3 Ways Midmarket IT Leaders Can Reduce Business Friction and Win Executive Buy‑In

Two seasoned midmarket leaders offer ways IT leaders can avoid misaligning with executive priorities.

(Left, Jeffrey James, VP of IT, Essential Cabinetry Group and Jason Frame, CIO, Southern Nevada Health District)

Midmarket IT leaders are confident, technical powerhouses but may experience frustration when dealing with business operations outside of technology.

They are often under pressure to justify security and infrastructure investments in clear business terms. Even when the technology is sound, misalignment with executive priorities can stall decisions and create friction across the organization.

“Technically strong and business skeptical” is how Jason Frame, chief information officer of the Southern Nevada Health District, puts it. “Constantly defending your value… We know what we’re doing, but there’s a lot of friction in there,” he said.

Ways to successfully navigate that friction was the crux of a session at the MES IT Security Summit last month in Ponte Verda, Fla., led by Frame and Jeffrey James, vice president of IT, Essential Cabinetry Group. Frame and James, seasoned midmarket IT executives, both serve as advisory board members in the MES IT Leadership Network.

Translate IT Metrics Into Business Language Executives Understand

The real problem isn’t technology, it’s translation between IT and the business.

James gave an example of explaining a security alert dashboard to senior leadership.

“You got bells, you got whistles, you got graphs and charts and pretty colors ... and still nobody can read it at the executive level unless you work for a technical, technically driven business.” James said. “So guess whose job it is to translate that chart? If you don’t know, it’s you.”

While appreciated by IT teams, detailed technical reports and charts can create unwanted noise for senior leadership and boards – good to keep in mind when presenting to them.

Stop Selling Tools; Frame IT Requests Around Business Outcomes

Executives “don't buy tools; they buy outcomes,” James said bluntly.

“Buy this tool because it protects revenue… because it gives operational continuity… regulatory compliance… brand reputation,” he advised.

When requesting funding for security projects, do not hesitate to cite real-world breaches.

“How many have ever used someone else's breach of whatever to justify [a purchase to] your board or your manager? I'm in Vegas. When MGM, the Caesars got hit ... MGM, Caesars paid $15 million,’ Frame said.

He used that high-profile Vegas data breach to secure additional security resources.

“When someone else gets breached, use that opportunity to talk about these business opportunities,” Frame said.

James said that IT leaders should pivot from tool conversations to “enablement and bottom-line conversations.”

When IT leaders connect spending requests to revenue, risk, and operational continuity, executive alignment improves.

Run IT Like a Business, Not a Support Function

Midmarket IT must think of itself as a business inside the business.

“If you treat [IT] like maintenance work, you’ll never wrap value around it,” James said.

Running a business means thinking in business terms and that extends to IT staff.

“Teach your staff how to talk about business outcomes, not just be technical—or they’ll be limited,” said Frame. Everything they’re doing should connect back to business impact.”