From Sales, to Technology, Digital Transformation and People Change, Scott Clements has had a very varied career so far with experience in lots of different sectors. We were delighted to welcome Scott to the CI Projects team in 2020 as a senior consultant and he has done some amazing work for us already.
In this interview, Scott tells us all about what has inspired his career so far, his secrets to success and a bit more about what drives some of his thinking.
Who/What is the inspiration behind your career choices?
When I was working at Canon, there was a popular myth that salespeople were really only motivated by money; the reality for me and a large number of my colleagues was far more complex and multidimensional. An old friend introduced me to Spiral Dynamics theory developed by Clare Graves, Don Beck and Chris Cowan. Spiral Dynamics is a model of the evolutionary development of individuals, organisations, and societies (think Maslow on steroids). In discovering Spiral Dynamics, I found a much richer view of motivation and human nature which has underpinned my personal and professional development ever since.
What is your secret to achieving a successful and interesting career?
I regularly look to learn something new outside my current role that interests me and then see if I can then incorporate that into what I do. That has led me in some unexpected directions but made the journey more rewarding. Of course, this is harder than it sounds and you have to be really disciplined and carve out time to make this happen.
What attracted you to CI Projects?
In speaking to Kiran for the first time it was clear that I was talking with someone who not only operated from the same values but also the same principles which has made communication effortless. I put this down to our shared experience of Lean and Agile practice with its high focus on people and outcomes.
Tell us about your proudest moment in your career.
Early on in my career, I delivered a digital transformation project which really presented me with a big challenge. This was a large client and they wanted to pursue a particular technology solution. While it would have been easy for me to not say anything, I knew the product wasn’t the right fit for them so I thought it was more important to do the difficult thing and challenge their thinking and help them look at a solution which would deliver value over the long-term. They agreed and the project exceeded initial expectations.
In your experience what aspects of company culture have brought out the best in you personally?
Having a culture of coaching. Canon went from a “command and control” culture to a servant-leadership style where they were coaching rather than telling. That was transformational for me. Until I experienced it myself, I didn’t realise how powerful it can be in all areas of your life – even my wife doesn’t know she’s being coached (well, sometimes).
2020 brought a lot of changes to the world. How important do you think agility is in today’s environment?
Very! I think most people would agree that the world we live in is getting more and more complex and that complexity makes predicting what’s around the corner much harder. One thing we can say with confidence is that large organisations are not immune to failure and what was once a strength may now be their weakness. The ones that have agility and adaptability at their core will stand a much better chance of survival.
What is on your wish list for the next 5 years?
5 years?!… I suppose what having an Agile mindset has taught me is that while planning is incredibly important, it’s just as important not to get too attached to those plans. My wish is that myself and those that I care about would still be doing something that brings us joy and a sense of pride.
We hope you have enjoyed finding out a bit more about Scott in this interview. If you would like to find out more about our team, please head to our Meet The Team page on our website.