People are the best asset any company has, says USTA CIO Larry Bonfante. But does everyone understand that?


In this day of immediate access to information, the only real and lasting competitive advantage any organization has is the talents and passion of its people. Every other advantage is short-lived and easily replicated. Therefore, I would suggest that valuing and developing our human capital should be our top priority in ensuring our existing and future success.

I have seen many organizations that are led by talented and charismatic leaders. Much of the success of the company is directly tied to the capabilities of this individual.

Problem is, this is not scalable or sustainable. To truly sustain long-term success we need to develop a culture of leadership. So many times when a CIO retires or moves on to greener pastures he or she has to be replaced by an external candidate. We need to do a better job of succession planning by “growing” leaders within our ranks.

What are we doing to expose our people to the situations, opportunities and people they need access to in order to provide them the skills and opportunities to develop their leadership capabilities? Do we take all the glory when there are opportunities for visibility, or do we allow members of our teams to be in the limelight?

Do we help to nurture relationships between our leaders and key executives within our organizations? Do we create opportunities for our people to participate in cross-functional teams where their talents can be showcased beyond the walls of the IT organization? Do we act as mentors to some of our younger teammates to help them have access to the thought process and political realities that are necessary to effectively function at a senior level?

What are we doing to ensure that the good work we have started is sustained well beyond our tenure?

Larry Bonfante is CIO of the United States Tennis Association and the founder of CIO Bench Coach, LLC an executive coaching practice focused on transforming the human side of IT leadership. Larry can be reached at Larry@CIOBenchCoach.com.