IAM652- Trusted CIO Advisor Helps Mitigate Risk in Digital Change

Barbara Wittmann, The Trusted CIO Advisor, makes IT simple, sage, and strategic. The award-winning author of Meetings in Moccasins, Barbara helps organizations with effective digital transformation, smarter global expansion, and leverage IT. Today’s IT Leaders need to communicate well among departments & teams… And do it with a sensitivity to culture, values, marketing, and customer-centricity. Barbara supports them in balancing operational excellence and innovation. She helps mitigate risk in digital change and establishes a Shared Mental Model for sustainable growth.

• CEO Hack: Looking backward to grow
• CEO Nugget: We can control everything, we've got to trust our guts and surrender to change
• CEO Defined: Uplevelling leadership and tapping into our wisdom for the next generation

Website: http://itzeitgeist.com/

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To find out more on Barbara Wittmann and IT Zeitgeist visit: www.itzeitgeist.com

Check out Barbaras Book on Amazon: Meetings in Moccasins

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Transcription

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Intro 0:02

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 0:29

Hello. Hello. Hello, this is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today, Barbara Wittmann. itzeitgeist.com Barbara, it's awesome to have you on our show.

Barbara Wittmann. 0:41

Hey, good to see you and to speak to you today.

Gresham Harkless 0:44

Yeah, absolutely. It's great to have you on and what I wanted to do before we jumped in was read a little bit more about Barbara so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. And Barbara, the trusted CIO advisor makes IT simple, sage, and strategic. The award-winning author of Meetings in Moccasins, Barbara helps organizations with effective digital transformation, smarter global expansion, and leverage IT. Today's IT leaders need to communicate well among departments and teams and do it with a sensitivity to culture, values, marketing, and customer-centricity. Barbara supports them in balancing operational excellence and innovation. She helps mitigate risk and digital change and establishes a shared mental model for sustainable growth. Barbara, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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Barbara Wittmann. 1:30

Oh, totally. Yeah.

Gresham Harkless 1:32

Awesome. Let's do it. So they kick everything off. I wanted to ask you, I guess how everything started, can you take us through your CEO story? What led you to get started with your business?

Barbara Wittmann. 1:42

Oh, definitely. So I started my own business in 2006. So it's been a while feels like forever. And back then I was still living in Munich, Germany. And I came out of working for a very large IT Corporation. I wanted to start my own business because I wanted to be of help to companies after they've actually gone through major projects when people still have issues when people still need to get trained. And when innovation actually is a little hidden. You know, sometimes it's the small things, the low-hanging fruit that bring the best value to people. So I started a consultancy, and soon added a couple of employees. And we were doing projects all around Europe, and working mostly in retail and sporting goods.

And I started with a passion for technology. But soon along the way, I discovered a passion for team dynamics and people. And that's where the rubber hits the road. Because once you have you've fit the puzzle pieces together of people and technology and data and emotions. That's when it gets interesting. And soon I got the reputation of fixing the worst project and essentially fixing the unfixable. And it was fun building a small little company in an industry that has the highest burnout rate, how is a small employer you keep people excited, and loyal, and all these things? And we had a good ride. And then I met the man of my dreams, and I had to make a decision. And in 2016, I closed my business, I came to the US full-time.

And I figured I needed to use what I knew a little differently was a little different twist. Because what I see happening right now is that IT leaders and CIOs are under huge pressure. They're facing huge challenges. The world is at a crazy fast pace, especially now. Right. And I help him navigate. And basically am the voice of reason in a way.

Gresham Harkless 4:08

Yeah, no, I definitely appreciate you for talking about everything that got your business started. And I love kind of like you talking about the puzzle pieces to the human and the technology because I think so many times and I don't know if you find this when you talk with people or even sometimes when you even see these organizations, they kind of sometimes are at odds and not realizing that those two things can be in lockstep in lockstep, and they should be in lockstep for lack of a better way to build a business.

Barbara Wittmann. 4:34

Absolutely. And you know, many ways. I think people are talking a different language. It's like, you know, it's the nerds coming in with the business people. I just love being the mediator and just, you know, teach the technology people how to make it easier and how to be understood, because it's so important that we all rise to the challenge.

