ITML Institute's Eric Bloom on the IT Leadership Leap: Mentors, Mindset, and the AI Moment
In this episode of The Vurge, host and Divurgent COO and President Wendy Hoffman sits down with Eric Bloom, Executive Director of the IT Management and Leadership Institute (ITML Institute) and a former CTO—to unpack what it really takes for technologists to move into management and leadership roles. Bloom explains why many IT professionals are promoted simply for being the “best techie,” then find themselves in a job they were never trained to do—one that requires letting go of hands-on work, delegating effectively, and finding fulfillment through the success of the team.
Bloom lays out key growth areas for new and aspiring IT leaders: interpersonal communication and emotional intelligence; “interprofessional” skills like conflict resolution, negotiation, and difficult conversations; business understanding of the industry and stakeholders; the business of IT (budgeting, vendor management, service catalogs, user experience, and customer service); and executive presence that helps IT earn a seat at the strategy table. A recurring theme is mentorship. Bloom argues it’s the single most important accelerator for leadership growth, because management is learned faster with guidance than through trial-and-error alone.
Looking forward, the conversation highlights how leaders must adapt to multi-generational teams, shifting expectations about purpose and work-life balance, and the realities of leading hybrid workforces. Bloom also emphasizes designing healthcare technology with the full patient population in mind, sharing an example of a well-built prescription app that failed users because it wasn’t accessible to many older patients. Finally, the pair discuss AI as a fast-moving set of distinct capabilities (not “one thing”) and the challenge of choosing tools wisely amid hype, consolidation, and long-term platform risk—reinforcing the need for strong governance, change management, and leadership fundamentals as IT modernizes.
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