Well, it has hit Forbes, so it must be mainstream!  Here’s a blurb about how critical it is for CIOs to focus on business strategy, as business strategy and IT continue to converge.  From the article:

“For many CIOs, this requires a painful-but-necessary transition beyond their passion for and mastery of technology — i.e., precisely what propelled their career in the first place — toward a role more focused on business and operations.”

We’ve been beating this drum for years, and I’ve absolutely seen a shift over time in where CIOs are focusing and how they are thinking about their businesses.  Good CIOs have refocused from being “responsive” or “reacting” to generating business strategy using their knowledge of technology.

The gap I still see is the successors to the CIOs, the next level of VPs or Directors in the IT organization.  To get that IT-infused strategic thinking built into the fabric of the business, and for the IT organization to be really respected, this next layer must be dual focused as well.  Additionally, those leaders must have this perspective to be ready for the next step in their careers.

CIOs would do themselves a lot of good to be coaching their direct reports on how to think strategically about their business and how to take those ideas to their peers throughout their company.