← CTRL-ALT-LEAD with David Hinson
CTRL-ALT-LEAD with David Hinson
Through the Looking Glass: A CIO’s Playbook for Navigating Presidential Transitions in Higher Ed
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Foreign. Hello, I'm David Henson and I serve as campus CIO for Bolden Networks for Higher Education. Welcome to Control Alt Lead leadership changes at the cabinet level, especially presidential transitions are one of the most disruptive and potentially transformative events that can happen at a college or university. And unlike transitions in the private sector, presidential shifts in higher education ripple through every layer of an institution, from the boardroom to the faculty senate, from alumni networks to student affairs. And if you're the campus IT leader, you'll feel those aftershocks early, often and directly. Because IT strategy rarely exists in a vacuum, the work we do as CIOs is deeply tethered to long term institutional planning. Presidential transitions don't just shift priorities, they often reset the entire playing field. In these moments, our role evolves from operational leader to diplomatic strategist. I've experienced this firsthand, and if you're leading it on a campus today, you have too. Or very soon will. Now, I once served under three presidents within a four year span and fortunately I live to fight another day. So believe me when I say been there, done that. Now here's how we can stay strategic, stay sane, and stay relevant during the inevitable seismic shifts that accompany a leadership transition. First, we've got to understand that the game has changed. When a new president arrives, they bring with them a new vision, a new voice, and most importantly, a new timeline. The multi year roadmap that you've been meticulously advancing may now be totally misaligned. And that's not a judgment on its quality or impact. It's a matter of political and strategic fit under a new regime and an objective new reality. Presidents are often hired to fix something. Flatten enrollment cliffs, reposition institution, reduce debt, expand research. But whatever the charge, their first moves will likely be swift and very symbolic. And that means that projects, partners and even people will be reevaluated against the new rubric. For CIOs, this is the moment to shift gears from execution to positioning. Now challenge number one will be to address strategic uncertainty. What was important yesterday might be totally irrelevant today. Strategic uncertainty is the new normal in a transition. And because many of our major technology projects are multi year initiatives, this will naturally create understandable tension. Should you pause, press on rescope. You'll have to move from advocate to translator and do so quickly. That brings me to challenge number two. You'll need a complete political capital reset. That trusted provost, possibly gone. That data governance committee you co chaired with the VP of enrollment completely reorganized. Now, as leadership changes, so does influence your influence. In fact, your access to decision making channels may have completely evaporated overnight. You now face a potential rebuilding year politically, relationally and strategically. Challenge number three is coming to terms with staff whiplash. Don't underestimate the downstream impact of strategy and regime change. Staff who spent months, perhaps even years advancing a vision can feel devalued when their work is set aside or deprioritized and when multiple projects enter limbo, burnout and disengagement spike. Your job now includes performing emotional triage as much as supplying technical leadership. What works well in my time guiding institutions as both a cabinet member and advising institutional leadership while working at Bolden Networks, I've seen how IT leaders can successfully move from potential casualty to indispensable partner during such a transition. It's not about survival, it's about strategic adaptation. Here are the tactics I use, practice and recommend first, you need to secure a seat at the table and fast. As soon as your new president is named, get a meeting. Not to pitch your backlog, but to listen. Understand their vision. Ask what it is that they need to succeed in the first 12 months. Capture their vocabulary. This is about reframing your team's work in the lexicon of the new administration. Subtle but essential. Next, you need to rebrand the work. Technology initiatives rarely need to be scrapped, but they often need to be re messaged. What was once a network modernization project may now need to be called the foundation of a student. First Digital Campus Same work, different tagline if you wish for your existing technology roadmap to survive, you need to make darn sure it aligns with the new president's talking points and their strategic vision. You'll need to remap the existing power grid transitions. Shuffle the deck across the entire campus leadership who now has the juice, who's gained influence and who's lost it. You need a new movers and shakers map within the first 30 days. No, scratch that, you needed it yesterday. Start building fresh coalitions, especially with leaders who already sync with the President's new priorities. Influence is now one of your most important resources. Learn to over communicate with purpose. Ambiguity breeds anxiety. In times of change. Silence is your enemy and in the absence of a narrative, people tend to create their own. Be transparent about your project statuses and any implications of new directions and what's still up in the air. A well timed dashboard or update to Faculty Senate can inoculate your team from unfounded rumors and protect it's institutional reputation. You need to create early wins. Presidents want quick victories so Give them some Accelerate a mobile first redesign or streamline a service desk upgrade or launch a chatbot pilot that improves student communication. Just don't wait for perfection. Deliver tangible progress. These wins show that IT is agile, aligned, and, most importantly, essential, be the buffer. Transitions can burn people out. Your team is watching you closely. Model calm, speak with clarity, and acknowledge the emotional cost of uncertainty. Your staff need to know that their work matters, even if its framing has changed completely. Lead with empathy, honor their contributions and shield them when necessary. Finally, be the author of your own playbook within the first 90 days. Prepare a strategic IT brief. Now, this isn't a hundred page rewrite. It's a clean, concise framing of how your IT strategy aligns with the President's agenda. What projects are at risk or what projects are on track, and what governance changes may be needed. But most importantly, don't wait to be asked. Offer it as a service. Presidents and trustees respect leaders who bring order out of chaos. Because your mission has now become transitioning from disruption to opportunity. Presidential transitions feel like earthquakes, but they don't have to inevitably result in organizational collapse. As technology leaders, we sit at the inflection point of operational stability and strategic transformation. We've got this. Besides, we have the advantage of both the 30,000 foot view and the boots on the ground reality. Done right, these moments of change transform our position from order takers to trusted advisors and partners, but only if we adapt, communicate, and lead urgently. With clarity. A final thought. Everything that we do in IT can either be seen to amplify the mission or just drain away scarce resources. Presidential transitions can throw that distinction into even starker relief. Our job isn't simply to keep the lights on. It's to help our institution find its footing forward when the map changes overnight and right under our feet. The goal isn't continuity for continuity's sake. It's relevance, resilience, and readiness for what comes next. If we do our job right, we not only survive the transition, but we also shape what comes after. Thanks for listening and I'll see you soon. Sam.