IT RECRUITING & STAFFING COMPANY OF THE YEAR
Change is upon us in countless areas, even more so in the ICT sector than elsewhere. So when you look for employees to make your team resilient, you have to take that into account. This was the subject of the keynote by Canadian economist and author Linda Nazareth during Amon’s event This is IT in November 2024. These are the most important take-aways.
1. Focus on engagement and well-being
We’re stating the obvious here. And all 5 finalists for the ICT & Digital Coach Award hammered on this as well. But this fact from Linda Nazareth’s keynote cannot be overlooked: happy and engaged employees are up to 13% more productive, according to research by Oxford. Employees who feel valued and supported are more motivated to do their best work and actively contribute to the company’s success.
Bahadir Samli, who was awarded ICT & Digital Coach of the Year 2024 just after the keynote, also shares this experience: “Actively listening to your team members and really taking everyone’s input into account is extremely important. Then people feel that they are growing and you achieve much more as a team.”
Linda’s advice
Employees are willing to go the extra mile if they understand the contribution they make to the bigger picture. Therefore, communicate clearly about the company’s objectives and vision. Honest communication is essential in this respect: lack of clarity and false promises kill employee engagement. And no one can afford that anymore.
2. Prepare for disruption
In today’s world, disruptions are piling up: with the corona pandemic barely processed, AI is changing the world around us at an unprecedented pace, the impact of climate change is becoming increasingly clear and it also threatens to disrupt the economy.
The ICT sector plays a crucial role in addressing these challenges and creating sustainable solutions. It is important that we, the people, remain in control of that change.
We set the agenda. We can decide what we want from technology, and what we don’t.
Linda Nazareth
Linda’s advice
As a leader in ICT & Digital, you can make a difference by driving continuous innovation. It is also important to invest in the development of ‘green skills’ among your employees: if you understand the impact of technology on the environment as a team, it can actively contribute to making the sector more sustainable. And that is necessary to be future-proof.
3. Foster a growth mindset
In the past, a ‘fixed mindset’ helped us to stay focused on our job. Now we need a ‘growth mindset’ that helps us to dare to make mistakes and think outside the box. This allows us to deal with these constant changes and constant new needs. Or in Linda Nazareth’s words:
You need the right players on your team if you want to win.
Linda’s advice
As a manager in ICT & Digital, you’re better off without employees out to appease you. Instead, look for resilient people, with a good dose of empathy and a creative brain. Team members who dare to challenge the status quo and are willing to continuously learn.
4. Embrace the diversity of the modern workplace
In the 50s, there was one kind of family: mom, dad, children. Today, no one is surprised by a family that has a different form. Workplaces are evolving in the same way. The workplace no longer exists, every workplace is organized differently. Managers and teams look for the way that suits their needs and their circumstances.
The IT sector was one of the first to experiment with flexible working; IBM started with this in the 80s. Thanks to the enormous opportunities to work remotely, companies today have access to a global pool of talent. But that also brings challenges, because how does a physically dispersed team remain a real team?
Linda Nazareth points out that the first astronauts were actually the first ‘remote workers’. When, after a time in space, they lost touch with what their colleagues at headquarters were doing, NASA set up daily calls to keep them ‘in the loop’. Her point: you can always find a way.
Linda’s advice
Work with your team to figure out the best way to take full advantage of flexibility. A hybrid working model in which you combine the advantages of office work with those of working from home and pay a lot of attention to team spirit generally brings out the best in teams. Of course, there is no such thing as a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution, so it’s important to keep experimenting and gradually discover what works best for your team.
Resilient ICT team has impact
In short: you can remain successful in a world that is constantly changing by taking action now and preparing your team for the developments that are coming our way or are already in full swing. A resilient ICT team can contribute to a positive and sustainable future. With a coaching manager in the lead, who also dares to question himself and his familiar working methods.
Or as the newly appointed ICT & Digital Coach of the Year, Bahadir Samli, nicely puts it:
As a manager, you are only as good as your team. That’s why I think it’s so important to listen to every team member. When you talk yourself, you just repeat what you already know. If you listen, you can explore new ideas.