My CIO Career: Rob Zelinka, CIO of Jack Henry, on the Difference IT Can Make in Business and Life

Rob Zelinka first recognized the power of technology when, in the early 1990s when he started selling touchscreen point-of-sales systems to restaurants to replace their conventional cash registers. It showed him, he said, “how technology could uniquely affect the lives of business operators.”

That recognition was a turning point. Zelinka started learning as much as he could about computers, networking, and IT infrastructure. Soon, he was studying business and leadership, inspired in part by his first CIO who had become a mentor. Using technology to solve business problems became his calling.

Zelinka has served since 2017 as CIO of Jack Henry, a provider of technology solutions and payment processing services primarily for the financial services industry.

In a September 2024 interview for the "My CIO Career" series, Zelinka discussed how his career path has shaped his hiring practices (including hiring skilled individuals without degrees) and team building efforts, and the leadership lessons he gained from umpiring baseball.

Mary K. Pratt: As a college student, you studied to become a Spanish language teacher. How did you go from that career path to CIO?

Rob Zelinka: My dad never graduated from high school and wanted an easier path for me. He wanted me to go to college and told me to find something I was passionate about. I loved Spanish. I thought I could be a translator or a Spanish teacher.

I was working in restaurants and tending bar to pay for my school, and I saw that I could make twice as much as a bartender as I would as a teacher. It was then I realized that teaching was not going to financially support the lifestyle that I enjoyed.

I told my dad I was going to drop out of college. He was horrified and asked what I was going to do with my life. I told him that I was going to work with computers and technology. I did not know a lot about it, but I told him I would learn really quickly.

How did you transition into the technology profession?

I found a job selling cash register systems, using my knowledge of how the restaurant industry works. I moved from working in a restaurant to supporting the restaurant industry.

Then I was sent to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in the early 1990s to learn about a product called POSitouch, the first touchscreen computerized system for restaurants. I was one of the first people in the United States to be trained as an implementer and as a subject matter expert on it.

It was at that moment I knew I had a career trajectory. I could use my passion for teaching and my knowledge of the restaurant business, operationally and strategically, to sell these solutions.

But here is what happened: No one knew how to install them because no one knew how to connect computers, let alone make one work. I remember an owner saying he was not yet ready for that computerized system and asked me to sell him a normal cash register instead. I said, “I am going to install this new one for you because it is going to change people’s lives.”

I did not know how, but I knew I could figure it out. And I did, so much so that I started flying all over the United States installing these systems.

I said to my dad, “I am going to make a career out of this.”

Did you see yourself becoming a CIO in those early years of your career?

No, I did not. Being a CIO was not top of mind when I started my technology career, because that title was not even on the scene at that point.

At that time, I wanted to be the best technical person I could be. I was reading as much as I could about how to install networks, how to install computers, how to understand routing and switching. But I also wanted to take that knowledge of technology and blend it with my knowledge of business. That is when I realized there was a calling here.

At the same time, the company where I was working, IDX Corp., had hired Michael Whalen as its CIO. It was the first time I had ever heard of the title.

I met him and was drawn to the strategic aspects of his job, how he was leveraging technology to address business issues. He invested in me and mentored me, and I started focusing more on developing leadership, collaboration, and strategic planning skills.

I started to think about how I could use these skills to bring value to my company in our marketplace and in our industry. I knew I needed to understand the business if I was going to be a CIO one day.

How does your own career journey influence how you approach hiring?

I will not say no to someone because they do not have a college degree. I think we, as executives, have to open ourselves up to people who do not have degrees because we might be missing out on qualified candidates who are best suited for open positions.

In my opinion, having a college degree doesn’t automatically make someone a stronger candidate than someone without a degree.

Beyond hiring, how do you approach building a successful team?

I am very mindful of culture. What I look for is someone who will be a fit for our culture, but also strong enough to challenge us in a respectful and tactful way.  The most expensive words in any company are, “We have always done it that way.” You need that change agent, that disruptor, who is going to push you to start getting comfortable with the uncomfortable.  While we are protective of our culture, we also want people who are going to challenge us. It is a very fine line.

It is also really important to build a team that brings together different viewpoints, different skill sets, and different experience levels. It is equally as important to build and foster a collaborative environment in which you celebrate successes.

Naturally, conflicts will arise, and when they do, people might get defensive and withdraw. It's essential to have a constructive approach to resolving these conflicts.

How do you resolve conflicts constructively?

Address issues promptly. Do not be afraid to talk about the elephant in the room, but when you do, always do it with respect. People should feel it is okay to disagree, but you need to come back to something that you are all aligned on.

At Jack Henry, we do this by creating an environment where every vote and every contribution is valued, allowing team members to express their ideas rather than relying solely on the boss's input.

How do you describe yourself as a leader?

My leadership style is adaptive; I change styles to whatever the situation mandates, adapting by taking on one of the 10 or so different leadership styles. Ultimately, my approach is to really understand the situation, understand the team dynamics, and then, figure out what leadership style is best.

If we are in a crisis, for example, I might be an autocratic leader, meaning I am coming in and telling people what we need to do. I might even put a timebox on it to create some urgency.

Other times, I have had to become a transformational leader when there was the need to drive change. Or I might be a transactional leader.

At Jack Henry, I default more often than not to servant leadership. A servant leader prioritizes the needs of others ahead of their own. It is all about the team and the team’s success. A servant leader is very empathetic and a supportive, active listener.

You have talked about learning a lot from books. What are your top book choices?

One is The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win, by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr and George Spafford. It challenges us to get out of our own way and to think differently.

Another is called Get Out of I.T. While You Can: A Guide to Excellence for People in I.T., by Craig Schiefelbein. The reason this book is so important and impactful is because it is telling the leader of technology to start learning about business needs and about the challenges that are facing your clients.

And a third I have found valuable is Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life, One Conversation at a Time, by Susan Scott, a leadership development trainer.

I also like podcasts including ones that talk about leadership. One of my favorites is the Never Stop Getting Better series by John Perry. He is a head football coach at a high school in southwest Missouri, where I am based. He is an extraordinary speaker. 

I understand you have had a lifelong interest and love of baseball. Can you tell me how that impacted you?

Baseball was a major part of my life growing up. I aspired to be a professional baseball player. Then the harsh reality comes in. Either you do not have the ability to be one or you really do not want to be one. For me it was both, but I still wanted to be connected to the sport, so I started to umpire.

I thought, this is cool. I can still be a part of the game, and I can make some money. And what is fascinating is that is where I started learning about leadership.

I learned that anytime you make a call that someone does not agree with, whether it is a manager, coach, or a player, there is one of four reasons why they are arguing with you. I refer to it as LIPS. The first is L: Their argument is legitimate - you got something wrong, and they want you to make it right. The next is Intimidation. They know you are junior to them or less experienced and they are trying to intimidate you. The next letter is P, which stands for Personal. Maybe you just do not like each other but you are both out there and you have to work together. Then the last is Situational, - where something happened upstream which led to this disagreement and that issue needs to be addressed.

I find that all of those things happen in work, too.

Working at Jack Henry has been instrumental in shaping me into the leader I am today. I am surrounded by the best team who supports our mission to “Do the Right Thing, Do Whatever it Takes, and Have Fun.” 

All About the CIO Role