It’s bad enough that many CIOs experience relentless stress during work hours. Some leaders are also unlucky enough to drag stress into their sleep time, resulting in disturbing nightmares.
In a survey of 1,750 working US adults in the conducted by Each Night, a sleep resource platform, more than three-fifths of workers reported having a nightmare about their jobs. CIOs are no exception.
How does nighttime stress affect CIOs, and how do restless nights impact their work performance? Here’s how three leaders cope, and in most cases, learn from, their nightmares.
Ann Funai
My nightmare — and surely the No. 1 nightmare of most CIOs — would be flubbing anything related to regulations or revenue, says Ann Funai, CIO and vice president of business platforms transformation at IBM. “There’s also enormous pressure now to move fast with the latest-and-greatest in AI systems, but many important systems have been running safely and securely for decades, and any CIO whose ‘modernizations’ disrupt that will incur the wrath of the business and market.”
Funai notes that in corporate IT, the word “fast” is rapidly becoming weaponized. “Things are going faster and faster, and it’s still never enough,” she explains. Yet, for Funai, that can actually be a fun part of the job, exploring new technologies and business approaches. She warns, however that that there are still times when precision is what’s needed most, and when moving fast may actually lead to legal or other problems.
A good CIO lives with one foot in technology and the other in business, Funai says. “My nightmares help remind me of that.” She observes, for instance, that there are still many areas where AI can be used to free-up time, accelerate outcomes, and experiment. “Let’s call that ‘fun risk’” Funai says. “Yet in other key areas the acceptable amount of risk is zero, and we absolutely shouldn’t be trying new tech unless we know the systems, culture, and validation, and are all collectively ready for it.”
Carter Busse
Carter Busse, CIO at cloud integration platform provider Workato, admits to having nightmares about artificial intelligence. “With adoption on the rise, a nightmare that keeps me up is employees using non-sanctioned AI tools and unintentionally feeding sensitive data into unauthorized LLMs without understanding the risks,” he explains.
Something that consistently wakes Busse up at night are increasingly sophisticated phishing attacks. During daylight hours, he sees a consistently growing number of attacks, many attributable to AI. “These phishing attacks leave businesses increasingly exposed,” Busse states. “AI has lowered the barrier for bad actors to launch convincing attacks, and it’s happening constantly.”
In Busse’s nightmares, as in real life, threats target his organization’s most vulnerable entry point: people. “A well-crafted phishing email to someone in finance could lead to a fraudulent wire transfer or, worse yet, unauthorized access to our production systems,” he explains. “Even if you’re not a high-profile target, a single misstep could bring your operations down, and the business with it.”
A steadily growing number of risks, as well as nightmares, are pushing Busse to evolve. “We’re investing in AI-driven, data-triggered automation that can detect suspicious behavior and respond instantly, such as shutting down access when phishing is detected,” he says. “We’re also focused on applying the SOAR framework — Security, Orchestration, Automation, and Response — to proactively manage threats using our platform.”
Mike Vance
Mike Vance, is a veteran CIO, having served in the role at Steak ‘n Shake, handbag designer Vera Bradley, and Matilda Jane Clothing. “Market uncertainty is something we’re all dealing with right now,” he says. “As a CIO, you’re constantly wondering what’s coming next and how it’ll impact your organization.”
Many technology professionals feel like they’re in a holding pattern, Vance says. “Meanwhile they’re missing real opportunities to make their operations better and more efficient, inadvertently overlooking opportunities to optimize variables within their sphere of influence.”
But there’s a bright side, too. “Uncertainty can actually be the perfect time to step back and ask, ‘What can I control here?’,” Vance explains. He suggests focusing on cleaning up current processes, improving efficiency, and making your team more agile. “By concentrating on controllable factors, CIOs can position their organizations for flexibility and resilience even in the midst of uncertainty.” And, therefore, will likely sleep better at night.