BBC 2017 Speaker Series – Consultants: Sandra Sears, Director, Commercial Business Unit at Robbins Gioia

In anticipation of her presentation at Building Business Capability in Orlando, Nov. 6-10, 2017, we asked Sandra Sears, Director, Commercial Business Unit at Robbins Gioia, a few questions about transforming the business. Check out this interview in relation to her BBC presentation entitled, Do You Think You Are a Good Listener? Let Us Surprise You! 

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

A: We provide advice on measuring change readiness; managing change; understanding and controlling transformation scope; identifying and documenting old and new processes, data, business models, etc., and performing gap analyses.  In addition, we contribute to successful expectation setting and management, appropriate and meaningful communications, and coaching and mentoring staff and management through a transition process.

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

A: Clients’ expectations for change can be quite unrealistic. Change and transformation are not a “one and done” activity.  Even simple change is likely to take 12 – 18 months to become instantiated in a business or culture.  There is also an unavoidable emotional component to change, through which each individual passes at their own speed.  This can make for a very challenging environment during the process of change. In addition, peoples’ ability to be productive is reduced as change is implemented and absorbed.  While the long-term goal of transformation is typically increased efficiency and speed, that gain is always preceded by reduced productivity as people learn and practice new ways of doing things.

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

A: Be realistic about what Agile really is. Do NOT assume that you can put a small team in a room and thereby become an Agile company.  For a company to truly become Agile, everyone’s roles will change; everyone will need to look at work from a new perspective, and, most importantly, all processes must be viewed from an Agile lens, particularly with respect to planning. This takes time!!

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

A: I continue to learn new things, even though I have been in this business for decades.  And, learning new things excites me!

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

A: Do NOT be an order-taker.  Seek to truly understand your client’s business. Be curious, ask questions, and make sure that your client is able to explain their business to you. Your analytical skills and your curiosity are far more important than any pre-existing knowledge you may have about your client’s business.

Q: What’s the latest method/process/tool you’ve implemented to help your client’s business’s operate more effectively? Have you seen any results yet?

A: We have a propriety process for business analysis called LINKProcess^TM. It provides an intuitive, understandable, flexible, and reusable methodology and approach for making our clients successful in their enterprise and project work.

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

A: Continue to be curious and try new things.

Q: What’s one question you wished you were asked in this interview but were not? And how would you answer?

A: Q: What is the single most important secret to making teams more efficient and effective? A: STOP context switching! Let people focus on a task or project, and allow them to complete their work. Constant interruptions and “emergencies” are the single greatest cause of waste in today’s American business world.

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

A: How you listen is far, far more important than what you say.

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Don’t miss Sandra’s presentation, Do You Think You Are a Good Listener? Let Us Surprise You!, at Building Business Capability on Thursday, November 9, 2017 from 9:00 to 10:00 am. Click here to register for attendance.