The pandemic has upended organisational strategies across industries and geographies. For a lot of business technology and digital leaders, the lockdowns over the past year and a half also meant a change, a transition, to a new role and even a major career shift. So what prompts ICT leaders to take this major step? What lessons can they share with people who are rethinking priorities in life and work? More so, how can one build a career during a time of constant change? I talked to five leaders who applied their experiences in leading ICT-enabled transformation programmes to a more personal area - their career:
- Dr Elinor Swery of Rookout
- Richard Raj of Knights Move Consulting
- Magriet Roos of Downer Group
- Priti Ambani of Tata Consultancy Services
- Christine Yip of C WHY International
How Christine Yip transitioned from ICT exec to business advisor/coach, author and MBA lecturer
“A door shuts and many new doors open.” This is how Christine Yip describes what has transpired since leaving LSG Sky Chefs in August 2020 where she was business improvement manager.
Yip is now business improvement advisor, trainor, coach and facilitator at C WHY International, as well as an MBA lecturer.
“Being a business improvement advisor has given me the freedom to work with clients who share a similar vision to challenge the status quo and lead the business with a drive to innovate,” she states.
Yip has shown how continuous learning is a best practice not only for the organisation, but also for one’s career.
“Almost overnight, the aviation industry focus has gone from a growth focus portfolio of digital innovation and productivity projects to skeleton operations for survival,” she says in the early days of the 2020 lockdown.
“Seeking to continue on the path of driving innovation and productivity, I left the old job to start my own business improvement practice.”
Her practice aimed to contribute to building knowledge and support manufacturing and logistics businesses to improve their performance. The focus, she says, is on building the power of problem solving and decision making in the team as a corporate leader.
Yip also started writing a book based on her 15 years of corporate experience, where she created, led, and implemented changes in technology and business processes in manufacturing and logistics, government, and aviation.
She says the book Power Up: How to improve productivity and innovation, to be published in February 2022, is a practical guide to lead with more clarity and improve performance through people processes and technology innovation.
As well as writing a regular blog which she shares through her subscription only newsletter, Yip is a lecturer for the MBA programme of the University of Otago.
“I teach and coach MBA students who have completed the majority of their studies and are ready to put them into practice to solve real-world problems. I teach project management methodologies and guide the students through their project ideas, coaching them to shape their ideas into practical solutions that can be implemented by the project sponsor in the real world.
“The students are emerging senior leaders in New Zealand and around the world who are looking at taking their careers to the next level. With the pandemic disrupting travel, the paper is fully taught online with an interactive learning experience. The paper has 16 interactive sessions across the semester with an expectation of each student providing a solution report at the end.”
So what worked for her, as she branched to different work areas over the past year?
“Having a sudden change of direction can feel like merging lanes to another lane of fast traffic on the highway,” she says. “In hindsight, having a network of support, focusing on the learning process and creating new people connections have been instrumental in solidifying the new direction.”
She continues to explore new interests, and is taking courses for her new hobby of ‘dream psychology’. “It gives me a new perspective on how we connect with ourselves and sparks innovation,” insights which she says she can apply in her business advisory practice.
“It has been exciting to see the variety of doors that continue to open and the wonderful opportunity to work with leaders to achieve a greater outcome in an uncertain environment.”
This is the final blog of a five-part series on switching careers in a rapidly changing landscape. See other blogs in the series below:
1. Changing Careers During a Pandemic: Elinor Swery
2. Changing Careers During a Pandemic: Richard Raj
3. Changing Careers During a Pandemic: Magriet Roos
4. Changing Careers During a Pandemic: Priti Ambani
Divina Paredes is a New Zealand-based writer interested in #ICTTrends #Tech4Good #DigitalWorkplace #Data4Good #Sustainability #CivilSociety #SpecialNeedsCommunity #SocialEnterprises
Reach her on Twitter: @divinap