Unlike traditional analyst research models, HMG Strategy’s research is peer-driven, drawing insights from its community of 500,000+ CIOs, CISOs, business technology leaders, industry experts, venture capitalists and search executives.

Each year, HMG Strategy’s research team publishes a list of the top leadership and technology trends for business technology leaders.

The top leadership trends being tracked by HMG Strategy’s research team includes Visionary Leadership: Driving a Modern AI Strategy with a Secure Digital Agenda. Inflationary pressures and other macro-economic and geo-political challenges are creating headwinds for technology executives and fellow members of the C-suite to execute on and achieve strategic goals in 2024. The fast-changing socio-economic landscape is forcing technology executives to be able to peer around the corners and to anticipate what’s coming for the CEO and the Board.

In an uncertain economic environment, CIOs and business technology leaders will need to draw upon authentic and inclusive leadership skills to inspire their teams to help execute organizational objectives. Meanwhile, CIOs, CISOs and other business tech leaders will need to remain laser focused on new ransomware, phishing and crypto mining attacks amidst budgetary pressures. Critical focus areas will include fearless innovation and invention via curated AI utilization to spur revenue growth.

Other leadership trends HMG Strategy is following for members of its community include:

Navigating a Barrage of Geo-Economic, Political and Cyber Risks. Given the unprecedented global environment that has tested the limits of our leadership skills, CIOs, CDOs, CISOs, business technology leaders and fellow members of the C-suite are contending with an avalanche of risks which include inflation, rising interest rates supply chains disruptions, and two regional wars. These challenges are forcing business technology leaders to summon fresh ways of thinking and new leadership capabilities to enable the business to succeed while keeping it protected.

Conveying Cyber Threats as a Board-Level Discussion. The role of CISOs and CIOs to effectively communicating the evolving threat landscape to the CEO and the Board remains a top priority. More recent developments that further cloud the threat landscape include the need to balance the opportunities presented by AI-fueled initiatives with the need to safeguard the enterprise as well as communicating the impact that the new Securities & Exchange Commission cyber regulations has on Board members. Layer on top of this the pressures that widespread cybersecurity budget cuts and staff reductions are having on existing teams. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Executing on the CEO’s Viewpoint. A key component to the success of any CIO, CISO or business technology leader is understanding and executing the CEO’s priorities. This includes fully grasping the CEO’s goals for business growth, cost containment, business transformation and other initiatives and then identifying and deploying the right mix of technologies, processes and skill sets to meet those objectives. For most CIOs and business tech leaders, this also includes conducting a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats) to assess what your company does best, where it needs help along with the threats and opportunities that lie ahead.

HMG Strategy’s research team is also identifying the top technology trends impacting CIOs, CISOs and business technology leaders. Key among these include:

Innovating Your Security Posture Against an Evolving Threat Landscape. As ransomware, phishing, supply-chain and other types of cyber-attacks continue to grow in complexity and volume, traditional cyber strategies and techniques to safeguard the enterprise need to be re-examined and refreshed. Add to these challenges the continuing cyber skills shortage that CISOs and their organizations are facing. As such, we expect to see increased investment in cutting-edge cyber technologies that can help address these and other cyber requirements, including autonomous cybersecurity, data security, and cloud security.

Leveraging the Business and Operational Benefits of Generative AI. AI isn’t a new concept. The technology has been around since the 1950s. But it has evolved to what is now referred to as Generative AI, which has suddenly and dramatically created new opportunities to generate new business services, fresh Go-to-Market strategies, deliver real-time intelligence regarding customer behavior and preferences along with streamlining organizational workflows. GenAI and intelligent automation technologies that capture what executives and organizations need most will be best positioned as market movers.

Gaining a Competitive Edge via Predictive Analytics. A top focus area for CIOs, CISOs and business technology executives is understanding the company’s strategic goals and then applying technology and resources to help achieve those objectives. This is a key reason why the use of predictive analytics is crucial for businesses. Analytics can help business leaders to massage data to identify emerging customer and market trends and bypass competitors with new products, services and strategies to strengthen the bottom line and gain a competitive advantage.

HMG Strategy’s research team will continue to update its leadership and technology trends to watch throughout 2024 as market changes dictate. To view the full list of leadership and technology trends HMG Strategy is tracking in 2024, click here.