8+ Months in Technology& IIOT

I was drawn to?the @Relayr (part of Munich Re Group) CEO position for a few reasons – one of them being that I believed that I could immediately bring value as I know intimately our target industrial customers. I was very eager to learn more about our technology offerings and spend time with our many software engineers. After a mere eight months+, I now realize that the key to success here is much more similar than different to those found in my previous experiences in other industries. I will try to explain.

Without question, the pace of large-scale disruption in the technology industry has accelerated over the past few decades. We don’t need to think hard about how condensed the cycle time has become between each transformative advancement in technology.

Focus on people

First, great technology companies rely on people at their core. Technology is about innovating and building products and solutions that will improve the future. Fundamentally, it is ultimately a solution that requires us to first identify our customers’ challenges and needs. The solution must then satisfactorily solve our customers’ problems. Over the years, I have become convinced that any successful business must grow and develop its people – as well as focus on its customers.

Start with an open mind

Second, I have learned in technology, to become an expert, you need to start with an open mind. In the tech industry, you learn a lot – and fast. Something unknown always seems to come along – ripe for debugging.?It’s important to confront these opportunities with an inquisitive mind – open to try new technologies, adaptable to new tools, and new approaches to address the immediate challenge. Having worked across the world in industrial businesses, I learned early that there is no one right way, and simplicity trumps. The same holds true in technology, even for the most creative software engineers.

Step outside your comfort zone

Third, I’ve come to accept the need to occasionally step outside one’s defined responsibilities. At tech companies, roles seem to be more fluid. Tech roles are not narrowly defined – and often expand to other areas to help individuals develop. The teamwork and agility prevalent in the tech world are highly valuable behaviors that are desired in other industries as well.

Soft skills like communication, curiosity, creativity, and adaptability are critically important in any tech role. They may be even more important than the technical skills needed to create new solutions. I have come to realize that developing both interpersonal and technical skills is critical for personal and group success, whether in mining, transport refrigeration, injection molding, or now - in technology.

Build strategic coherence ?

Lastly, what I see and what we are building at relayr is the tight link between the company’s strategy (how we create value), operating model (how we run the business), and culture (how we energize our people). The successful companies – technology and industry – have a strong coherence between all three attributes.

I am grateful for the support I have received during the past 8 months+, as I have learned much from many of you about the skills needed to lead a technology powerhouse. I have been pleasantly surprised, and somewhat relieved, that the building blocks for our future success are more similar than different from my experiences leading other organizations. I enthusiastically look forward to continuing this journey as we pursue the future growth and transformation of relayr.