Great CIOs are not just good at change; they are masters of it. Great CIOs anticipate and drive change. Organizing the perpetual journey from the status quo to the desired state is central to every CIO's job. Like it or not, if you are an IT leader, you are in the change business.

"Being successful at change management is the most important leadership skill in any organization," says the CIO at a midmarket transportation company, where he created a shared IT service organization for six different business units. "Business is constantly changing, and IT is constantly changing."

Over the past 12 years, this CIO has moved through four leadership positions, reassessing and changing various organizations. During his stint at a retailer, for example, he led an effort to transform IT from an internally focused team to a business-facing one. At a services firm, he oversaw an IT transformation that enabled growth in business strategy, sales, marketing, operations, application development and service delivery. Then, at a conglomerate, his group reorganized disparate teams to create a centralized, business-focused IT approach. Throughout this IT leader's career, changing the natural state of things has been a common thread.