Ricki Koinig
CIO
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Dr. Ricki J. Koinig is an IT executive with 20+ years’ technology leadership experience in mid to large strategic and operative change initiatives, enhanced IT productivity, and multi-million-dollar cost savings across a variety of industries including energy, oil & gas, natural resources, e-gaming, pharma, and government. In her spare time, she is an avid bicyclist, woods and meadows walker, horseback rider and "servant of my cat."
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Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
I started my career in the USA working closely with children and families and supporting their utilization of a variety of technologies to successfully navigate classrooms, their home, work and social lives. My responsibilities included needs analysis, problem solving, market research, and cost-effectiveness of solutions that would allow them to attain their goals. This spurred a broader interest in user experience and end user support technologies in the global private sector where I worked for 17+ years overseas in Europe, CEE countries, Asia and Scandinavia. Some years ago, I moved to Wisconsin to bring my experiences back to the US and into my current CIO role.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
There are many excellent leadership principles to follow to be as successful as possible for your organization, your role, your departments and yourself. For me they all boil down to being brave. This includes having the courage to be transparent even when the truth or the data is not always positive, to be open to new ideas and inputs even when you’re initially not convinced, to not be afraid of new methods and innovations and to dig into details when your gut feeling triggers a need to better justify suggestions. Improvements, learning and growth can’t happen unless you can challenge what may sometimes be hearsay or the status quo.
What is the greatest challenge CIOs face today, and how are you addressing it?
Most organizations, public and private sector, have some level of resource, funding, skillset or capacity issues. I address these by broadening my focus to see if other integrated functions or teams can help work together and take steps to mitigate the overall challenge. I analyze how needs can be met as soon as possible within a process (“shifting left”) rather than pushing the burden of a challenge on to the last party or steps within a process. Cybersecurity for example should never be an afterthought; integrating relevant requirements of a security-healthy organization up front starting with business prioritization, project scoping, management, development, delivery and ongoing support can help “share the love” and tackle even the most daunting operational challenges.
What is the key to success for someone just starting out as a CIO?
Listen, listen, listen and ask, ask, ask! There are many layers to an organizations’ culture, roles, responsibilities, processes (written or just lived), history and technology landscape. Collaborations with colleagues in various roles and responsibility areas are the key to unlocking the real challenges and potential solutions - both of which may be found under the more formal documentation. Don’t be afraid to ask all the questions you need to ensure you fully understand the issues, drivers and the bigger picture.
How do you measure success as a leader?
I measure the success of the leaders I support and my own success as a leader through a balanced mix of both qualitative and quantitative measures. This includes results from business goal delivery achievement, cost-effectiveness of solutions and company RoI, operational management efficiency improvements and decreases in security risks or impediments to the effectiveness of IT’s services and solutions.
All of these results can be justified through regular tracking, reporting and steering towards continuous improvements made over time. Leadership success also includes sustainability of contributions for the organization over the mid- to long-term, even perhaps after that leader is no longer part of the company. Building a solid foundation for long-term digital transformations now may result in a realization of those benefits later as the company excelled and grew on that foundation into the future.
What is the value of being a member of Gartner C-level Communities?
Gartner C-level Communities has one of the most collaborative, trusted membership groups that I’ve been part of. Attendants are always open, helpful and positive, and more than willing to discuss topics and lend a hand virtually or at Community get-togethers. I truly look forward to these events!
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