Ellie Trajkovska
Head of Continuous Improvement, University of Sydney
Being a senior transformation leader isn’t the easiest job in the world.
As Ellie Trajkovska explains, when you’re trying to influence large organisations to improve their systems and services, you can meet with quite a bit of resistance… across all levels of the organisation.
“In one particular organisation, we knew what needed to be done to transform the place, but we were facing a silo mentality.
This happens when people work in isolation of others and other initiatives, and unfortunately, where there’s been a low level of transparency and trust in the organisation.
In this case, the silo mentality came from too much change. So, we decided that we needed external help. Our message had to come from a neutral and best practice perspective, not from within.”
And that’s when Ellie knew she needed to call Glass Rock Solutions.
Refocus the negative into a win-win
Ellie has worked with Glass Rock Solutions since 2015 on various projects across different organisations.
And when she was facing this particular new challenge, she knew instantly that Preetie and her team were her number one go-to consultants to help the business transition.
“I’ve worked with a couple of consultants at Glass Rock, including Preetie Shehkkar. The first time I came across Preetie was during a leadership session she was running, and she just blew me away.”
And so, Ellie organised for Glass Rock to step into the new organisation, and the magic began to happen.
“Preetie is superbly skilled and the way she helped some very antagonistic individuals – people resistant to what was going on in the change program – showcased that. She listened and helped the group reposition their objections. She worked with them to help them reframe it so that it was a win-win situation for all parties.”
And the necessary change followed on. After just two sessions in this case, Ellie and the team were able to implement the adjustments without the previous resistance, with understanding and agreement.
Building communities
Usually, when organisations begin planning the way they’d like to innovate their business practices or structures, they focus on the technical side of things.
And absolutely, this plays a vital role in the process. But as Ellie has discovered, it’s actually more about the people – those who work in the organisation, those the business services, and the consultants like Glass Rock – who can help make the process a success.
“When it comes down to it, it’s the relationships and community you build that make a difference in what you’re trying to transform.
And this is where Glass Rock Solutions has been an incredible partner to work with.
They get it. They know how to take people and organisations to the next level and create the change that’s needed. And the technical training they give is just a bonus of upskilling your people.”
In this particular situation, Ellie wanted to create a customer-centric approach across the organisation.
“Glass Rock Solutions understood exactly what we wanted to achieve, and they used their people’s expertise and know-how to help us achieve it.”
Unique approaches
Ellie has extensive experience working for enormous businesses, from universities to state government departments and airlines.
And she has seen in her long career that you can’t apply a blanket approach across a situation.
When you’re trying to improve the way a business functions, there are so many different levels and methods needed.
“This is something that Glass Rock Solutions excels at. They understand that you need to create different tiers of approaches to cater to different audiences within the one organisation.
Preetie and the team are experts at tailoring a process based on not just the outcome the business has outlined, but also in line with the approach the manager wants to take.”
Glass Rock Solutions understands the complexities and nuances that are inherent in any change or improvement process, which includes not only the staff, but the leadership as well.
And they work at every level, and design the process for every level, to deliver a successful outcome.
True partners in the process
From the very first moment she spoke to Preetie and her team at Glass Rock Solutions, Ellie had great confidence in what they would be able to achieve.
And that was before she’d actually seen them at work.
“I was introduced to Glass Rock Solutions through a CIO five years ago, who highly recommended their digital transformation abilities.
I was so impressed with their credentials in helping IT teams transform and work better, I decided to give them a shot.
They impressed me then… and they’ve kept on impressing all these years.”
What has really struck Ellie is just how consultative working with Preetie and the team is.
From the moment Ellie began speaking to them about her aims and objectives, to the moment the new processes were implemented, they never left her side.
“It’s very much a partnership and consultative approach with Glass Rock Solutions, to ensure you get the best value for your investment.
And they even carry this through when they’re working with staff to help change hearts and minds.
They make everyone feel like they’re a part of the partnership because they’re able to help them see the benefits of what’s happening and why.
Glass Rock Solutions makes the process better, because not only do they know their stuff, they advise you on best practice and give you options to work with, and talk about potential results.
They’re true partners every step of the way.”
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