The Change Edition
Featuring a change agent CPO and a leader finding balance in constant change
Somehow things converged with the written interview and podcast episode of the week both being about change. It was a delightful coincidence.
The only certainty in business is uncertainty; the only constant is change. It’s ever present even when we aren’t conscious of it. Change is wonderful, scary and everything in between. Change also moves us forward, bringing opportunity. When you take on an organizational role, you’re tasked with navigating change and bringing the team along.
It’s not the first time I’ve written about this topic — it’s pretty much a perennial one when you’re in organizational leadership. Here are a few things I’ve written about change in the last year.
The difference in how leaders might respond to a change than the team and what to keep in mind.
Growing companies go through tremendous change which means shifts like scaling decision making.
When change is afoot we must traverse the neutral zone — a time of heightened change and uncertainty.
That’s just a small smattering of my thoughts on the subject. More to come.
On to this week’s interview and podcast episode which provide rich examples of how two leaders have navigated change — one as a change agent and the other who rode the wave of constant change.
LEADER INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK
A while back I realized that I hadn’t had a CPO on the series so I put the word out on social media that I was looking for one. I’m happy Namrata Sarmah, CPO of INTO University Partnerships reached out to me in response. We talked about what it’s like being the newest exec, being a change agent as CPO and the most difficult part of strategy (it may not be what you think).
Here’s a small snippet of our conversation.
Sometimes being a product leader is about being a change agent and pushing the organization in a different direction. How do you navigate that?
It's quite funny, you know, I think I was just meant to be a change agent because my first job after business school was a business “transformation” analyst. Transformation was in my job title. (laughs)
Then I moved into product, and along the way transformations re-entered my life. Today, I identify as a transformation-focused CPO. Companies hire me to change things and as the change agent in the exec team. I have been part of 3-4 transformation programs so far, they are bloody hard, but SO fulfilling! I love to see organizations change and become a better version of itself. Change is hard, but change is also the only constant. Organizations that can embrace change can thrive. The CPO role is definitely the key actor in bringing about that change and in driving an organization to the right direction.
Read the rest of my interview with Namrata.
PODCAST EPISODE OF THE WEEK
This week’s podcast episode is with Ashley Hunsberger. Ashley is an engineering leader with experience in devops, developer experience, and advocacy. During this episode we talked about her time as Director of Developer Advocacy at Blackboard. In addition to holding a leadership role, Ashley is also a mom and a grad student. We spoke about navigating change, developing feedback loops, and finding balance as a leader.
If you’re interested in finding balance in the midst of constant change while leading, tune into episode 18 of Leaders Unscripted.
Here’s a small snippet of our conversation — in video this week!
Read my conversation with Ashley Hunsberger.
As always, thank you for your support of this substack and the leaders featured! You can read all of the past interviews and learn more about how Constellary supports companies and leaders here.
If this piece resonated with you, please let me know and give the heart button below a tap.