribute. He also says that you have to humble yourself and be open to what the people you’ve brought in have to say.

“If you’re a first time CIO, sometimes you suffer from an affliction where you feel like you have to continually prove that you’re the smartest guy or gal in the room,” he says. “That’s not going to lead to much insight in terms of the capabilities of the other folks there. You have to discipline yourself to not always be the first and last word on any given topic or debate. Innovation should be a team sport.”

Susie Wee

Understanding how you can aid in the progress of your company and impact its success is vital, according to Susie. Figure out the best way to move your company forward and follow that path to success. But you can’t play it too safe, she says. It’s important to never get complacent and don’t be afraid to take risks.

“Be bold,” she says. “You’re often sitting there saying, ‘I’m running things they way they’ve been run, and it’s working well.’ How do I disrupt myself?”

Mark Rackley

For Mark, the constant pace of change is one of the biggest challenges facing IT leaders today. He, too, believes that those who get ahead are the ones willing to take risks and bet big on the future.

“You’ve got to get to the point where you’re willing to take risks,” he says. “You’re biggest rewards will come from your biggest risks.” 

For even more insights, listen to the full episode here.