Gresham Harkless 4:56

Yeah, absolutely. And it's not as if you need one or the other to solve some of these problems as you've been able to solve, I think you need a combination of both. And you haven't that ability to, I don't know if he would say balance or merge or mesh those two things together is really phenomenal.

Barbara Wittmann. 5:12

I love building bridges. And as a matter of fact, I don't want to be engaged forever. So I teach people how they can do it on their own, you know, once I make myself obsolete as somebody helping them, that's when I have the job well done.

Gresham Harkless 5:27

Yeah, absolutely. So I know you just touched on it a little bit. Can you just take us through what exactly you do for clients? How exactly that process works when you work with them?

Barbara Wittmann. 5:36

Right. So when I came to the US, I started a new trade name itzeitgeist and Zeitgeist essentially as a German phrase for the spirit of the time, you know, really understanding what's needed in these times. And I had to pick something that was alluding to my German roots, too, right? Yeah. And so basically, I'm addressing IT leaders and CIOs, and I am their trusted advisor in the background. So I work with people through Zoom, and through phone for the most part, and we set up weekly meetings, and I do help them tackle their challenges, you know, what are they juggling with? What's important? Now, again, I'm the voice of reason that's in the background, but they can ask anything they ever wanted to.

And everyone has their consulting partners and whatnot in their company that are beautiful and amazing. But sometimes you just need someone to talk things through, that's neutral. So that's one piece, the other piece that I enjoy is creating visuals and creating blueprints of everything they have, you know, oftentimes I say, we are all running around with a GPS system, and we don't really know where we're going. So essentially, I help them create the old-fashioned map of how data is connected, and how systems are connected. And that at the same time brings people together in understanding, you know, it's all about understanding the journey to be on top of it. And the third piece I offer is strategy workshops, and helping the business people and the IT people to get on the same page.

And to really map it out and go forward, have different scenarios going, especially in these times, that's so important. Because we don't really know, we got to play with things. So how is it all going to change, it's also fast that we have to be flexible.

Gresham Harkless 7:40

Yeah, that makes so much sense. And I don't know, if you find this, you know, in the clients that you work with, and you talk with, you mentioned the low hanging fruit part, you know, earlier when we were talking and I feel like, I don't know if you find this or you see this, but sometimes because we're so close to it. And a lot of times we're working in the business, we're working with people working with the technology work in these processes, we can sometimes be very blind to those opportunities that are right in front of us. Are those changes that we need to make? I don't know if you find that happening.

Barbara Wittmann. 8:13

Oh, absolutely. That is so the case. In was almost every client that I talked to. And, you know, for the most part, sometimes it's hard to step back from the past you've taken, you know, sometimes it's hard to say, Hey, this is not serving anymore. And but once you step off it, and you take a different perspective, it's it's a lot easier. And right now is the time to actually look at those low-hanging fruits and say, hey, you know, is that really? Are we still on the right track here? Or what are people needing now in times where they want to shop from home or safety and security is a big issue. So yeah, it's becoming more imminent. And, you know, flexibility and thinking outside of the box is so important right now.

Gresham Harkless 9:00

Yeah, absolutely. As you definitely referenced sometimes when you work with clients, not understand what exactly is the best next step. Or what exactly to do or how to integrate this or what decisions to make, just I think being able to not maybe all always have the answers, but to be able to have somebody you can call or contact to be able to kind of flesh through those ideas and have your experience definitely is helpful.

Barbara Wittmann. 9:21

Yeah, I love doing that. because the more complex the better.

Gresham Harkless 9:27

Exactly. It's more fun to be able to simplify everything and get to that decision. So I wanted to ask you now for what I call your secret sauce I'm not sure if it's the ability to to migrate from the complex and to the simple is what you would say yours is but what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?

Barbara Wittmann. 9:47

The thing is the simplicity in a complex scenario, that's definitely my superpower. And I love doing that and that paired with empathy and just being a to tap into what people need.

