Joe Topinka

Over 25 years as an IT leader and executive coach, I’ve witnessed firsthand the evolution of the CIO role. Once primarily focused on maintaining IT infrastructure, CIOs today are expected to drive transformation, shape digital strategy, and build trusted partnerships across the enterprise.


Yet, despite these elevated expectations, many talented IT leaders find themselves stuck operating in a support posture. They deliver, but they don’t transform. They execute, but they don’t shape… Show more

Over 25 years as an IT leader and executive coach, I’ve witnessed firsthand the evolution of the CIO role. Once primarily focused on maintaining IT infrastructure, CIOs today are expected to drive transformation, shape digital strategy, and build trusted partnerships across the enterprise.


Yet, despite these elevated expectations, many talented IT leaders find themselves stuck operating in a support posture. They deliver, but they don’t transform. They execute, but they don’t shape. They check in, but they don’t partner.

This is where working with a leadership coach can make a significant difference. This may seem like a less-than-subtle marketing pitch since I’ve transitioned to coaching full-time. But whether or not you work with a coach, there are some insights I feel compelled to share below that I’ve found can help CIOs aiming to elevate their leadership and deepen their impact. Show less

The future of business technology leadership is being reshaped daily; by AI, cloud-native operations, decentralized decision-making, and rapidly shifting business demands. In this evolving landscape, titles matter less than mindset. Whether you’re a CIO, a VP of engineering, a security leader, or a digital transformation manager, the way you lead through technology is changing.

What defines today’s most effective business technology leaders?

More than technical skills, it’s… Show more

The future of business technology leadership is being reshaped daily; by AI, cloud-native operations, decentralized decision-making, and rapidly shifting business demands. In this evolving landscape, titles matter less than mindset. Whether you’re a CIO, a VP of engineering, a security leader, or a digital transformation manager, the way you lead through technology is changing.

What defines today’s most effective business technology leaders?

More than technical skills, it’s relationships, adaptability, and a security-first mindset that separate those who influence the business from those who simply serve it. Show less

For an IT transformation to work, IT’s old image must evolve in the minds of IT leaders, the IT staff, and the C-suite alike. Successful transformation demands that all three groups shift their mindset. This is what I call the "IT Transformation Trifecta."

IT transparency is an elusive topic - in this article, I explain the pragmatic ways IT leaders can achieve true transparency and up their game as leaders.

Keynote Speaker presenting:
- a “day in the life” story illustrating the positive outcomes that occur when IT is proactively engaged
with the business. Sharing ideas on how IT can successfully implement a Business Partner function that
can sustainably drive business value

Business leaders who want to move their companies toward true business and technology convergence—that sweet spot where IT and business units are so strategically intertwined that they operate almost interchangeably—voice the cry “IT must partner with the business!”.

In an interview with Profile Magazine I spoke to my belief that business and technology need to partner in order to be successful. An idea that drove my work at Red Wing Shoes and the impetus for my book, IT Business Partnerships: A Field Guide.

Forbes series on CIO-Plus profiles CIOs with roles that span beyond the traditional IT organization.