The joke goes that CIO stands for "career is over." While that may be a little extreme, serving as a public-sector IT leader is a tough job. Too often we become "superheroes," trying to do everything for everyone and swooping in to save the day. This approach often leads to disenchantment, discontentment, burn out, a lack of focus and waning organizational support. Consider just a few well-known superheroes, and you quickly realize that their lives are not all glory and adulation.

Many public sector IT leaders -- even men -- become Wonder Woman CIOs, flying here and there, trying to rescue everyone. The upside to being a Wonder Woman CIO is that the customers you "save" love you -- until, that is, the time comes when you can't meet an unreasonable demand. The downside of this approach is that Wonder Woman CIOs may be doing many things but not doing any of them well due to a lack of focus and bandwidth.

Superman CIOs also swoop in just in time to set things right. While Superman CIOs have the same issues as Wonder Woman CIOs, these IT Leaders also must contend with their own version of kryptonite. After dealing with disgruntled staff, renegade users, poor leadership, shifting priorities or dwindling support, Superman CIOs are soon sapped of energy and become ineffective.

As with a current popular superhero, Spiderman, people love to hate the public-sector CIO. They may love the results of your efforts, but they hate the way technology brings change and upheaval to their environment. These CIOs may save the day but they are often overworked and underappreciated. But their dedication remains, sometimes to the point of straining health or relationships. Spiderman CIOs often find themselves thinking of leaving it all behind.

By now, you are probably both identifying with this assessment and wondering what a public-sector CIO can do to thrive in this tough environment. I asked my colleagues for their input and assembled a list. We came up with the following seven suggestions.

1. Find where you fit in. While this suggestion works best if you are considering a position in another organization, you may also wish to ask yourself this question if you are dissatisfied with your current position and want to know why. Consider whether you prefer to fix things in a broken environment or maintain the status quo, making incremental changes in a less dramatic manner. Are you the tortoise or the hare? Slow and steady may win the race, but some organizations need rapid improvements. Should you keep your head down and do your job, or does your organization's leadership expect you to be on the cover of a CIO magazine and a frequent conference speaker who jets around the globe? Even your ethical approach should match. Are you more comfortable going by the book, or are you happy "working a deal" to get things done? Finding a good fit or being willing to "fit in" is the foundation for success.

2. Speak the same language. First, work hard to understand the language of the business through ride- or work-alongs, getting out into the organization, and continuing your education, such as obtaining a degree in public administration. Next, share technology language with your leadership, colleagues and customers by providing them with a glossary of IT terms. Call it an "Executive Glossary" or whatever it takes to catch their attention and ensure they will at least glance at it. Finally eliminate the "geek speak" and steer clear of acronyms. If your non-techie spouse, friend or child can understand what you are saying, you got it. If not, work on it.

3. Align IT with the business of government. While "IT and business alignment" is an overused phrase, the process remains fundamental to success. Even if your organization