Bruce Lee is arguably the greatest martial arts star of all time, a man so skilled at his craft that more than 30 years after his death, his movies still rank among the genre's elite. Known in the industry for introducing the philosophies and techniques of kung fu to Americans starting in 1959, today his lessons may be some of the most poignant for the modern CIO.

Few would argue that being able to deliver a devastating roundhouse kick to an annoying vendor's head or the infamous two-inch punch to an underperforming server might come in handy. However, it's Lee's martial arts philosophy that can help us better cope with the demands on today's IT leader -- not to mention keep us from serving time for assault or replacing expensive hardware.

In a famous quote, Lee once encouraged his students to "be formless ... shapeless, like water. If you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. If you put water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. ... Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it."

Fast-forward 35 years or so, and I was on a conference call with nearly a dozen IT professionals from around the country. Harvard Kennedy School Lecturer Jerry Mechling gathered us virtually to discuss what we felt were the most important traits and attributes of a good public-sector CIO. The goal was to develop a course of study at the Kennedy School of Government. The list we came up with was endless, composed of everything from technical expertise to process improvement skills and all points in between. Soft skills -- mainly in leadership areas -- were the most prevalent. Navigating politics, planning, budgeting, negotiating ... the list was exhaustive.

The experience led me to pose a question on the professional social network LinkedIn: What are the attributes of a good CIO?

Based on the responses, I created a job description.

A glutton for punishment needed to deliver on the impossible. Experience in project management, vendor negotiations, systems auditing, organizational behavior, business intelligence, process improvement, portfolio management, budgeting and strategic planning a must. Fortuneteller and psychic a plus.

Is that where we are today? Has the CIO moved from a technical position capable of managing networks and building infrastructure to a "CXO" at the decision-makers' table, expected to know the ins and outs of everyday business and play a critical role in developing business strategies, while also juggling the technical aspects? Answers depend on your organization and culture, but if you look at what the National Association of State Chief Information Officers and the U.S. General Services Administration's Center for Intergovernmental Solutions are saying, that's the trend.

From my desk as a deputy CIO of Missouri, I think our stakeholders and customers drive the overwhelming requirements of a CIO. Since all of today's work force interacts with technology in some way, the list of people looking to the CIO has grown tremendously. Governors are looking for increased efficiencies and delivery on initiatives. Legislators are looking for budget-cutting innovation and technology-spending oversight.

Some customers want the CIO intimately involved in setting direction; others want the CIO to rubber stamp their plans and get out of the way. Some customers aren't completely sure what they want. Some days they ask for the CIO to attend high-level meetings and the next day forget to mention the RFP that hit the street last week that's replacing their mainframe legacy system. Purchasing expects the CIO to be the lead negotiator for IT contracts, and personnel looks to the CIO to provide salary and classification advice for jobs in technical fields.

It's no wonder there's an endless list of what CIOs must have