How this CIO Sparked a People-Powered Change

How many times have you been a part of or lead a change program that did not stick? You are not alone - research from McKinsey and Company shows that 70% of change programs fail. No real surprise that the success of a change program has a direct correlation to how engaged the people are. To lead a change takes patience, persistence and, as we have discovered, positivity - or as we call it the 3P's for Leading Change! Roman Kornauka, CIO EMEA at Omnicom Media Group sat down with us to reflect on the team transformation we have been working on together for the last couple of years. Roman had reached a point where he knew it would be impossible to have the desired business impact without making some serious changes; 

I kept noticing how we kept defaulting into feeling disempowered and quickly adopting a “us vs them” mentality. 

We worked alongside Roman and his team to help them rally around the OKR (Objective Key Results) process. This process enabled them to be more focused, better able to prioritise and to start having really impactful conversations around the positive impact they were having on the wider business and how they could start relying and measuring the value add. But to get there, we had to start one small step at a time. OKRs is more than just a KPI exercise, done well it can create a complete shift in your teams engagement, confidence and ability to deliver in fast-moving organisations. It requires a shift in mindset and an openness to adapt to new ways of working.

Roman shares, “I knew that I had to change my approach as this mindset was increasing stress and decreasing happiness”. Through the OKR process we identified that happiness was a core principle in our work together, using it as a measure for the team’s health. We noticed that there was a correlation between the team’s happiness and their perception of being in control of their work. Roman shares what he’s learned from making those micro shifts to make a macro impact.

How to start change

"Be curious and be open to when you start the change and the impact you can make. When I’ve listened to speakers from different companies I’ve realized no one has found the holy grail, a lot of them are hiding behind concepts and you need to find your own way. It’s important to listen and be patient because change requires time".

Getting your team on board

"You can’t make everyone happy but you can start by making slow progress by creating systems and better processes that reduce complexity step by step. As a leader, it’s imperative that you role-model the practices and trust the process. Be open to hearing feedback, and reinforce how this change over the long term will have a positive impact on them personally. As a team that spanned different geographies and departments I noticed that it was when we started creating our own rituals that began to see a real breakthrough".

What your outlook needs to be

"In my role, we have to think of ourselves as a business within a business, and we have shifted to a more user-focused approach to planning. No matter what team you are leading, you have to ask yourself: are we making the kind impact we need to make? You can’t get attached to anything; just because something was good yesterday, it may not be relevant tomorrow. Be open to where it goes and do not get attached. Take the time to reach out to your end-users and stakeholders to really understand their needs and pain points".

Your role as a manager

"We all need to learn how to work together to manage complexity. Intrinsically motivated people are better able to work together in a way that empowers others. Individuals on your team need your role to enable better communication between the two sides — facilitate and moderate those relationships. Don’t be tempted to jump in as soon as they ask for help. Learn to know how and when to step back so that you find the balance between being supportive as a manager and not enabling the behaviours that aren’t serving us anymore".

It’s never finished

"It is still a work in progress and we may not ever reach “the end”. Transformation is a challenge because it is something that goes on indefinitely. As we are in constant change, it is something we have to get used to and learn how to thrive in the grey. When I talk to my peers in other industries, it’s clear that IT everywhere is in a difficult position. There are ever-increasing security demands with a balance to manage costs, the desire to have a standardized approach which requires more strictness and policies but on the other hand users want agility, less complex systems that are easy to use. You can’t make everyone happy but you can start making slow progress by creating systems and better processes that reduce complexity step by step".

Roman believes that one of the hardest but most impactful behaviour was the ability to stay positive. Transformation isn’t a linear journey and we saw in our data how the team’s confidence/happiness varied throughout each quarter. Roman’s ability to stay positive himself, meant that he was able to manage the team's downs and bring them back up. But it wasn’t easy.

Staying positive is one of the most challenging tasks of leadership. If I pass all the pressure down to the team it won’t help them keep their confidence levels up.

Anyone who is driving change, or is in a pioneering team will recognize the challenge of working against the wider organization's culture. Politics, hidden agendas, lack of funding or representation at the higher tables. It is too easy to get wrapped up in that, drain your energy and take you away from focusing on impact. If you get stuck there so will your team and their collective progress.

The OKR process gave the team a strong and unifying approach to how they work. It enabled them to get clear on their vision, direction and understand how to communicate their priorities that were in line with the rest of the businesses. We built in the mantra “progress over perfection” which help Roman’s team focus on the changes they were making and not how far they had to go.

Being able to find the balance between the company’s culture and the team culture that you need to role model is key to keeping the team spirit and drive alive.

*****

Want to know how OKRs can help you transform your team’s ability to deliver, focus and drive alignment amongst uncertain times?

Download our OKR Guide for Leaders by submitting the form below.

OverTime Leader provides executive leadership and management advisory for technology-enabled businesses and teams. If you are looking to spark a people-powered change in your business the team at OverTime Leader has a toolbox full of ways to help you get started.

Sign up to our newsletter for insights, tools, and tips.