In this episode, David Wright sits down with Ken Knapton, Chief Information Officer of Win Brands (Costa Vida / FatCats), to explore the evolution from individual contributor to strategic team leader in enterprise IT environments. They delve into overcoming organizational resistance to change, particularly when implementing shared services across multi-location businesses. Ken reveals how personal growth and humility transformed his leadership approach, while David and Ken examine the challenges CIOs face when stakeholders misunderstand collaborative IT initiatives and unfairly assign security ownership solely to technology leaders.

Key Takeaways:

00:00 Introduction.

08:57 Early career transitions create the foundation for future success.

10:21 Type A personalities must evolve beyond an individual achievement focus.

13:04 Preconceived solutions limit openness to better architectural approaches.

15:51 Personal challenges become catalysts for significant leadership growth.

23:34 Multi-location enterprises need experienced IT leadership beyond directors.

24:39 Shared services require understanding differences, not enforcing sameness.

34:36 CEO expectations often misalign with collaborative IT initiative requirements.

34:11 IT leaders face an unfair ownership burden for enterprise security.

Resources Mentioned:

Ken Knapton

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenknapton/

Costa Vida | LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/company/costa-vida/

Costa Vida | Website

https://www.costavida.com/

FatCats | LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/company/fatcats/

FatCats | Website

https://www.fatcatsfun.com/

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