Chapter One: The New CIO

"The Adventures of an IT Leader" invites readers to "walk in the shoes" of a new CIO, Jim Barton, as he spends a difficult year learning effective information technology leadership, sidestepping the pitfalls that make the CIO job the most volatile, high-turnover job in the business. This chapter joins Jim, the former head of Loan Operations, at the beginning of his journey as he assumes his new role as CIO of a fictional midsize financial services firm attempting a turnaround following a period of slowing business performance. With no background in IT, he begins to consider how to tackle some of the key challenges of IT leadership. This chapter is excerpted from "The Adventures of an IT Leader."