Our speakers—Igor Matich of Dynamo6, Murray Goodman of Kordia, and Keith Chilek of Tourism Holdings—shared insights that are as relevant today as they were then. Here’s a summary of their collective wisdom.
Prepare for the Future Workforce
The next generation entering the workforce has always shaken things up, but their native familiarity with technology has fundamentally changed their expectations of a working environment. The core lesson was simple: your team's experience directly affects your customers' experience, and customer experience is what drives innovation.
A favourite quote from that time, which still resonates in our office, is from a 2017 Jeff Bezos letter to shareholders:
One thing I have noticed is that the best people are always raising their own standards, and they are never satisfied. High standards are contagious, and they are a key part of creating a successful team.
2025 Perspective: This philosophy is more relevant than ever. High-performing people have no patience for technology that gets in their way. They expect a seamless, powerful, and intuitive digital environment that matches their ambition.
Embrace the 'Fail Fast' Mindset
Innovation has a price tag, and it adds up quickly if you spend months on a project that isn’t delivering value. The concept of "failing fast" isn't about celebrating failure; it's about having the agility to know when to pivot. It’s about empowering your team to own their decisions and learn from them quickly.
By setting clear goals, checking in regularly, and holding everyone accountable, you free up time and resources. You can then use the learnings from a "failed" project to iterate and ensure the next one succeeds. Fail fast, learn faster, and enjoy the increased quality and momentum.
2025 Perspective: The cloud is the ultimate enabler of the "fail fast" mindset. With scalable platforms like AWS and GCP, the cost of experimentation is dramatically lower. Modern cloud and agile software development practices are designed to help you test ideas quickly, measure their impact, and scale what works.
Lead a Culture That Champions Change
Technology plays a huge part in your team's experience, but tools alone don't create transformation. Real change is messy, uncomfortable, and requires skillful leadership to guide your team through the journey.
A few simple nuggets shared at the event are still so powerful they are often overlooked:
Share the Why: Don’t just share timelines and details; share the reason why the change is happening.
Keep Your Door Open: Create a safe space for people to ask questions and share concerns. You might uncover a problem you hadn't considered.
Ease Into It: Start with a simple use case, prove its value, and then iterate. Don’t try to change everything at once.
Recognise Great Work: Don't let business-as-usual fall by the wayside. Acknowledging everyday contributions is even more important during times of change.
2025 Perspective: Building a change culture is the single most important factor in any successful Digital Transformation. It's a principle we live by internally. By embracing this mindset ourselves, we've been able to navigate over 10 years in business and earn a place on the Financial Times' High-Growth Companies list. It’s proof that a culture built for change is a culture built for growth.
From Insight to Action
The lessons from our 2018 event endure because they focus on the foundational elements of any successful business: your people, your mindset, and your culture. Technology accelerates what’s already there.
If you’re ready to build a culture of innovation and translate these ideas into action, our team is here to help you chart the course. To ensure you're always informed about our upcoming events and insights, sign up for our newsletter below.
Editor's Note
In August 2018, we hosted our third annual AWS event focused on a theme that has only grown more critical: building a culture that embraces change. The lessons from our speakers that day are a powerful reminder that the principles of successful transformation are timeless. We've updated this post with a modern perspective.