As the CIO in a professional services firm, you must contend with the characteristics of “the firm.” One overriding characteristic is the dichotomy between the “professionals” in the firm and “the rest” of the people who support these professionals. Culture plays a part in every organization, but professional services firms are especially cultural as so much of what is accomplished is done so on the backs of individual application of skill and knowledge. While there are governing rules and ethics, it is in the individual employment of those rules and ethics that success is found. This is wholly unlike a process-driven service organization like a governmental office or manufacturing plant. The nature of the service is not, per se, in the system but in the individual’s application of it. As such, reputation is a critical success factor for any professional services firm. The CIO in such an environment must be mindful of this dichotomy and their navigation of the cultural divide.