BBC 2017 Speaker Series – Consultant:  Cynthia Siewert, Lead Consultant at Impact Makers

Regarding her presentation at Building Business Capability in Orlando, Nov. 6-10, 2017, we asked Cynthia Siewert, Lead Consultant at Impact Makers, a few questions about transforming the business. Check out this interview in relation to her BBC presentation entitled, Insights From Neuroscience to Motivate Business Stakeholders.

Q: In what ways do you help your client organizations handle business transformation?

A: Transformational change is a positive, yet highly impactful, way of life within most organizations today.  The ever-increasing complexity and pace of change in today’s business environment demands that our clients manage change faster, with efficiency, and in a way that delivers measurable benefits. We provide the foundational processes, tools and techniques to manage cross-program change. These include understanding dependencies, optimizing efficiency, and managing performance, providing transparency, ensuring governance and instilling a positive culture of change.

Q: Can you describe the challenges you face or have already overcome in establishing more robust business transformation capabilities for your clients?

A: It is sometimes challenging to get clients to understand the importance of reinvigorating their culture by making organizational change concepts second nature, embedded into everything they do. The days of implementing one transformation initiative at a time are over. The pace and complexity of organizational transformation is increasing. Organizations that are successful at transformation understand the intersection and tight integration of Project Management and Organizational Change Management from day one. If executed together correctly, these two disciplines ensure change initiative success and sustainability.

Q: What are your top suggestions for companies looking to become more agile?

A: Remember that it isn’t enough just to “do” Agile. You must “be” agile. Start small, adopt a continuous improvement mindset and choose the agile tools and practices that are right for your organization. Don’t try to force processes that won’t be accepted.

Q: What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned in the past year?

A: I have learned about the power of making an impact. When you work for a company that is truly mission-driven (we give all of our profits to charity), you learn how the work you do every day can truly make an impact in  the community. You learn how motivating it is to know how far-reaching that impact can be. It makes us work harder, care more about quality, and truly develop partnership with our clients.

Q: What do you see as the most important goal or trend for business analysts and other professionals to keep in mind? 

A: Be able to flex. Expand the diversity of your skill set so that you can fill emerging roles. I see more and more that companies are hiring people not titles .They may initially hire you to do one thing, but two years down the road they may need something else. Learn how to anticipate what they will need yet, and then learn how to do it.

Q: If you could go back 5 years in time and give some professional insight or advice to yourself, what would it be?

A: I would tell myself the importance of living your values. How no matter what the opportunity is, if the organization you work for doesn’t share your values, then you will never be able to live up to your potential. Have a mission, follow it in a values-driven way, and make an impact in all you do.

Q: Please tell us a take-away that you provided during your talk at the Building Business Capability (BBC) conference this year?

A: We hope you left our presentation with knowledge of how to meet stakeholders where they are, understand what makes them behave as they do, and use techniques to increase their motivation and contribution.

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Cynthia’s presentation, Insights From Neuroscience to Motivate Business Stakeholders, at Building Business Capability was presented on Friday, November 10, 2017.