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Key takeaways

• Experts fear automation could mean fewer routes to the top.
• In a competitive labor market, would-be digital leaders must stand out. 
• Exploit opportunities, collaborate with your peers, and take responsibility.

There's general agreement that the rise of AI means technology has never been more important to the business. However, the central role of digital and data doesn't necessarily mean IT professionals have increased opportunities to rise into senior management positions.

Experts are concerned that the increased capabilities of gen AI and agents could mean that many tasks previously fulfilled by professionals are automated. Add increased decentralization for IT decision-making, and what was once a structured climb on the career ladder from junior developer up to CIO has become significantly more complicated.

Also: Dreading AI job cuts? 5 ways to future-proof your career - before it's too late

However, what's already clear is that companies will still require talented technologists to keep a human in the loop and oversee digital transformation initiatives. If you want to position yourself correctly to snare one of these roles in a competitive labor market, here are five areas to focus on in 2026.

1. Talk about possibilities

Art Hu, global CIO at Lenovo, said it's important not to get overly hung up on job titles. While up-and-coming IT professionals might aspire to be CIOs, what's more important than the role they fulfil is the capabilities they possess.

"People who have that fluency, who have a command of both the technology and the business realms, are comfortable at the intersection, and can help bring people together, I think the interdisciplinary aspects of that are key," he said.

Hu told that senior IT professionals who are focused on running the data center are unlikely to continue climbing the career ladder.

"I don't think that's a super-exciting role," he said. "But the ability to convene people and have discussions around what possibilities are opening up is the interesting part."

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For people who excel in these areas, the potential is huge. Hu is a member of Lenovo's executive board, and he said the best senior IT leaders could even become future CEOs as business success becomes connected to extracting value from emerging tech.

"As the digital index and the AI index go up, I think that possibility opens up," he said, reiterating how CIOs and other senior IT professionals could take multiple career directions. "I'm not hung up on titles because people call these responsibilities different things. I think the titles mean less because it may mean that digital and AI are just part of the baseline."

2. Exploit the AI hype

Paul Neville, director of digital, data, and technology at The Pensions Regulator, said he feels positive about the future role of the digital leader.

"I'm biased when I say this, but I do think the digital leader should be at the top table because IT is the key enabler, and also, cybersecurity is becoming a larger part of the risk profile," he said.

"Unless you have someone at the top table who can understand both the opportunity and the risk, and work with colleagues at the executive level to drive those changes through in a business and customer-oriented way, then I think that's a problem."

Like Lenovo's Hu, Neville sits on the executive top table, and he suggested to that he's eager for this growing trend to continue.

Also: 5 ways ambitious IT pros can future-proof their tech careers in an age of AI

For next-generation IT leaders looking to impress through 2026, Neville said it's critical to exploit the high-profile role of technology in modern business operations.

"AI has helped that process because it's highlighted that we need people who understand those new opportunities," he said. "Not all the businesses I meet understand both the risks and opportunities, or see AI as being relevant to them. Therefore, senior IT professionals have work to do to persuade organizations of all types that digital is important and requires leadership."

3. Hone your collaborative craft

Ankur Anand, CIO at global technology and talent solutions provider Nash Squared, also recognized that the enlarged responsibilities of modern CIOs mean the best digital leaders often have a direct line to the boardroom.

His firm's annual Digital Leadership survey reported that about two-thirds (65%) of CIOs are members of the executive team.

Like other experts, Anand told that the modern digital executive role is shifting from title-based authorities to outcome-focused leadership.

"They are working more closely than ever with business product owners who have become more involved in driving the digital strategy," he said.

Also: 5 ways to escape middle management and fast-track your journey to the top

Anand said successful digital leaders ensure enterprise silos are broken down, and he encouraged up-and-coming professionals to hone their collaborative craft.

"Empathy, communication, and influencing skills are key. These capabilities help the CIO ensure that there is clarity across the team about each person's role and responsibilities," he said.

"The extent to which the technology function is siloed depends on an organization's maturity -- it is still an issue in some businesses. But the art of the modern CIO is to bring people together, working in tandem to drive the digital and business strategy."

4. Move to the center of change

Anand's colleague, Bev White, executive chair at Nash Squared, suggested that, while more is being asked of CIOs, the same is true of other board members.

"We are all being asked to sharpen our act, go faster, deliver more -- it's just the way of things today," she said.

White told that potential next-generation leaders need to be aware of this pressure, but also cognizant of the opportunities afforded by a move into a senior IT position.

"In my view, CIO is a great job to have right now," she said. "There's a real opportunity for digital leaders to step up and add real business value. In C-suite terms, they used to be largely on the outside looking in. Now, they can be right at the center of things."

Also: Struggling to manage it all at work? 5 ways to delegate like a pro - and lighten your load   

White referred to a combination of factors that bombard people who run modern businesses, from macroeconomic issues to geopolitical challenges and supply chain complexities.

"All CEOs are asking what the implications are for their business. The CIO can be at the forefront of the response, leading the data gathering and scenario modelling," she said.

5. Learn to read the room

Diana Schildhouse, chief data and analytics officer at Colgate-Palmolive, said the importance of communication skills to up-and-coming IT professionals cannot be overstated.

"It is one of the most critical areas," she said. "So, that's clarity of communication to your organization in what the vision is, what you're driving towards, how all the work that they're doing ladders up to your overall strategy as the leader of the function, and then the company's overall strategy."

Schildhouse told that clear storytelling around what the organization is doing, why it matters, and what the outcomes will be is critical to IT leadership success.

"When I give career advice to folks who are just coming into the field, I encourage them to focus on some of the softer skills," she said. "Of course, technical expertise is important, and even more so in some specific roles. But being able to understand the business, understand people, and read the room in meetings are equally important today for people to be successful in senior management positions."

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