* also first comes to the fore at the level of IT manager, but there it often means functioning well as a member of the team--working in concert with other team members and winning their agreement or cooperation in group endeavors. For Senior IT Leaders, however, it often means collaborating with and influencing not only the members of one's own team but also the senior leaders of other teams across the IT function and sometimes team leaders outside the function. Such leaders know how to use the informal structure and dynamics within the organization to get things done. In fact, the more highly developed this aspect of Collaborating & Influencing, the more widely will the Senior IT Leader affect the larger organization.

* is about the ability to develop the long-term capabilities of others and of the organization. Leaders who actively demonstrate this competency encourage people to improve, offer constructive feedback, institute sound assessment methods, and provide experiences that help them develop their abilities. People processes and capability are benchmarked against competitors and systematic capability reviews help anticipate and address changing needs. For the active leader, it's not simply a matter of coaching or counseling individuals, but a matter of systematically building the capability of the team. It is this explicit focus on building organizational strength through the thoughtful development of individuals that prepares the Senior IT Leader to exercise the Change Leadership required of the Function Head CIO, who must be able to move the organization in a new direction.

All three of these competencies at the level of the Senior IT Leader possess a common theme--having an impact on the organization through the active engagement of people. It is this overarching ability, acquired at the Senior IT Leader level, that enables the Function Head CIO to leverage the Commercial Orientation and Market Knowledge required in the C-suite--the subject of the next installment in this series.

Steve Kelner is a partner in the Boston office of Egon Zehnder International. He is a leader of the firm's Leadership Strategy Services practice, specializing in management appraisals and team effectiveness. He can be reached at s.