CIO Tenure

Continuing the theme of 18 months, it would seem that the average CIO tenure is almost 6 years - significantly more than the industry urband legend that the average CIO lasts just 18 months.

18 Achievements in 18 Months

It's been eighteen months since my last post, so I thought I'd put together a summary of 18 of my most significant / memorable achievements in the past 18 months. Trust me - all of these are true.

1. Avoided spilling the beans about an exciting phase in the growth of the business that I work for (hmmm... what's the point of having a blog?)
2. Implemented an Imaging and Workflow solution for the core business of a prominant Australian health fund
3. Hired several people much smarter and more experienced than myself
4. Got re-certified as a Microsoft Certified Professional (yes - I'm part of the global army convincing you to buy more licenses for Microsoft Office)
5. Cleared all of the debts associated with taking two years out of one's career to do a full-time MBA and dabble in early-stage start-ups
6. Survived 17 months in Sydney without owning a car or clocking up thousands of dollars in taxi fares
7. Borrowed a friend's car for the final month (don't worry Kate - I'll take good care of it while you're in the UK)
8. Got classified as a smoker by an insurance company because I enjoy the occassional cigar (no more than 6 per year)
9. Got through the subsequent 12 months without a cigar so that I could save 30% on my income protection insurance
10. Travelled 7000 kilometres by 4WD around the Kimberley region in Outback Australia
11. 'Tramped' the Routeburn Track and visited Milford Sound in New Zealand
12. Went to the Adelaide Festival of Arts and the Adelaide Fringe Festival in an old ute that broke down in the streets of the Adelaide CBD at one o'clock in the morning
13. 'Couriered' 1000 pairs of surgical rubber gloves into Indonesia
14. Met all thirty-five living descendants of my grandfather at a special 90th birthday celebration weekend that we held for him at Barrington Tops
15. Went to Perth for a surprise weekend for my mother, sampled some of Perth's finest restaurants, and spent the best part of a day at a travel agent organising the family holiday to Dubai, Wales, England, France, and Italy at the end of the year.
16. Avoided reading The Da Vinci Code or seeing the movie
17. Watched all of Seasons One to Five of The West Wing ... more than once.
18. Made a conscious decision that it might be time to purchase my first property at some stage in the next 12 months.