Be Inspired

Bradley Enneking

Written by The CIO Circle Editor | May 19, 2025 11:21:12 PM
BRADLEY ENNEKING

CIO at Mutual Bancorp

Can you please provide a little introduction about yourself

I am the CIO at Mutual Bancorp and oversee infrastructure, data, applications and digital. If it has to do with technology, it goes through someone on my team. My journey started in consulting for a number of different organizations and settled into banking for the last 15 years.

My company is based in Hyannis, MA, though I live just outside of Milwaukee WI. With the changes that COVID brought about, we became a mixed organization of hybrid and remote work. This has been a fantastic development for us because we were able to attract and retain talent from across the country that we wouldn't have had the opportunity to work with otherwise.

What path have you taken to your current position? 

It started my career in consulting, which I believe was a key aspect to success later in my career. It taught me how to be curious, stay curious, challenge the status quo, think critically and to always look for ways to improve.

Those skills - especially curiosity and continuous improvement - have been critical to the growth of my career. In my 10 years at Wells Fargo, I held seven different positions, each of them different and each of them came because I was continually asking questions and making suggestions.  

I was very fortunate to get a wide range of experience across all functions in technology by being open to the opportunities that came up.  Once I had that broad base, I felt ready to pursue an executive opportunity and felt confident I could do a good job.

Has it always been your vision to reach the position you’re at? Was your current role part of your vision to become a tech leader?

It hasn't consciously been my goal to become CIO, I was driven more by the idea that better decisions could be made by senior leadership. In order to be able to make - or have the most influence over - those decisions, I needed to be in that senior leadership circle.  

Of course, when you get there you realize that it's not as simple as it seems from the outside.

Have you had a role model or mentor that has helped you on your journey?
I had three very influential mentors who have been key to getting me to where I am today. My wife Beth, continually reminds me that the world isn't full of engineers and I need to adjust my style accordingly. Nancy Wiser, who gave me the harshest, hardest and by far the most useful feedback I've ever gotten.
Dennis Mochal asked the best questions to make me really think about what I was doing and what I wanted as an outcome. He taught me how important understanding the business is, and how important critical thinking is and I have modelled my leadership style after his.
How do you see the role of the technology leader evolving over the next 5 years?

Technology leaders will need to continue to grow in their understanding and in-depth knowledge of the business they partner with. Gone are the days when a technology leader could sit behind a closed door and simply make sure the computers and applications are functional.

This change has already started and is rapidly accelerating, technology leaders who don't have an in-depth understanding of their industry and their company will not have a place in leadership circles for long.

What skills do you think leaders of the future will need in order to thrive?

I see the fundamental skills of successful leaders remaining the same. They have to be curious Understand their business, understand their customers, be empathetic and continue to improve themselves and their organization every day.  

Processes will change, technologies will change, and customer needs will change, but having these basic skills will help leaders adapt to whatever comes up.

Is there anything in particular that you would still like to achieve in your career or what is the next step on your journey?

My primary focus going forward Is to leverage the experience I have to share my expertise build something that will last and help grow the next generation of great technology leaders.

What advice would you give to aspiring technology leaders who are just starting their careers?

Be curious. By seeking to learn and understand a world of possibilities opens up and you become visible to others as someone who cares, is invested and can help the company improve and thrive.

"Be curious."

What role do you see emerging technologies (e.g., AI, machine learning, blockchain) playing in your industry, and how are you preparing for them?

At this point, they are evolutionary technologies, not revolutionary technologies. There is an extraordinary amount of hype surrounding both, but flavors of AI have been in use for decades so it's really the focus on generative AI that is causing the conversations to take place. AI, machine learning (which is a branch of AI), blockchain, etc. Are all tools in our technology toolbox?

Still need to focus on the business outcomes we need to target and evaluate the available tools to see if they fit. Emerging technologies may or may not be the appropriate tool to deliver business value in an optimal way.

What has been your most significant achievement or proudest moment as a technology leader?

Watching someone on my team grow beyond what they thought they could be. Empowering, encouraging and challenging those I work with and seeing the results is by far my most meaningful accomplishment.

How do you ensure that you and your team stay updated with the latest technology trends and industry best practices?

Provide a dedicated time once a week for people to spend learning new technologies. I allocate an extensive training budget every year to ensure team members have the opportunity to expand their skill sets and explore new ways of thinking and doing.

Can you share a book that has the most profound impact on shaping your professional journey and approach as a leader?
 
Toyota Kata: Managing People for Improvement, Adaptiveness and Superior Results by Mike Rother
 
This game-changing book puts you behind the curtain at Toyota, providing new insight into the legendary automaker's management practices and offering practical guidance for leading and developing people in a way that makes the best use of their brainpower.
 
Drawing on six years of research into Toyota's employee-management routines, Toyota Kata examines and elucidates, for the first time, the company's organizational routines that power its success with continuous improvement and adaptation.
 

A big thank you to Bradley Enneking from HTLF for sharing his journey to date.

If you would like to gain more perspective from Tech Leaders and CIOs you can read some of our other interviews here.