1. Be obsessed by people
Technology companies need to move fast. If they don’t, they risk being overtaken by rivals, or being disrupted by another company with a newer, shinier product or service.
But leaders need their employees to be aligned with the strategy and the changes that are afoot. If they are not, the strategy will go nowhere.
“You have to be obsessed with the human element. All these things, such as digital transformation, are really human things, because they touch people.
“Your success depends on your understanding of those people, whether they work for you, or whether they’re your customers, or whether they’re your partners,” Vamos says.
2. Get the message right
Before making any announcements about changes in the business, Vamos says it is critical to think about the explanation leaders will give and how it should be framed. He suggests running the message past colleagues, testing it, and “really making sure that the justification for change” is well spelt out.
“Whatever you think you have done in communicating why something’s changing, you probably could have done more,” he says.
3. Slow down
Disseminating the message and getting staff on board for change takes time. This is particularly the case when a command and control leadership style is a thing of the past, having been replaced by the need for management to explain and justify their actions.
“All that means is that you’ve got to generally take it a bit slower than you might want. A lot of people make the mistake of trying to move too fast and they turn around behind them and there’s no one there,” Vamos says.
“You find that the understanding [of changes] takes longer than you would hope.
“It’s a little bit like sailing. You might want to go from A to B, but you’ve got to tack with the wind, and you tack backward and forward. It’s very similar in organisational life.
The upside of communicating with staff and listening to their concerns is that employees will generally move fast when they understand the goal and how to get there.
“People will move pretty quickly to embrace change, or deal with change, if they feel that they are being thought about in that process,” Vamos says.
4. Swallow your frustration
Vamos concedes that he is often frustrated because projects and initiatives are not progressing as fast as he would like.
“I live with a consciousness of the fact that we’re not moving as quickly as we’d like. I can choose to be anxious and angry and frustrated or accept that that is part of the journey of constant change.
I’m very calm about it. I get it … I’ve come to accept it.”
5. Break down the hierarchy
Vamos argues that leaders need everyone in the company to be taking a leadership position and be encouraged to identify opportunities, lead change and question incumbent practices.
“Leadership now is at every level of the company. It’s not connected to a role. It’s a mindset. It’s an initiative and we need to encourage that. You have to work against the hierarchy.”
6. Treat your customers like staff
Vamos points to the need to introduce customers to change in the same way he does his staff. Give them plenty of notice of alterations in products and services, respect them, be upfront and apologise when you let them down.
Our customers expect us to show up, be respectful, understand, and consider them and then their challenges.
“Sometimes we change our products, which in the long term we’re convinced will benefit our customers. In the short term, customers might have to deal with inconveniences. We apologise for that, explain why we’re doing it and why it is in their benefit. So we treat our customers and our partners as if they are our people.”
