You’d have to be living under a rock not to notice the multitudes of research and conversations taking place about the changing role of Information Technology. And the curiosity is merited.

Technology is changing everything about our preferences, what we want and how we live our lives. And it is altering almost everything we know about business. It’s fair to say that IT is now embedded in all business decisions. Or at least it should be.

For IT executives, these are exciting times but also very demanding times. Consider this to get your mind thinking: The “I” in CIO is about innovation, integration, imagination, and intelligence, not just information. A thought recently shared by @ValaAfshar and I think it hits the nail on the head!

If you believe this line of thinking, you’ll realize that CIOs are under a great deal of pressure. Historically, the role of CIO was thought to be complicated, narrow and specific, one that is very focused on being a technical expert. You could relate it to the role of an accountant, a lawyer. But that’s no longer the case.

Now traditional business models are quickly becoming obsolete and technology is often the catalyst. Technology is far more than the thing that enables the business strategy – it is part of the strategy. Today, a great CIO needs to be as in tune with the business, its customers and the overall strategy as he or she is in the latest trends in technology.

This works both ways. A CEO who does not fully appreciate and understand the impact of technology on any business is missing the point of what is remarkably exciting and fascinating about the world we live in today. Quite simply, if a business is not innovating, it will most certainly be left behind – something I’ve blogged about before.

So I believe that it takes two. Yes, it’s a cliché, but there is no simpler truth for what makes the CEO and CIO relationship work – or other areas of the business such as Marketing and Human Resources. And that is precisely why it works for us at ING DIRECT.

Because we ask questions like, how can technology help our business grow? Does this innovation make sense for us? Does it represent our values and corporate culture? Does it meet the needs of our customers?

So our view is different. It is far less about the technology and more about the value proposition for our customers. I don’t think Charaka (our CIO) and I ever have conversations about specific technologies – even with a natural interest in technology, he might lose me after a few too many acronyms. Our chats always reflect the need to provide value for our customers and employees by making things simpler for them.

Successful CIOs uncover how CEOs think. They are bilingual in the languages of technology and business. They weed out the latest technology trends to find the ones that deliver on the business strategy, and meet the expectation of the corporate culture and its customers.

And ultimately they win the trust and support of their CEO and everyone in the business.

It’s time to save again.

 What would you give up for $250? That’s the question we asked over 1500 Canadians. The answers are quite interesting and reminded me of what I love about this country.

You know, Canada has been a nation of Savers for a long time, but in recent years we seemed to have lost our way. It’s clear that spending is at an all time high by the soaring levels of debt we are seeing. But Canadians DO want to save! 81% actually do, and said they would be willing to give up some things in exchange for a larger savings account.

52% of those surveyed don’t save regularly. Of course, some have big financial responsibilities, but are we being realistic about what we feel are the things that are ‘hard to live without’. Maybe the $6 fancy special coffee indulgence – which I enjoy from time to time by the way – or the hairdresser appointments or the sporting events we absolutely have to partake in.

There is clearly plenty we can give up on. And it’s encouraging that Canadians seem to be open to sacrificing some indulgences to save an additional – and realistic – $250 a month. With simple planning, budgeting and by making small changes to day-to-day spending habits, Canadians have a great chance to build their savings in a simple systematic way.

But we also need reminders, and at times, a little motivation to move along the road to financial wellbeing. A lot has changed since ING DIRECT began advocating on behalf of consumers 16 years ago, giving Canadians choice and arming them with the information they need to take care of their hard earned money.

And we continue to do so. We want Canadians to get back to the simple act of saving so they can see their nest egg grow. This is why we created the ING DIRECT Savings Sale. Taking advantage of these savings opportunities and setting up an automatic savings program are very easy ways to help grow hard-earned money in a simple, thoughtful and steady way.

So it’s time for Canadians to take action. If you are part of the 64% of Canadians who would sacrifice three months of entertainment (eating out, going to the movies, watching sporting events) to save $250, or maybe you are one of the 53% who would give up one month of cell phone use to see your savings grow, then now is the time to realize the potential of saving $250 (or more) a month!

I’ve used this quote by David Chilton before but it is worth repeating. “The reference group you often need to be most wary of is not your affluent friends, or even your wealthier work colleagues; it’s you, yourself.” So get out of your own way, and get to saving! After all, it’s a very Canadian thing to do.

You might know what it feels like to be at a pep rally, maybe before a Sports game you’ve attended? There’s adrenaline, high energy, positive spirits, a true feeling of “team” and maybe some loud cheers.

