Flickr Photo: RobjtakThe leadership gap: wherever I go in the nonprofit world these days, the leadership gap comes up in conversation. Lots of research by lots of smart people points in one direction -- nonprofit leaders are leaving the sector at an increasing rate, and their staff don't feel ready or aren't interested in replacing them. (Get the specifics from Bridgespan [1]'s "Leadership Deficit [2]" report and "Ready to Lead [3]" from the Meyer Foundation [4], Idealist [5] and Compasspoint [6].)

At the same time, I've heard rumbling in the NTEN universe from those of you who play another role in your organizations: technology leadership. CIOs and CTOs -- and those who do the work without the official title -- are all talking about a vacuum of technology leadership at their organizations. But if you go, who will follow?

If that's how you've been feeling, you're not imagining things.

It's not just nonprofits that are feeling the pain. As it turns out, the changing role of the CIO -- from technology tactician to mission savvy strategist -- coupled with baby boomer demographics, means the for profit sector is also feeling the pinch. This CIO Magazine article [7] points to the critical need for IT leadership development.

Are you one of those CIOs wondering who will fill your shoes? What are you doing about it?

Are you one of those staffers who aspires to the CIO role, but doesn't know what to do to get there? What do you feel like you're missing?