Last Friday, we hosted a Virtual Think IT Panel Event on the topic; Change is Inevitable in The Business World. How Do You (Really) Deal with It? A huge thank you to our panelists, Tammylynne Jonas, Global CIO at Self Esteem Brands, Susan Auer, AVP, IT Sourcing and Supplier Relationship Management and Culture and D&I Champion at TCF Bank, Scott Senden, Vice President at UnitedHealth Group, and Barbara Kosloski, Vice President of Technology, Optum at UnitedHealth Group for sharing how they are dealing with all the change 2020 has brought to their companies. Thank you to everyone who joined us as well!
Below you will find an overview of the most popular questions from our members and a summary of what was discussed.
What does being digital mean to your business in 2021? Do you have plans to execute Digital Transformation efforts this year?
Being digital in 2021 means continuing as we have been. Companies need to wait and see what will happen with this digital transformation. We must radically shift how we think about the future. A lot of things are going to keep changing, and each company is going to adapt differently.
So, I am forced to do more for the same pay? Really???
As leaders, the panelists agreed that they serve their company and do the best of their ability. There are two kinds of “do more”: abuse and take on change. Taking on change allows leaders to figure out how to do more with less. Each leader does their full-time role and then some. They want to lead by example for the rest of their company.
What is the most difficult change you have had the deal with within your career, and how did you handle it?
The panelists talked about that over the years; your identity can be compromised during change. It’s important to get a handle on change and understand that the environment that you are in is most important. You don’t want to compromise yourself as a person like many may have felt like they’ve had to do during COVID. COVID was such a physically and emotionally draining change that no one was ready for. Moving forward, leaders are going to be in a state of change readiness. They will be ready to absorb the change rather than having it change them.
Given your desired changes aren’t the only ones going on within your firm, how do you balance achieving your goals and support other important changes?
Balance during change is done by staying true to your family, faith, and values to show up as your best self. If leaders are doing this, employees will do the same. Looking at your life from a holistic standpoint while going through change will help you get through the change in the best way. It takes time to find your spot as a leader, especially during this time of change.
People don’t want to hurt their pride, especially through change when trying to figure things out. The faster you put that aside, the better overall turnout you will have.