This sums up the atmosphere at our most recent rally at ING DIRECT. It was the 4^th annual rally we’ve organized since I’ve been the CEO. We call them our “Orange Rallies” for a reason. I suppose we could call them the ING DIRECT annual meeting, but that’s what everyone else does and that wouldn’t be indicative of our culture.

We pride ourselves on being a challenger brand and it is our orange culture that we cherish, value and defend. We are a young team, 16 years old in fact and we operate quite differently from the over 150 year old financial institutions we compete against. And we are committed to maintaining that difference.

So once a year we rally together our entire team of over 1000 employees. (In reality, we need to do it in a few sessions because we are available to our customers 24/7.) We huddle, we talk, and we get excited. We celebrate our past successes, I share our vision and strategy, we help each other absorb the message and we reset for the year. I love the idea of everyone rallying together to help us win.

Over the years we held different types of rallies, some with the help of external speakers like @rontite and @preetbanerjee, but this year felt much more personal. With the sale of ING DIRECT, the 2013 Orange Rally belonged to our orange team, to celebrate our successes, align ourselves and provide clarity on the strategy for our very exciting future. I personally needed to reaffirm the importance of teamwork and collaboration for ING DIRECT.

The fact is if we don’t collaborate we won’t be in business. We have to remain nimble, flexible and entrepreneurial. We have a collective fund of intelligence within the team, you probably do too, so what are leaders doing to ensure access to that fund? Phil Jackson said it really well: “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”

Leaders need to create a collaborative environment within the business. We all felt it at this year’s rally when each member took to the drums lead by a dynamic team called Drum Café. It was quite powerful and lots of fun! But I’m aware that a highly energetic few hours once a year is not going to sustain the magic day in and day out.

I am completely certain that a CEO can lead, and can set the tone but this is not nearly enough. To win, we need leaders all over the business interacting, clarifying, inspiring, making decisions – leading! Leaders at all levels need to take the initiative to make our vision happen.

I think that more business leaders than ever understand what Max McKeown wrote, “Strategy is not a solo sport – even if you’re the CEO.”  To which I would add, especially if you’re the CEO!

All the best to you and your team!

Peter.

This is not the first time I blog about the importance of saving money. But I especially want to talk about our plans to save for retirement.

There’s no question that we all dream and envision how life will be like when we’re older. You know, less hectic, maybe a cottage up North, perhaps a home down in Florida, less or no work, and travels to plan.

But what exactly are we doing to ensure this happens? Not much when two-thirds of Canadians don’t have an RSP or have made no contributions to their retirement savings in 2012!

Here’s the irony: The same two-thirds are in fact worried about their financial wellbeing during retirement. When I see this it makes me think of the provocative view of Thomas Edison who said, “Vision without execution is hallucination.”

What’s more, Canadians have admitted that neglecting retirement savings has taken a toll on their emotional health. 26% of Canadians who did not make RSP contributions in 2012 described themselves as feeling concerned, stressed, anxious, hopeless or overwhelmed about it.

On the flip side, 29% of those who actually contributed to their RSPs in 2012 described themselves as feeling calm, while 20% feel safe and another 20% describe feeling confident.

People want to feel calm, safe and confident! How do you want to feel?

I came across this article in the Globe and Mail recently that describes the connection between our retirement savings plans and our psychology. It suggests that saving using RSPs is most beneficial for our long-term goals because of their impact on our financial behaviour and habits. As a student of psychology, I couldn’t agree more.

We know that Canadians are eager to retire early but very few have the financial habits to support their early retirement dreams. But it’s not all bad news. There are many Canadians who are actively paying off debt and saving for other goals, like paying for their child’s education. All of which are of course important priorities, but often they are done at the expense of saving for retirement.

It’s important to strike a financial balance between the short term (a vacation to Hawaii in the spring), medium term (renovating your kitchen or saving for your child’s university education) and long term (your retirement) so that contributions to an RSP are not overlooked. I have said this on numerous occasions – saving or planning for retirement doesn’t have to be complicated and it doesn’t have to be big, but it does have to start!

There are several financial institutions, family, friends or even online tools that can provide great information to help you and your family think about money and how to plan your financial future. But the first step toward change, toward positive results or execution of any goal, is always awareness.

So arm yourself with the basic information, set goals and make a commitment to see your plans through. And consider the words of Tony Robbins when he said, “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.”

Whenever you are ready to slow down, be sure that the vision you have set for your life has been given the best chances to be realized. It is your life and you deserve to enjoy it. It’s not easy but saving in a steady simple way can lead to the happiness, calmness and confidence you deserve.