Great leadership isn't about pushing harder. It's about building trust and solving problems as a team.

In this episode, Aaron Kopel sits down with Jason "JD" Duigou, an experienced CIO, leadership mentor, and the founder and principal consultant of Truefire Partners, LLC. JD shares insights from his career journey, including his time as a CIO, and offers valuable lessons on the importance of trust and relationships in driving business success.

JD reveals a crucial lesson: leadership isn’t about pushing harder. The truth is, it’s about being invited in earlier and shaping problems with the business, rather than rushing to solutions. He reflects on his realization that technology alone doesn’t earn influence; it’s the human connections and trust that make initiatives successful. JD and Aaron discuss how IT leaders can break free from “order taker” roles, become true business partners, and create a culture of collaboration across organizations.

Key takeaways:

• Leadership success comes from building trust and relationships, not just executing solutions
• Shaping problems collaboratively leads to stronger business outcomes
• IT leaders must shift from tech execution to strategic partnership with business units

Episode highlights

(00:00) Intro

(01:20) Beginnings from first-gen college to work

(02:45) Why mentorship will always matter

(05:04) How JD became a CIO by using trust

(08:21) On choosing guardrails and leadership over hype

(12:45) The CIO’s hidden operating system

(19:39) Networking, book club, and how to connect with JD

(22:08) Rapid-fire questions

Jason “JD’ Duigou on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonduigou/

Check out Jason’s CIO Field Notes: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cio-field-notes-episode-1-role-has-changed-have-we-jason-jd--8qfpc/

Check out Well Said! by Darlene Price: https://www.amazon.com/Well-Said-Presentations-Conversations-Results/dp/0814417876

Aaron Kopel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronkopel

Explore Truefire Partners, LLC: https://truefirepartners.com/

Explore Project Brilliant: https://projectbrilliant.com

Buy Unlocking Momentum: https://a.co/d/hKPFqoS