Being a senior business leader, how do you see the future of the work?
Pandemic completely changed the way how we work at Oracle. We started to work from home in March 2020 and had to adjust to the unprecedented circumstances. Our adoption of digital collaboration tools was smooth and fast. We returned to the offices in April this year and had to adapt again to the hybrid working model. Our employees already proved that they can be productive from home but bringing people together in the office to collaborate has shown to trigger more creativity and ideas sharing. Office is the space for connecting with people, being in meetings, and it is indispensable for fostering our company culture. The future of work is much more connected workplace where people feel accepted and trusted.
Everybody talks about upcoming and expected future changes in the economy. The way we operate has changed over the past couple of years. Do you expect more changes to come?
Change is inevitable part of business transformation. Businesses coping with adaptive problems today need to embrace a learning orientation that empowers people to become more adaptable – to experiment and innovate and to share the learning around the organisation. For many, this will mean finding new ways of working, and of course, overcoming the pushback that inevitably accompanies change. Getting people on board with new ways of working, winning hearts, and minds, is dependent on building a set of skills as a leader and instilling those skills or capabilities across the entirety of the business.
What does it mean to be future ready?
Leaders and companies need to be prepared for ever changing environment, anticipate changes and shape their future instead of reacting to business disruption. The future ready companies have impact and attract and retain talented people. It involves creating the company culture where employees are engaged focusing on bringing more value to the customers and society. The resilience needs to be part of the culture and leaders must be able to “bounce back” after setbacks.
Are we as leaders future ready? Do you have a leadership strategy to get future ready in your organization?
I work in IT industry, a world of exciting opportunities created by new technologies where agility and resilience are key for coping with fast paced environment. As a leader I need to be future focused – to scan the horizon, to spot trends, and to identify potential ways of how to reshape our work. I listen and hold back to set up safe environment for free exchange of ideas and make space for others to contribute, empower my team to make their own decisions in a way that is adaptive and agile. I often need to step out of my comfort zone, constantly educate myself and practice self-care to balance work stress with mindfulness.
What are the biggest leadership challenges in these days?
Hybrid working is functioning well for employees who started prior to pandemic but brings challenges for the newcomers. They miss the old comfort of approaching colleague sitting nearby with ask for help, struggle to cooperate with members of the other lines of business who meet in the office in different days, and it takes more time to them feeling to be the part of the Oracle community. The turbulent economical and political changes impact business environment and create additional pressure disturbing work-life balance.
What new skills leaders need to adapt to sustain the success and growth in this current climate?
We as leaders continually balance customer satisfaction, employee engagement, social responsibility, community and environmental impact and profit. We need to build the mindset and skills required to lead in a manner that promotes short- and long-term success for our broad range of stakeholders. We need to be agile in a business sense and adaptable to the shift of personal and cultural priorities, expectations, and new market imperatives. We need to nurture empathy to provide for wellbeing of employees and awareness to build an inclusive culture that serves as a meaningful foundation for diversity.
As a senior leader, what are the current requirements from the workforce? What new skills they need to adapt in order to be future ready?
The workers need to be ready for continuous learning and skills development. They need to take ownership of their role in the company. They need to be collaborative, building connection and trust, continuously build diverse network to gain access to knowledge and expertise. They need to maintain balance of work and private life. It depends on each single employee if the company will be successful in the future.
What are the biggest strengths that a leader should develop to lead with success?
After years of being business leader and on top of all stated above, I would like to add that the leader should remain supportive to others, stay humble, courageous, vulnerable, and curious. I would recommend watching The Call to Courage by Brené Brown on Netflix. Brené is research professor who spent past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. She is one of the most inspiring people for my leadership approach.
Renata Dvorakova
Country Leader at Oracle
About Renata:
Renata Dvořáková has over 20 years experience from IT industry. Since 2006 she works for Oracle where she started in sales role. She gradually built her career in technology sales leadership roles and in 2017 she was appointed Country Leader of Oracle Czech. Renata’s leadership is based around collaboration and inclusivity and she is a champion of the quiet voice with big ideas. Renata’s mantra is: “Success isn’t about what you accomplish but what you inspire others to do.” Prior to Oracle she gained experience in Scala Business Solutions a Barco. She studied at Charles University in Prague and holds MBA from Rochester Institute of Technology. Outside work, Renata is a keen traveller and food enthusiast, with a love of architecture and golf.
