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“What is it about who you are and what you do that has people CHOOSE to follow you?”
- Rachel Cooper
- Nov 13
- 7 min read
It’s the most human of leadership questions and for over 25 years at Resilient Leaders Elements (RLE™), we’ve been helping people to answer it.
It was this question that we led with at the CIO 200 Final in Egypt, hosted by Global Enterprise Connect (GEC).
We explored how RLE™ can help GEC achieve its mission to keep business leaders ahead of an ever-changing market, by strengthening the human foundations of leadership that sit beneath every digital transformation.
At the conference, Gopi Krishnan Gopi, Founder of Stealth AI Start-up, shared a simple but powerful view:“The next CEO of your company is already in the room.”He’s right.
Today’s CIOs (Chief Information Officers) are no longer the people who keep the lights on. They are the people who most deeply understand how our organisations and societies will navigate the AI era.
But understanding technology is not the same as leading people into and through uncertainty. People who can combine technical insight with emotional intelligence are able to channel their emotions positively and purposefully, offer Clarity of Direction because they can see through the ‘fog of events’, have Leadership Presence even when they are not in the room and make sound decisions under pressure.
GEC recognises that CIOs are uniquely placed to become the next generation of CEOs and are adding the final ingredient, the elements that build confidence in uncertainty and develop Resilient Leaders, demonstrating that they are people who others choose to follow.
1. They Bring Clarity in Complexity
The pace of change has never been faster. It took the telephone 75 years to reach 100 million users, mobile phones 16 years, and ChatGPT just 2 months (1).
Disruption is now measured in months, not years. The digital economy isn’t emerging, it’s already here, rewriting the rules of growth and competition.
AI could add $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, more than the combined output of China and India (2). 40% of Fortune 500 companies may not exist in 10 years if they fail to digitally transform (3).
In this landscape, people look for leaders with Clarity of Direction, a clear vision for the future, realistic strategies for getting there, and the determination to keep going in the face of adversity.
CIOs already lead through complexity. Those who can articulate that clarity, who can help people know where they’re going, why they’re going there, and how they’ll get there, are already thinking and sounding like CEOs.
2. They See the Whole System, and the People Within It
By 2030, more than 500 billion devices will be connected to the internet, nearly 60 times the human population (4). Technology now links every part of an organisation’s ecosystem.
CIOs understand that system better than anyone. They sit at the intersection of business functions, data, and customer experience.
But great leadership demands more than systems thinking. It calls for heightened levels of Awareness of self, of others, and of the environment.
The best CIOs understand their own strengths and pressure points. They’re attuned to the motivations and challenges of the people around them. They read the wider forces shaping their organisations and adapt their approach accordingly.
This kind of Awareness, of both systems and people, builds the trust-based relationships that people choose to follow and that can withstand any degree of uncertainty.
3. They Lead with Presence, Not Position
In a world where 90% of the world’s data has been created in the last few years (5), facts (true or false) are abundant, but confidence is rare.
What people want from leaders isn’t more information, it’s presence.
Leadership Presence isn’t about title or authority; it’s about authenticity, service, and positive intention. It’s being true to your values, operating with integrity, and keeping others’ needs at the heart of your decisions.
CIOs who build Leadership Presence have credibility that lasts. They inspire confidence even when they’re not in the room, by modelling calm under pressure and seeing opportunity in uncertainty, qualities every CEO needs.
4. They Make Decisions That Stand Up Under Pressure
CIOs live at the frontline of uncertainty. They manage risk, innovation, and operational continuity every day.
By 2030, 85% of new jobs will be in fields that don’t yet exist (6). In that kind of environment, Resilient Decision Making is essential.
The strongest CIOs combine creativity and rigour, with versatility. They turn valuable ideas into reality, challenge bias, learn from mistakes and make timely decisions that consider impact and pace.
They plan for contingencies, responding with agility and recovering quickly when things change. Great decisions are made at the right time, with the right people, in the right place. It is this quality that distinguishes a CIO capable of transformation from others who simply execute.
5. They’re Already Leading Transformation
Every industry is becoming a technology industry. By 2030, business ecosystems could account for 30% of global GDP and more than 40% of total profits (7).
CIOs are already orchestrating those ecosystems. Whether in retail, healthcare, mobility, or finance, they are connecting partners, platforms, and data flows across industries.
Boundaries that once defined sectors are dissolving.
