By Chris Sargisson, Chief Executive, Norfolk Chambers of Commerce and our member – Tiger Eye!
How appropriate. In last month’s EDP Chambers column, we put a call out to the business community asking for their input to turn ‘my’ column into ‘your’ column. We wanted to hear about the amazing things that businesses are doing and to hear their ideas on thought leadership. One of the first companies to respond was Tiger Eye. The column was published in the EDP today (Wednesday 03 April). So here we are in the first of our new columns (the last with my name under the headline) and the subject that’s come into focus is……change.
Dave Wilson, Managing Director of Chambers member, Tiger Eye, was among the first to respond to my previous column in which I launched the opportunity for members to express themselves, and share opinions.
As a software solutions provider Tiger Eye is constantly facing the challenge of how to provide something new; in other words to deliver the necessary change.
One of the biggest challenges in that, says Dave, is ‘teaching our peers that for tech to advance, grow and produce change, it needs to work for people. It needs to enhance the lives of those who use it – not work against them’.
Putting people first, and getting them to work together is, in Dave’s opinion, as vital in the digital age as it’s ever been. It’s all about those two key groups of people. The staff and the customers.
Dave Wilson has always admired Anita Roddick. ‘She went into business to generate income, yes, but her goal, of giving customers exactly what they wanted was admirable. And she insisted on delivering quality products. She cared about customers’.
Someone else who has inspired Dave is his own father who always advised that you should ‘treat others the way you would expect to be treated yourself’. It’s a timeless sentiment and directly applicable to business.
Dave Wilson sees his people as the beating heart of his business and describes them as being the ‘wow factor’. That’s something that only comes with putting people first.
Which squares the circle with Dave’s initial point. We have to embrace change and make it happen. When it comes to technology those changes have to be implemented in a way that improves things for people.
There’s no need to spell out the ‘changes’ going on at the moment. We’re all familiar with them. We may not know yet what the end result will look like but if there is one thing we are sure of it’s the uncertainty that’s been generated by such significant change. New tech solutions will be needed to enable businesses to survive and perform better.
Crucially, that tech needs to be delivered in a way that’s people friendly. It needs to be designed to help and enhance the lives of the workforce. Otherwise, the change is not worth making.
It’s a fascinating point and it chimes well with the changes that we as Chambers are making. Among those changes is of course making this column perform as the voice of Chambers members. Dave Wilson has given us a spirited start. Let’s hear from more of you now, because yours are the informed and relevant voices of commerce. And they must be heard.
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