Babble brought together top tech leaders and valued customers in Birmingham on the 20th of June for a dynamic Lunch & Learn. The highlight of the event was a riveting IT Leaders Panel discussion featuring some of our most valuable player (MVP) customers: Gurjit Singh Bahia (GSB), Mark Povey (MP), and John Underwood (JU). Their long-standing business with us and ability to drive impact through IT in their organisations made them the perfect panelists to share their invaluable insights and perspectives on the latest trends and challenges in the IT industry.
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This blog post dives into the thought-provoking Leading Beyond Tech panel Q&A discussion – hosted by Babble Chief Marketing Officer, Jeremy Langley (JL) – about how IT leaders can transform their departments from cost centres to productivity powerhouses. We will unpack the key insights shared by the panellists that left audience members at the edges of their seats – with the hope that it will do the same for you.
Join us as we explore the concept of the “enlightened CEO” and how IT leaders can guide them towards a more strategic understanding of technology’s potential. The panellists also discussed the importance of rewiring mindsets and breaking down the “us vs. them” mentality that can hinder collaboration. They also shared a host of practical steps on how to showcase the value value company IT support brings to the organisation and secure the MVP status you and your team deserve.
“Being the MVP is not just about buying the right technology. It’s about being given the budget, the authority, and the trust to invest in the right solutions.” – Jeremy Langley, Chief Marketing Officer at Babble
The Top 10 Takeaways from our MVP Panellists:
- IT Is an Enabler – Not an Anchor
- Rewiring The Mind and Expectations of the Organisation
- ‘The Enlightened CEO’
- Run, Grow, Transform
- Operation versus Transformation
- Re-Engineering your Role
- The Power of Being Present and Listening to the Business
- Keeping Visibility and Expectations High
- Aligning With the Company’s Strategic Plan
- Securing Stakeholder Engagement
IT Is an Enabler – Not an Anchor
“[Would you say] your leadership experience has primarily been that they see IT as a cost?”
MP: “Yeah, in the SMB market, costs and budget always seem to be the problem with IT. So, you’ve got to stop thinking of yourself as an IT manager, or [professional], and start thinking of yourself as an IT leader. Many CEOs are technophobes or not up to speed because that’s not their area of expertise. You’ve got to be the leader and guide them: [using] your knowledge and experience, [you can help] them understand and [become] enlightened.
When you manage to [change] that and they come to you first, then you’re going to have a much better experience with business cases and getting support for new initiatives. You want to be the one that they come to in that aspect: as the leader rather than the manager who’s just ticking the operational tasks off.”
Rewiring The Mind and Expectations of the Organisation
“[A common misconception] is if you want to be that transformational tech leader, you have to go to another job. Or is there a way of rewiring the mind of the CEO or leadership team to expect more from the function?”
MP: “I think you can rewire your reputation in a company very easily. Act the way you want the business to be run, force the change, start with yourself, expand your team – [and] if you’ve got a team, expand to the other functions of your business.”
“[What are] some of the more practical steps you can take to rewire the expectations of the organisation?”
JU: “What I did was listen to problems from both sides of the fence, then start to put [that] together with the wider leadership team to say ‘We need to invite the IT team to the brief, we understand that you’ve got some big challenges. We can’t deal with [this issue] on our own: let’s [involve the] key partners; let’s take some off-the-shelf solutions because that takes a bit of pressure away. [We’ll go our separate ways] , but let’s keep talking’. We then created a tech committee a few years ago [to keep the lines of communication open and move those ideas forward].”
‘The Enlightened CEO’
JU: “In terms of the enlightened CEO, we’ve proven now that technology is an enabler, not an anchor. So he now knows that we can run as fast as he wants us to run. But it took a couple of years to get there – you just have to listen to the business problems and come up with solutions for them. But to their problems, not the ones that you think.”
Run, Grow, Transform
MP: “If you’re not listening to the business, you’re not understanding the business. You have to be the business partner. I’ll give you an example of a [methodology that we’ve run] at MiTek that’s worked pretty well [and drives transformation]. We run the [methodology] of [categorising] tasks [into]: run, grow, transform. In the IT department, we run the operational tasks of ‘keep the lights on’, [but in] doing that we’re missing out on the growth tasks which may be expanding on Microsoft 365. We’re [also] missing [out] on the transformation tasks which may be Copilot [adoption] and so on.
So what we’re now doing is document every task [then] look at the business and say ‘Hey, we’re spending 90%, 80% of our time keeping the lights on. Let’s think about [how we can] bring transformation or growth to the business’. You’ve got to figure out how [to get those operational tasks] under control. [Then we ask ourselves] ‘How can we change that percentage and give us more time for growth and transformation?’ Working with the CEO to get them on board [is the way to go about that].”
Operation versus Transformation
“How do you structure your thinking [when it comes to finding that] balance [between] operation versus transformation?”
GSB: “I work 9 out of 10 days and [I use that] one day off to [ferment my ideas about] what’s going on [in the business]. [Again, it’s about] making that switch to just be a listener – almost be a counsellor. It [goes back to] that old saying: you let someone talk about themselves and they’ll remember more about you.”
Re-Engineering your Role
The conversation then turned to becoming a transformational leader. This extends beyond providing SMB IT support and bypassing the productivity blockers the team faces. Oftentimes, this requires IT leaders to re-engineer sections of their job descriptions – and this is what led Jeremy to ask the following question:
“[Do any of you have] advice for people who should be thinking about [pivoting in their roles] in order to get to where they need to get?”
