Veteran CIO Leigh Berrell shares two leadership lessons from decades in enterprise IT, highlighting instinct, decisive action, and culture as drivers of success.

After 48 years in the workforce, including more than three decades in enterprise IT, Leigh has distilled his career into two lessons: trust your instincts and do not hold onto the wrong people for too long.

He recalls accepting a CIO role despite doubts.

“It was good pay, and it was a good lift for me, and I sort of pushed all those niggles aside. In the end, every one of those niggles was true and I really didn’t enjoy the short time that I spent there.”

“If I’d listened to my gut instinct, that wouldn’t have happened,” he added.

His second lesson comes from waiting too long to act when someone is a poor fit.

He has learned that acting swiftly can be kinder for all involved, while delays often lead to regret.

 

Shaping culture for performance

As CIO at Yarra Valley Water from 2011 to 2016, Leigh lifted staff satisfaction from 30% to 86%, earning a place in the 2016 CIO50 Australia awards.

He credits the turnaround to shifting the culture toward customer focus and business outcomes.

“People in the business don’t care what piece of software it is. What they care about is the outcomes they get.”

Leigh believes high-performing teams require a positive culture where staff understand their role in the organisation’s mission, recognise the value they add, and feel empowered to contribute.

Leading through adversity

At Skilled Group during the global financial crisis, Leigh faced the challenge of shrinking teams while helping the company stay afloat.

He says the focus remained on finding ways to contribute to the organisation’s ability to move forward.

He sees enabling decision-making, risk-taking, and innovation without micromanagement as critical.

In several roles, he has built teams that could operate without him.

“If you can do that, then it’s time for you to step out and uplift another management team somewhere else.”

Read our full breakdown for more insights into Leigh’s leadership discipline, cultural transformation, and building resilient teams.

Contributors
Leigh Berrell Former Chief Information Officer, National Archives of Australia
Leigh Berrell helps companies deliver positive change. He has more than 20 years in IT executive leadership roles across diverse sectors including... More

Leigh Berrell helps companies deliver positive change. He has more than 20 years in IT executive leadership roles across diverse sectors including technology, engineering, transportation and logistics, peacekeeping, retail, utilities and workforce staffing services.

He has served as the Chief Information Officer of two ASX200 companies, Canberra’s energy utility and Melbourne’s largest water retail and distribution business. He was Vice President IT of P&O Ports North America and I’ve delivered IT projects around the globe. In 2013 I was named Australian Utilities CIO of the Year and was ranked 7th in the 2016 Australian CIO50.

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Byron Connolly Head of Programs & Value Engagement at ADAPT
Byron Connolly is a highly experienced technology and business journalist, editor, corporate writer, and event producer, and ADAPT’s Head of Programs and... More

Byron Connolly is a highly experienced technology and business journalist, editor, corporate writer, and event producer, and ADAPT’s Head of Programs and Value Engagement.

Prior to joining Adapt, he was the editor-in-chief at CIO Australia and associate editor at CSO Australia. He also created and led the well-known CIO50 awards program in Australia and The CIO Show podcast.

As the Head of Programs, Byron creates valuable insights for ADAPT’s community of senior technology and business professionals, helping them reach their organisational and professional goals. With over 25 years of experience, he has a passion for uncovering stories about the careers and personal philosophies of Australia’s top technology and digital executives.

When he is not working, Byron enjoys hot yoga, swimming, running, and spending time with his family.

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leadership culture management