Gresham Harkless 10:03

Yeah, absolutely. And I don't think especially with the balance between the technology and the people aspect that we kind of talked about before, I think that's sometimes easier said than done. And I'm reminded of I think Steve Jobs said something along the lines is where you have to work to get to this simple. And I think a lot of times when we start something or recreate something, or we try to mash two things together, it becomes complex. And you have to work and to be able to have that clarity, that outside perspective to be able to kind of get to that simple aspect.

Barbara Wittmann. 10:34

Yeah, Very true.

Gresham Harkless 10:37

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit. And I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So that could be like an apple book or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

Barbara Wittmann. 10:49

So the one thing that helped me greatly along my journey, and also building my companies is to actually love the look backward, versus looking at what's the latest thing in literature. So as a CEO, building a company, I was reading all sorts of things that are out there, and I never found anything that spoke to me. So I came back to looking at Hey, how did native people do it? You know, how did a tribe become a tribe? What made a chief a chief? And there is so much wisdom and value in that, that sometimes it makes more sense to go back in time to grow.

Gresham Harkless 11:33

Yeah, absolutely. So I wanted to ask you now for what I call a CEO, nugget, and you might have already touched on this. But this could be a word of wisdom or piece of advice, it could be around it, or anything, that you might tell a client or maybe even your younger business self.

Barbara Wittmann. 11:50

We can't control everything. That's kind of it, we got to surrender, to change and the other pieces, we got to trust our gut.

Gresham Harkless 12:05

I love that. And I think so many times, especially for probably a lot of people that might be listening to this that are the Type A's, especially two, I think, want to try to be in control. And I think that understanding you can't control everything, and especially in times where we're reminded of that, that we can't do that. It kind of is a humbling experience. But I think we are better when we are able to understand that and know how to operate as a result of that.

Barbara Wittmann. 12:31

Yeah. I think what makes leaders better leaders is really when they look within and grow as a person. That's when you have the ripple effects. And that's when you can inspire others.

Gresham Harkless 12:48

Yeah, absolutely. And I now want to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different, quote-unquote, CEOs on this show. So Barbara, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Barbara Wittmann. 13:01

It's a cool three-letter thing that they print on your business card, but it's really something that you need to grow into. And in these times, especially we got to kind of piece it apart. It's a chief executive officer. So how do we step into that Chief for ourselves, I think we need to uplevel our leadership. We need to tap into our wisdom, now is the time when we need to bring out who we are, we need to be authentic, and we need to be inspiring leaders. And we need to remind ourselves that we are doing this for the next generations. So we are leaving a lasting footprint. I think that's a huge responsibility as a CEO. And yeah, it's about leaving a good legacy.

Gresham Harkless 13:48

Yeah, absolutely. I think when we put it all in perspective, and realize that whatever we're doing. And a lot of times we're thinking of, you know, leaving our legacy and passing these things on making an impact, you know, for the world to be a better place. Just looking at the leadership, wisdom, and authenticity that you talked about, I think helps us to remind ourselves of how a lot of the answers we look for externally sometimes are within ourselves and how we see those answers within rather than looking outside, we need to get in a better practice of being able to look inside to be able to solve some of these issues.

Barbara Wittmann. 14:22

Yeah.

Gresham Harkless 14:23

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, Barbara, truly appreciate that definition. And I appreciate your time even more. What I wanted to do is pass you the mic so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional, you want to let our readers and listeners know and then of course, how best they can get a copy of your book, get in touch with you and find out about all the awesome things you're working on.

Barbara Wittmann. 14:41

Okay, so you can find out about me on www itzeitgeist.com or find me on Linkedin. I don't have a fancy web page. Which I've abandoned a while ago. I think it's pretty freeing. Don't do much social media but I'm happy to always schedule conversations and talk to people. And my book can be found on Amazon. It's called meetings and moccasins. leadership was wisdom and maturity and check it out.

Gresham Harkless 15:14

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, thank you so much again, Barbara. We will have links and information in the show notes so that everybody can follow up with you and connect with you even more easily. But I definitely appreciate your time appreciate all the awesome things you're doing and making the world a better place reminding us to search for answers within instead of outside I hope you have a phenomenal day.

Outro 15:34

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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