How do you foster a culture of continuous improvement within your infrastructure teams, encouraging them to explore and implement new technologies or practices?
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CIO in Telecommunicationa year ago
I think from a leadership perspective the key is being humble. If you demonstrate this by regularly asking your team how you could do better, it's easy and natural to sprinkle that same approach within all your teams. Done well, you create a learning environment that fosters people's natural curiosity and creativity.Chief Information Technology Officer in IT Servicesa year ago
I strongly encourage my teams to engage in continuous learning. I believe that training sessions are valuable not just for the content but also for the insights gained from interacting with other participants. This serves as a rich source for generating new ideas and best practices. I also urge my team to stay updated by reading various journals and attending industry events, fostering a proactive mindset. Additionally, we regularly initiate pilot projects, and I embrace failure as a learning opportunity. Rather than diving into large-scale projects, I prefer to have my team conduct various tests to assess feasibility. We also regularly bring in interns, who come with fresh perspectives, to rejuvenate the team and introduce new ideas.CEO in Services (non-Government)a year ago
Link their metrics to business outcomes and build ceremonies to create micro initiatives to improve those metrics, bonus: get a business executive to reward the results of those initiatives.Mission Diplomatic Technology Officer in Governmenta year ago
Celebrate the improvement champions and develop a monthly team share. Communicate to leadership with a level data graphic. We asked one team member to spend 1 hour a month reviewing the status of our registered CSIs. We have them in MS Lists and can easily generate a Power Bi.
This is my 2nd attempt at it. Had mixed results the first time, but a year in we have 50+ in states of status now.
Of course, we are fully aware of our real commitments and ongoing tasks. There are specific targets we must meet, and there's also a fair share of routine work that needs attention.
To support our teams, we offer comprehensive training opportunities. This includes online resources as well as in-person training from various reputable vendors and groups. We also encourage knowledge-sharing among team members. We frequently ask them about their learning experiences, giving them a platform to showcase their newfound knowledge. We also encourage cross-training by pairing up seasoned engineers with junior members.
Another important thing to note is we also recognize that it's not just the teams who should be evolving, leaders should be as well! We believe in modeling the behavior we want to see. If we expect our teams to learn and grow, we must do the same. We make a concerted effort to stay updated, acquire new skills, and foster an environment of dynamic improvement.