Banking is embedding financial services into retail, e-commerce, and healthcare.
Automotive is evolving into mobility-as-a-service, powered by energy grids and data platforms.
Healthcare is integrating wearables, insurers, pharma, and technology providers.
Retail is becoming a lifestyle ecosystem that blends logistics, entertainment, and finance.
CIOs are at the centre of this convergence. They’re not just adapting to disruption, they’re leading it. They know how to balance innovation with resilience, efficiency with empathy, and growth with governance.
This is what we see in our work every day at RLE™. People that focus on building their Resilient Leadership capability stay steady in uncertainty and create opportunity through connection.
6. They Are the Connectors of Ecosystems and Collaborators by Design
CIOs have evolved from managing internal systems to leading networks of stakeholders, partnerships, suppliers, and innovators. They already operate in ecosystem mode, aligning technology, strategy, and people across boundaries.
They understand that success in the next decade won’t come from size, but from collaboration, the ability to co-create value across industries and borders.
As Gopi Krishnan said, “The winners won’t be the biggest players, they’ll be the best collaborators.”
This collaborative mindset is what makes CIOs natural CEOs. They lead through influence, uniting diverse teams behind shared goals.
7. They’re Data-Driven Visionaries Who Lead with Insight, Not Instinct
Tomorrow’s CEOs must be fluent in AI and analytics, not as technologies, but as tools for foresight and intelligent action.
CIOs already use these tools to navigate complexity, measure progress, and anticipate risk. They know how to turn data into direction and insight into impact.
According to PwC, AI could add $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030 (2), yet the real differentiator won’t be access to data, it will be leaders who know how to use it ethically and decisively.
Making this personal, the CIOs at the CIO200 engaged with their own Resilient Leaders Development Programme (RLDP™). RLE™’s data-driven approach to continuous professional leadership development provides everyone with a personalised Resilient Leaders Profile and development plan. Insight from this targets vulnerabilities, leverages strengths and builds confidence in uncertainty. These leaders have data to evidence and measure the impact of their leadership development, where others can only guess and hope.
CIOs who can combine evidence-based decision-making with human empathy and purpose will define what leadership in the AI era truly means.
CIOs already sit at the intersection of strategy, technology, and human potential. They lead transformation, managing both its complexity and connecting disruption with opportunity.
What will set the next generation of CEOs apart isn’t their technical expertise alone, but their ability to lead people through uncertainty with clarity and purpose.
That is the difference Resilient Leadership makes. It develops the awareness to understand impact, the clarity to see through complexity, the presence to inspire confidence, and the decision-making resilience to act under pressure.
With the right development and support, today’s CIOs can bridge the gap between technology and humanity, strategy and empathy, data and direction. They become the leaders who bring meaning to progress and confidence to uncertainty.
Because, while technology will continue to drive transformation, it is Resilient Leaders who will define what that future becomes. Remember that with the right development, the next CEO of your company is already in the room.
References
1. OpenAI, ChatGPT user-growth statistics, 2023.
2. PwC, Global Artificial Intelligence Study: Exploiting the AI Revolution, 2017 (reaffirmed 2023).
3. Gartner, Digital Business Transformation: 2024 Executive Leadership Survey, 2024.
4. Cisco, Annual Internet Report (2018–2023), Cisco Visual Networking Index.
5. IBM, 10 Key Marketing Statistics About Big Data and Analytics, IBM Research, 2023.
6. Institute for the Future & Dell Technologies, Emerging Technologies’ Impact on Work in 2030, 2017.
7. McKinsey & Company, Ecosystem Value Creation: The Next Trillion-Dollar Opportunity, 2022.
Meet the author:
Rachel Cooper
Rachel is a leadership specialist with more than thirty years’ experience helping people lead with confidence in uncertain times. Her work is grounded in a calm, pragmatic approach to strength, clarity and human connection.
Drawing on a career shaped by both military leadership and global consultancy, Rachel brings a deep understanding of how people respond under pressure and what supports them to stay balanced. She has coached and developed thousands of leaders, always with a focus on practical growth and real world impact.
As Co Founder of Resilient Leaders Elements™, she has created simple, evidence based ways for people to understand who they are as a leader, build confidence in what they do and strengthen their ability to navigate change.
Rachel’s purpose remains constant. To prepare people for the moments that matter by helping them lead with clarity, confidence and resilience.
