Redefining IT Leadership Through Soft Skills and Strategic Communication

Ismael Hernandez is the VP of Information Technology at The Larson Group (TLG Peterbilt), where he leads IT strategy, innovation, and operations across a multi-state commercial vehicle network. With a background in business and systems leadership, he champions the alignment of technology with business outcomes, reshaping IT’s role as a strategic driver of growth and operational excellence.

In today’s organizations, soft skills and strategic storytelling have overtaken technical expertise as the must-have competencies for IT leaders. The ability to align project scope and technical effort with business impact is more critical than ever, especially in an era of tighter budgets.

When IT leaders embrace this shift, it reshapes the reputation of entire teams. Transparent communication builds trust, aligns departmental goals with the company vision, and can even help secure larger IT budgets. This evolution is transforming how IT communicates with business leaders, breaking down long-standing silos.

In many organizations, a lack of clear communication and visibility can mask the true capabilities of IT teams. A high-performing department may be seen as just another cost center—disconnected from core business objectives. This misperception arises when IT isn’t included in early conversations or when success metrics are poorly defined. If this persists, leadership may turn to outsourcing, unaware they already have the talent needed in-house.

This lack of visibility causes a cloudy understanding of how capable your IT team truly is. Often, exceptional IT teams are overlooked, misunderstood, or dismissed as “just overhead” rather than recognized as strategic enablers. That misunderstanding grows when feedback loops exclude IT from key conversations, or when projects lack defined indicators of success. Without measurable outcomes, even well-executed initiatives can appear aimless. If the perception doesn’t shift, organizations risk losing internal expertise simply because they aren’t aware of what their teams are capable of delivering.

Executives need a clear understanding of IT projects, timelines, and strategic relevance. However, time constraints often reduce communication to surface-level exchanges. IT leaders may find themselves constantly defending their teams, budgets, or resource allocations— often reacting to irrelevant concerns rather than leading strategic conversations. Meanwhile, operational leaders, already overwhelmed, may experience “technology fatigue,” further complicating alignment.

Discussions about essential infrastructure—network uptime, endpoint security, VoIP, and firewalls—are no longer value-add. These are expected “light-switch” services, like electricity or hot water. Despite the complexity and critical nature of these systems, time spent justifying their maintenance drains energy from more impactful innovation-focused conversations.

Make no mistake, ensuring uptime and security is a major challenge. IT teams work tirelessly to stay ahead of threats, manage infrastructure, and support end-users. But sadly, few outside the IT department recognize the work involved, or care to. These services are expected to function without question. As a result, conversations must move beyond maintenance and focus on the business outcomes IT can enable.

 ​When IT is ready to deliver a high-impact initiative with minimal lift, the results speak for themselves. Operational leaders begin to trust IT’s capacity, and teams across the company begin to see IT as a strategic partner-not a cost center or bottleneck. 

Modern IT leaders must go beyond infrastructure. They must champion projects that enhance how their organization sells, serves, or executes. Whether through AI, business intelligence, or process optimization, IT teams possess the tools to enable business success, yet they must lead the narrative around that value.

The challenge? Many business leaders expect the same intuitive, fast technology they use in their personal lives to be mirrored at work. IT must bridge this gap by demonstrating how secure, scalable systems can support rapid transformation while staying aligned with business goals.

IT leaders need to understand top business challenges, not just from executives, but also from operational subject matter experts. These frontline employees often hold the insights needed to implement technology that improves customer experience, controls costs, or drives revenue. IT budget discussions must shift from cost-saving to business impact. Saving 5 percent of a 2 percent budget means little, but increasing revenue by 5 percent through smart IT investment is transformational.

Internally, IT must ensure that foundational technology investments are relevant, scalable, and directionally aligned with the organization’s future. These investments should be proactively funded—often by identifying savings within IT operations, and reinvested in tools that will enable agility. Most operational leaders won’t know what infrastructure they’ll need six months from now; it’s IT’s responsibility to anticipate it and be ready.

When IT is already equipped with the tools and training to deliver a high-impact project, outcomes improve dramatically. Not every initiative should require a major budget or vendor support. A consistent stream of “quick wins” builds trust, earns IT more autonomy, and energizes staff by keeping them involved in visible successes.

Working with operational leaders and subject matter experts to build and rank initiatives collaboratively is key. A shared “Scope and Impact Board” helps prioritize projects. Though it may take effort to develop, it creates clarity on which projects deliver the most business value and how long each will take.

Once initiatives are ranked, IT leaders must apply a proper scope to each one. This scoping often changes initial assumptions—projects once viewed as simple may be more complex, while others may prove easier to deliver. The result: more realistic expectations around effort, timeline, and outcome.

A simple matrix can be used to classify initiatives by impact (A, B, C) and scope (1, 2, 3). Over time, this classification becomes embedded in how IT communicates with leadership. Instead of endless project lists, conversations focus on high-impact, low-effort projects—A1s. It becomes universally understood that an A3 will take longer than an A1 or A2.

Internally, this system also helps IT staff stay motivated. Completing an A1 project can lift morale during long, complex B3 or C3 assignments. In our organization, if a team member identifies an A1, we prioritize it immediately. On the other hand, C3s rarely rise to the top of the board, and if rejected, business leaders typically agree.

Embedding these classifications into daily operations allows IT and business teams to communicate clearly and consistently. Everyone understands what an “A1” or “B2” means in terms of urgency, impact, and effort. The ambiguity around project priorities, delivery times, and scope begins to fade—replaced by shared expectations and mutual accountability.

From an internal perspective, one of the biggest benefits is momentum. When IT is ready to deliver a high-impact initiative with minimal lift, the results speak for themselves. Operational leaders begin to trust IT’s capacity, and teams across the company begin to see IT as a strategic partner— not a cost center or bottleneck.

This framework fosters a motivated, responsive IT team that delivers visible wins, supports long-term goals, and communicates in business terms. With that shift, the IT organization earns a seat at the table, not just as the team that keeps the lights on, but as a vital partner in growth, innovation, and operational excellence.