One key to good leadership is to use influence where it counts, Meyerriecks says. “There has to be perceived authority balanced by a track record that says you will only weigh in when it really is critical.” In her position, Meyerriecks is the joint integrator for the Defence Department, building the backbone infrastructure for all defense IT. “We spend a great deal of time with the Combatant Commanders and Service and Agency leadership talking about their needs and possible solutions. … We don’t generally satisfy everyone 100 percent of the time, but if we satisfy/dissatisfy everyone equally, we think we’ve probably done our best and the right thing for the [Department of Defense].” — E.E. Return to InfoWorld’s 25 Most Influential CTOs 2002 Security