September 21 is National IT Professionals Day in 2021. It’s also an ideal time to honor and learn from professionals who keep our IT processes and procedures–and consequently our businesses, running smoothly and efficiently. They may not have been considered front-line employees amid the epidemic. However, they deserve our sincere thanks. All across the industry, IT professionals worked tirelessly in the background to ensure that businesses were open during lockdowns and then the transition to remote working and enabling their companies to offer essential products and services to their customers worldwide.
According to all reports, it was a significant shift. According to research by McKinsey, the pandemic increased the process of digitizing internal operations of companies and customer interactions by 3 to 4 years, a time frame in a world operating at a swift pace. The consequences of this alter continue to be felt, and the truth is IT is now under more significant stress than ever before. Despite the fact just 37 percent of IT departments could complete all their business obligations in 2020, the data from MuleSoft’s Connectivity Benchmark 2021 Report indicates that IT expected to finish 30 percent more projects this year with only the 6% increase in budget.
While we promote digital transformation and increase the numerous demands put on IT, I spoke to tech entrepreneurs and business leaders to find out the ways they shift their attention to self-improvement to keep ahead of the game and produce the results they want for their business:
1. Learn from many sources: Vince Dawkins, president, and CEO of Enertia Software
Enertia Software president and CEO Vince Dawkins acknowledges that technological advancements have created essential new abilities. He sees automation as a turning point “In the present day, with so much dependent on automation — it’s vital to be aware and up in the most recent trends to ensure we know how they will affect our business as well as the customers we serve.” Automation’s capacity to increase speed and efficiency will transform industries in a matter of minutes. It’s crucial to be aware of where the next breakthroughs are likely to occur.
In his personal daily life, Dawkins is a self-improvement guru, which includes professional development, mental health, and physical health. Professionally, he advises entrepreneurs to increase their knowledge. “Look outside your industry, your market, or specific area. Look around what other organisations are doing, and how they incorporate new technologies into their business and how you can incorporate it to your own,” he says. “You can extend your reach into those networks and resources but don’t overlook looking within your organization for ideas for developing and suggestions.” Because the industry he works in (upstream petroleum and natural gas) is focussed on the bottom of the line, Dawkins knows firsthand how crucial it is to see advancement and development as a way to invest in the future “Innovation isn’t cheap, but it can make things much more effective, practical and precise over the long haul.”
2. Review the situation and make appropriate decisions: Tobias Balling, co-founder, and co-CTO of Blinkist
As the co-founder and co CTO of a mobile-first microlearning system, It’s not surprising it comes as no surprise that Tobias Balling always strives to improve his knowledge. According to him, the best way for improvement is to take stock of where you are currently: “Solving problems at scale requires continuous review of what’s going on to be able to question how things function.” This advice isn’t just for work as well to private life. What habits are bringing you forward or putting you back in your career? What are behaviors contributing to or affecting your physical and mental well-being?
Once you’ve analyzed your current situation, it’s now time to take action. Balling uses his own experience in the field to pinpoint a strategy to improve iteratively. “When you create an application in the role of a software engineer, it’s typically the build-measure-learn process. It’s involved in doing something and then observing reflection, then making improvements to your product,” He says. “Take Edgar Dale’s Cone of Learning, for instance. It explains how people store and absorb knowledge through “doing the actual practice of doing the thing.'” Of course, you won’t be able to master something the first time, and that’s the reason Balling incorporates this strategy with a growth mindset, which is the conviction that hard work will result in significant improvements in your skills.
3. Don’t be afraid of failing: Lauren Covell, vice head for finance and accounting at Occupier
According to Lauren Covell, vice president of finance at the commercial real estate proptech firm Occupier, the job of CFOs in tech is all about growth and learning. “With the increasing responsibilities of their job CFOs are required to enhance their abilities now more than ever before. The same competencies that helped get them into the CFO chair aren’t the same ones that will ensure their success in this position. The top CFOs today understand and leverage the power in technology. They can gain insight that boost productivity, increase efficiency, and identify trends in the financial world,” she says. “The combination of technology and finance is set to produce an effective financial system that is synergistic for leaders. Training will be crucial for finance leaders to be prepared for the new approach and the increased potential for strategic work in the digital age.”
Covell adopts two necessary actions to ensure that she and her company are constantly developing and learning. First, she facilitates communications across departments. If communication lines remain open, believes leaders will better understand each department’s role and its performance metrics and assess their requirements and issues. Another and perhaps more difficult job is to allow for the possibility of failure: “The executive team should be patient and allow an organization the freedom to fail. Even if you make an unwise step in the direction, it’s a good thing when the company has taken something away from experience.” Accepting the possibility of failure isn’t something that comes naturally to most leaders, yet it’s essential to improving your performance in your professional and personal life.
Continuous improvement has always been the norm in the technology industry. But, even though we’re keen to acquire the latest technology and gadgets, many of us tend to overlook our personal (and significantly more valuable) professional and personal development. Particularly during the stress and shifting worldwide pandemic, tech business executives and entrepreneurs need to take the time to think about areas for self-improvement and organizational innovation. There is no one right method to begin this path, but anyone in any field could benefit from the innovators’ experiences mentioned above.
