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Earlier this month I had the great honour to be awarded the itSMF Australia ITSM Champion of the Year and the Thought Leader of the Year Awards (the latter together with my indomitable colleague Michelle Major-Goldsmith). Now, as thrilled as I am with this recognition and as much as I think it is a reward for my activities and commitment, it also got me thinking how we need more champions and thought leaders, in all organisations, at all levels!
Champions
I need to clarify that the word ‘champion’ in this context is not about being a winner (although on the Industry Awards night I certainly felt like one), but rather about being an advocate (i.e. ‘to speak or write in favor of; support or urge by argument; recommend publicly’- dictionary.com)!
In order to be a champion\advocate, firstly there needs to be an audience, otherwise you are just ‘shouting in the desert’.
But, a champion provides a reminder to that audience about what (in this case) service management is, its correct application, new developments and other noteworthy aspects.
During the conference it was frequently mentioned that organisations need a kind of ‘Service Management coach’ (similar to an Agile coach etc.) to guide an organisation in its use of the many different service management practices available these days (as well as the staff applying them).
But … it goes further. A champion is not necessarily a person with expert knowledge and capabilities or seniority, but can be ‘merely’ that one person in a team who is motivated about the practices in use, and advocates, encourages, guides, supports and influences the team members around them (regardless of hierarchic position).
We need those champions: from a global expert perspective, but also as an
Become a
Champion
Thought
Leader!
By Simon Dorst