The servant leader driving organisational transformation who sees change as the only constant
Ilona Guobytė is the Chief Organizational Development Officer (CODO) at Staticus and a driving force in the company’s constant evolution, including its ongoing digitization and adoption of Agile. Her professional background covers a lot of ground – e-commerce, retail, real estate, pharmaceuticals, and fashion. Before joining Staticus, she perceived the construction sector as slow and masculine, but has been pleasantly surprised by its dynamism and complexity. Her willingness in the early days to ask anything and everything helped her rapidly adapt, and she encourages her team to do likewise as part of her servant leadership style.
What was it like when you first started at Staticus? And how do you take care of new colleagues that join your team?
I could see from day one that this is a family business. Everyone treats each other well and takes care of one another. In my case, I had moved from the fashion industry and had no knowledge of the façade business, but I was able to ask any questions I needed to.
I have tried to maintain and strengthen this feeling within my team. We are very close. We spend time together outside of work and do a lot of team building. I am a true believer in servant leadership. It’s about creating an atmosphere where there is no hierarchy, where we help each other blossom as quickly as possible.
In terms of the practicalities of joining our team, we have developed an effective onboarding system that is digitised and easy to understand. Plus, just as it was with me, we emphasise that there are no stupid questions and it’s always OK to ask.
What is the single best thing about working at Staticus?
I would say it’s the ability to grow every day.
Staticus is a rapidly developing organisation with a very wide value chain. We have experts in many different fields. And because of our Agile approach to projects, you end up spending a lot of time with people from different teams who all share their knowledge and perspectives. So, there are a lot of learning opportunities.
Overall, Staticus is a learning organisation. We are allowed to innovate and learn new things, and we know that it’s OK to make mistakes.
What new perspectives have you gained while working at Staticus?
Well, I see this business in a completely different way. Before I joined Staticus, I viewed the construction industry and the façade sector as a slow and very masculine area of business. But now I can see how innovative, diverse, complex, and challenging it is.
What new skills and competencies have you learned while working at Staticus?
I have gained Agile and scrum competences. First, I went to Germany to complete courses on the basics of Agile and the role of a scrum master. And then we have been working continuously to figure out the best ways to roll out Agile at Staticus. This process has included working with several consultants to build the framework and develop it further.
What makes Staticus a unique place to work?
Well, I’m repeating myself a bit, but again it is the full basket of opportunities that come from offering a wide value chain. Combine this with the fact that we are a rapidly-growing organisation, and this is a place where everyone can find challenge and purpose.
What do you find most interesting in your work at Staticus?
I would say it is the transformation. At Staticus, change is a constant in so many ways.
We are a company that tries to be better every day. And I am directly involved in this transformation process. It is about our ways of working and the culture we are building.
For example, the Agile mindset that we have implemented is really a significant step. It is not a common approach within this industry. We are really proud that we have successfully introduced this way of working, and it is satisfying for me to look back and say: “we did it.”
In fact, when I look back over the past 3 years, it is amazing to see how much we have transformed. And looking to the future, there is so much more that we still have to do and so much we will continue to improve.
Which project are you most proud of?
Well, in terms of work that I have personally been involved in, it is definitely our adoption of Agile project management and the transformation this has created.
As for our commercial projects, I’m definitely proud of all of them. The ones that I find truly jaw-dropping (and show pictures of to all my friends and family) are Okern portal, Via Vika and Vaghuset. Seeing the end results of our work is fascinating and makes me very proud, especially when I know what difficult processes it involves to make it happen.
Tell us a bit about your life outside of work.
Well, even outside of work I always find time for my colleagues and really enjoy socialising with them. This is something that happens a lot more at Staticus than in my former workplaces.
I’m a water sports lover and do a lot of wakeboarding – I am learning more every season. I am also a keen traveller. And when I’m not busy with these activities, I am the proud owner of a 1 year old Long-Haired Weimaraner who keeps me very busy.