Early on in my working life I decided I wanted to pursue a career in technology. The pace of change is like no other sector, the art of innovating in a meaningful way combines theory and practice, and the impact tech has at both a macro- and specific-level can be immense.
In the business-to-business sector, we too often only celebrate these tech traits in the context of the organizations we serve: the value realized, the competitive advantage created, and/or the efficiencies achieved.
But what about the people? Yes, the employees who work with and are impacted by the tech we use in our everyday work lives. I’d argue they are the business, and I’d also argue that it’s myopic for leaders not to think about the softer implications that technology can have on people: internally in terms of employee happiness and company culture, and externally in terms of the product and the customer experience offered.
Nothing resonates with me more than a story … and a story about a person or group who has done something amazing with technology really sticks. This could be an impressive business achievement, but often I hear amazing stories about how a person at one of our customers has done something that has a material impact on their life, or has helped colleagues in a meaningful way.
Rarely do these stories originate from people who are doing things the same way they’ve been done for years. They transpire because someone has questioned the status quo, they’ve thought differently and then they’ve actually taken action.
That is why we are launching the Challenger Champion program.
During 2019, we are celebrating people working for our customers who have done something different, making life easier, more exciting, or having more impact for themselves and their colleagues.
We plan to curate and celebrate a handful of Challenger Champions throughout the year by showcasing their stories. Over the coming months, we’ll be posting on this blog, through our social channels and of course at the IFS World Conference.
It is easy to talk about change and the benefits of doing things differently, but we hope that the Challenger Champions serve as good examples of what each of us can do to change the way we do business.
If you are an IFS customer and know someone in your company who you think fits the bill, someone who really help their company challenge the norms, please nominate them by contacting me or your account manager – there are no forms to fill or timeline for entries – just an appetite to hear and celebrate your story.
Here’s to the Challengers. We salute you!
Read more about the Challenger Champions program.
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Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash
