When I first came to the UK in 2008, I had already lived, worked and travelled in several European cities
What struck me the most about the United Kingdom is how almost all companies of any size invest significantly in the professional development of their employees
They know that to achieve better results they need their people to think and act differently, gradually growing more skilful.
Throughout my own professional career, I have also invested significantly: in time, effort and money in acquiring professional qualifications and degrees. I’m a coaching practitioner from the Association for Integrative Psychology (API), graduated with BSc in Psychology & Organizational Change and an MSc in Marketing & International Management, alongside other qualifications and business performance tools I have been using over time (CIMA, Awards in Education & Training, AgilePM, PROSCI, Prince2, ITIL, 6 Sigma and the likes)
I am not sharing this to boast, I’m sharing this because I always thought education would give me the tools to become a technician and carve out a professional path, and a toolbox I could tap into based on what was needed.
To my surprise, as it turns out – particularly now with the accelerated rate of change – these tools are gradually becoming less effective.
And it’s not because they do not work, but rather because the business environment has become more complex and dynamic than before. And they tend to work if they are handed over to the right person within the organisation, at the right time, in the right way, within the context of the many moving parts of a changing business.
For example, many company-wide transformations fail to mobilise people or get them engaged, not because of a lack of technical expertise (Dev, Ops, IT, project teams), but rather because they weave conflicting narratives, delivered by people that are not influential within the business, develop undesired functionality, and the timing is often way off.
As a sponsor or leader surround yourself with advisors and connectors that have a stake in the game, know your business and, most importantly, have a broader view of all your strategic changes and what the company is trying to achieve. Then, let them sit with it, have the right conversations and listen to their advice.
Be mindful not to align them to a particular project because, in 2023, the value is in orchestrating all the moving parts, and dropping the right intervention at the right time, not in gaining frantic local wins.
As we enter 2023 part of my work will continue to be around advising leaders for Culture Change and transformation.
If you’re in the process of planning critical initiatives starting in 2023, DM me I might be able to help.
