Radio Show #589: How Leaders Plan for ‘Turning Points’

Guest: Valeria Winkworth: EY Director| Technology-led Transformation Expert Dr. Valeria Winkworth is a recognised change leader with a passion for driving human-centred transformation to create a working world of equitable opportunities open to all. A Doctor in Medicinal Chemistry by background, Valeria has been a STEM professional throughout her career, working closely with Executive Directors from leading global corporations across a spectrum of industries, including pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, and utilities. Her work focuses on technology-led business transformations and workplace of the future strategies, with expertise in Change Leadership and Organisational Design. A lead-author of multiple high-impact scientific papers and thought leadership pieces and a dynamic and passionate presenter, Dr. Winkworth has attended numerous international conferences and has been a featured guest on a variety of podcasts, where she’s shared her experience in delivering successful end-to-end large scale transformations. In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, successful and continuous transformation is imperative for survival. EY’s new research, conducted in collaboration with Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, reveals that the key to transformation success lies in understanding and addressing human emotions. Leaders who prioritise workforce emotions and human behaviours are 2.6 times more likely to achieve success. But what to do when things go wrong? There is a moment in almost every transformation when the programme goes off course and leaders intervene. We refer to these moments as ‘turning points’. How leaders plan for them and respond to them can make or break the entire transformation. Dr Valeria Winkworth shares insights from nearly 1,000 senior leaders, direct reports, and over 1,000 workforce members across 23 countries and 16 industries to reveal how skillfully navigating these turning points by placing humans at the center can increase the chance of a transformation significantly, improving performance by up to 12 times. Join us as we discuss the key to transformational success. Host: Jo Dodds