MP: “[You should think about] your own personal brand and how you’re perceived by the business. [When] the role changes, you have to change your mindset or the way you’re perceived by your colleagues. [Consider putting] yourself out there or [presenting] differently. Sometimes people move from an engineer-type role to a managerial supervisor role, and they have to re-engineer themselves within that business to accommodate that. [It’s important to remember that] you don’t have to leave the business to change. [When you start behaving] differently – by acting more senior, direct or decisive – people will be shocked at first [because] they’re not expecting that [from you]. [But] the next time they won’t be, and then over time you’ll re-engineer your personal brand in your business. Having a growth mindset is really important: [it speaks to] being open to change.”
JL: “It’s [the idea of] faking it until you make it: you fake senior until you become senior. If you sit down with the CEO and say ‘Right, I just need to understand the top three blockers to the organisation right now. I may or may not be able to support them, that’s my job. If you just tell me challenges [and] opportunities, I will come back at some stage in the near future and tell you what I think.’ You might be sitting there nervous and quaking but the CEO – or leadership – is going to sit there and think, ‘Well that was unexpected’. That’s the value of the unexpected sometimes. Just finding that suddenly you’re on a new path that you’re not entirely comfortable with, but you want it right? So you’ve got to [travel yourself down there].”
MP: “There’s real benefit in being comfortable in being uncomfortable [and how you] change as you grow.”
As previously mentioned, acquiring buy-in from key stakeholders is a process. This is largely because one of the biggest challenges IT leaders face is not getting the respect or recognition for the work they’ve done – or the wider leadership team may not completely comprehend the impact of IT services for businesses. While IT decision-makers are a fundamental part of any business, they aren’t always recognised as the MVPs that they are.
The Power of Being Present and Listening to the Business
“[Would say that it’s crucial to] listen, deliver and just be present in all the key conversations?”
JU: “Absolutely. Encourage collaboration across the rest of the organisation. [Be curious about certain things]. We always encourage all of our business colleagues to ask ‘why’: ‘Why are we doing that? Why are we doing it like this? Can it be better?’. So, we just become that business partner that I was referring to earlier: we’re not a separate part of the business because we’re here to help you do what you need to do. That [creates a much deeper] level of trust. The fact that people are now asking us questions; asking us for guidance; asking if we can make it better – that to me is the recognition that we need to have.”
Keeping Visibility and Expectations High
“How do you ensure that your successes are recognised for the successes they are, as opposed to just [getting] stuff done?”
JU: “You have to do that [internally, by acquiring] confidence; [leaving] the ego at the door; [and demanding] to be noticed. We try not to shout about the things that we do, we just do them [and] get on with it. But we put ourselves out for scrutiny. You have to be prepared to put yourself out there, and then quietly assure everybody that you know what you’re doing. I would encourage people to allow their team to work in the background, but make sure you celebrate that within your team – and go hard with that celebration. Just don’t necessarily expect the rest of the business to be doing it all the time – they will just recognise that over time.”
“Are there any other examples of how you would make sure that the [things] that you’re doing [get] recognised?”
GSB: “We actively promote that at [a team and individual] level. [In our] Monday morning meetings, I ask questions like, ‘Who heads up your department? Do you want to sing their praises?’ or ‘What’s great and what’s [not so great] in that team?’.
MP: “[Sometimes] it’s hard to celebrate the wins [in IT] but it’s really important to make sure that your CEO – or your executive team – understands your wins. Whether it’s from innovating a new tool or trying something again. Celebrating the team is really important [too]. In celebrating them, [be sure to include an element of] performance management. Look after [your] teams, [and set clear] goals and expectations.”
Aligning With the Company’s Strategic Plan
“Do you write board reports, [or] have monthly reports where you talk about what you delivered?”
GSB: “Yeah, every month at SMT. Just boring stuff like stats, calls, that sort of thing. My CEO is very statistically driven so she loves that stuff. I [would say], try [not to] make [your reports] seem [erroneous, so that they’re] easy [to understand].”
Securing Stakeholder Engagement
Aligning with the company’s strategic plan requires a high level of stakeholder engagement – which John has gotten recognition for on LinkedIn. This is what led Jeremy to ask him the following question:
“What are the things that you’re doing to engage your stakeholders, that makes it something that people recognise you for?”
JU: “I learn about the business [other than] operating it – that could be a background thing. It is about ‘I’m part of the business, I’m not a separate company’. So the conversation is always around what we’re doing [and] looking for opportunities to improve. We will sometimes have ideas [of our own, so] we don’t just sit around and be passive. It’s all about understanding where your business is at, at that point in time because CEOs almost spend money unnecessarily so. But they will try and solve a problem or they will try and create an opportunity. So I try to talk to them like that, [and work closely] with colleagues.”
From Cost Center to Change Champion: IT’s Time to Lead
From Cost Center to Change Champion: IT’s Time to LeadAs the custodians of organisational change, IT departments cannot afford to be passive bystanders in their businesses. The days of being seen as a cost centre are over. It’s time to embrace the unexpected, listen to the business, and become a strategic partner. By aligning with the company’s goals and keeping visibility high, IT leaders can transform their departments into innovation and productivity powerhouses.
Remember, success isn’t measured by technical feats alone, but by the impact on the bottom line – and moving from an operational function to a transformational one requires buy-in from leadership.
Check out our next blog post where we explore the insights the panellists shared on how IT leaders can craft a compelling business case to get CEO buy-in for IT spend.
