Today’s Tuesday Reading is from Ilvana Mesic, Director of Infrastructure Shared Services at the University of California, and a current MOR program participant. Ilvana may be reached at [email protected] or via LinkedIn.
I was thrilled and honored to have been nominated to attend the MOR leadership program. As I prepared for my first MOR workshop, my group and I worked on a presentation about “Differentiating Leading from Managing.” I delved into articles explaining how leaders focused on the strategic aspects of their roles, engaged in future planning, and navigated real-time scenarios. Leaders set direction, communicated compelling visions, and made critical decisions, especially during crises. They were strategic thinkers who envisioned the bigger picture and considered various scenarios. Initially, these were merely facts I gleaned from my readings.
One week before our first MOR workshop, I received an official retirement letter from one of my managers who led our mission-critical 24/7/365 operations team. This prompted me to contemplate how to hire for this vital role.
During the first MOR workshop, we introduced ourselves and shared what we wanted to be known for and as. I boldly declared my aspiration to be recognized as a curious, game-changing leader known for executing strategic transformations with excitement.
Technology-driven change is accelerating every aspect of our lives and is unstoppable. As leaders, how do we guide our teams into the future and enjoy this transformative process?
With my operations manager retiring, I decided not just to replace the position but to focus on strategic changes and reimagining the operations team to prepare our organization for emerging technology trends like AI and enhance our use of automation.
In the workshop, I learned the importance of “Getting up on the Balcony” to become a strategic thinker. I embraced the “Strategic Planning Model,” dedicating time to strategize the reimagining of my operations team.
Using the scenario planning approach, I led the process to identify the current state (where we are now), define the future state (where we want to be), and consider how to bridge the gap. Next was a SWOT analysis for the operations team, identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. We created metrics reports for the past year, examined team requests and incidents, and analyzed trends to understand where the team spends most of its time. We have identified training needs for the team that we can address soon to prepare for the upcoming changes.
For the future state, we considered how work and technology are evolving, what talent we need to bridge the gap, and how group dynamics might change. I learned that a couple of team members might retire in the next few years. This led me to ask “what if” scenarios, considering various outcomes if more team members left sooner than expected.
The strategic plan included several options, all with the primary goal of hiring a new manager equipped for the future state. I consulted with my MOR coach, and after sharing my plan with my manager, I received the green light to proceed. I collaborated with HR to rewrite the job description to reflect future needs, obtained approvals, and posted the position.
While envisioning the future state through a strategic lens, we also considered cultural and political aspects. We conducted stakeholder mapping and developed a communications plan to ensure a robust network of engaged and aligned stakeholders. I invited some stakeholders to serve as panelists for the interviews for the new manager position. This involvement keeps them informed, engaged, and essential in my strategic journey of reimagining the operations team. While this represents just one of the necessary steps toward our future state, I intend to cultivate relationships with stakeholders further and inspire everyone to join us on this adventure.
As I tackled these strategic decisions, a mix of excitement, responsibility, and anticipation filled me. The weight of shaping our initiatives’ future direction and impact was both invigorating and humbling.
Looking through the cultural lens, I am mindful of my existing team, ensuring that the new manager is capable of leading them into the future state. It’s crucial that the new manager not only brings the necessary skills and vision but also aligns with the organization’s values and culture. This approach will help maintain team cohesion and morale, fostering an environment where everyone feels valued and supported during this transition. By integrating these considerations, I am confident that we will adapt to the technological advancements ahead and create a more resilient and forward-thinking operations team.
In what way have you most recently applied the MOR Strategic Planning Model?
Last week, we asked which could most help you ask better questions:
- 28% said be engaged.
- 27% said be curious.
- 27% said dig deeper.
- 18% said be open-minded.
Asking better questions can help us in many dimensions of leading, including in the strategic planning process, which is well exemplified in this week’s reading. Asking better questions so often starts simply with being present and fully engaged in the moment so that we are bringing our best thinking to the questions we ask. As many of us are busily preparing for the start of the academic year, what can we do to be a bit more present and a bit more engaged in each of our interactions?