Lessons on Transformation from CIO Tomorrow

In case you missed it, the CIO Tomorrow event, “Transform – Company, Community, You” was a great example of progressive thinking in our community (www.cio-tomorrow.com). We spent time with friends and colleagues who came to share stories and learn how to make an impact today and build for tomorrow.  Many thanks to all of those who stopped by the Advisory and Consulting Services (ACS) table for a visit.

The keynote speakers and panelists were excellent, and each brought something to share regarding their transformation journey.  A few thoughts, paraphrased:

  • Go slow and ensure everyone is on the bus when executing a transformation – Dave Kaufman, CEO, Motorists Insurance Group
  • Jane Grote Abell, Donatos Pizza & Jane’s Dough discussed building a company, selling it to the largest restaurant chain in the world, and then buying it back. When transforming your organization, stay true to your values, who you are.
  • Challenge your thinking. As leaders, recognize the implications of persistent change, and guide others through the transformation journey – John Kessler, Chief Strategy Officer, Motorists Insurance Group
  • Brian Kight, CEO, Focus 3 presented a great illustration on how transforming yourself impacts your well-being and those around you. Even if you are at an elite level in your organization, there is another arena where you are average. Consider the continuum of athletes: the typical competitive athlete vs. the professional vs. the Olympian vs. the gold medalist. There is always a next level to achieve.

TRANSFORMING YOUR COMMUNITY

One of the themes was Transforming Your Community as discussed by leaders from Seattle, Kansas City, and Sam Orth from the City of Columbus.  At ACS, we’ve made the commitment to transform our community by directing marketing expenses to where they benefit the community. Funds typically used for trinkets, holiday gifts, and entertainment instead go to charitable organizations in our community. On behalf of our clients, we’ve contributed to organizations large and small, from Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Peletonia, to VETMotorsports and Torres Trail 5k.

For CIO Tomorrow, we continue this practice.  We are very pleased to contribute $300 to Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities of Central Ohio.

FINALLY….

“Transformation” can appear to be a huge initiative, like eating a whale.  Where do you start? A good place is with talent.  This is where Advisory and Consulting Services can be your guide.  With our framework, we’ve helped our clients:

  • Hire over 40 professionals in the past year with no fall-offs or misfires.
  • Reduce effort to hire, eliminating review of stacks of resumes, and allowing Hiring Managers to focus on the select few that hit the mark.
    • One client went from a ratio of over 12 candidates per hire, to about 2.5 candidates per hire!
  • Cutting the cost of third party services by anywhere from 30% to 50%.
  • Building muscle in the organization by providing candidates that don’t simply fill the job of today but can transform themselves to meet the demands of tomorrow.

Our typical client tells us they like working with us because it saves them time and effort in hiring professionals to join their team. If you have the feeling there are better ways to build muscle in your organization, contact Rich Grunenwald (614-561-3412, rich@acsconsults.com) for a discussion.