How do you transform IT from a cost center to a growth enabler?

For Kurt Shriner, transforming IT starts with trust, visibility, and clear alignment with the business. As Vice President of IT Infrastructure Management at Capital Bank, Kurt leads with empathy and strategy—balancing technical excellence with people-first leadership.

Building growth through strategy, safety, and advocacy

Kurt’s 18-month technology roadmap is more than a project plan—it’s a marketing tool that ties every initiative to a strategic business goal.
By centralizing all incoming support requests, he shields engineers from burnout and preserves deep work time.
He prioritizes psychological safety so his team can share risks, flag blockers early, and stay focused.
Kurt uses one-on-one meetings with every department to uncover operational pain points and position IT as a strategic problem-solver.
His leadership model—the “four quarters philosophy”—balances tech, finance, strategy, and people equally.

“When I talk about transforming IT into a growth enabler, I’m not saying we stop break‑fix. We still keep the lights on. I’m looking for value‑add that proves we’re more important to the business than before.” – Kurt Shriner

Episode Highlights

18-month IT roadmap earns cross-department trust
Psychological safety improves delivery and retention
Strategic advocacy wins IT a seat at executive tables
Role clarity and soft skills drive high-performance hiring
Roadmaps double as negotiation tools in budget planning

Why this episode matters

If you’re trying to reposition your IT team as a business partner—not just a support desk—Kurt Shriner offers a practical blueprint. You’ll learn how to frame IT wins in the language executives care about, improve team focus, and build long-term influence through trust and transparency.

🎧 Listen and share the full episode here:
🔗 https://www.bigleaf.net/podcast-episodes/019-kurt-shriner/
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