This episode of PJ Tips Podcast on Leading Business Change features Matthew Wragg, Chief Customer Officer at Gattaca who tells us why you need to stay paranoid in business, and how Covid helped transform their mission and ‘change up the game’.

Gattaca provide collaborative workforce solutions and recruitment services, tailored for the engineering & technology markets. Gattaca is a group of companies, including Matchtech, and has 500-600 staff globally.

If you want to hear more about practical challenges in mergers and integration and how having a clear purpose can help build an even better business, this is worth a listen. Unearthing your purpose, engaging and embedding it is not a quick fix. You need to commit and listen – really listen to people – and when you get it ‘right’ the transformation is palpable. Don’t believe me, check out this podcast.

Topics covered include:

Bringing Purpose to Life

Mission, Vision and Values

Clarity of message

What does good and bad look like

Merger M&A

Sustainability

Integration and Business transformation

Leadership in Change

Transformation through Tribes to Villages

If you are in any doubt about how purpose affects people, then listen carefully to Matthews voice and energy change as he starts to share insights about crafting the ‘new’ Mission and Vision.

I particularly love the bit where he shares how the Purpose is brought to life in some many aspects inside and outside the business, including the Children’s Christmas ( Party) Challenge this year. It clearly demonstrates that Purpose is not just a marketing phrase or hollow words on a job spec.

The story he tells starts with the challenges of a merger and integration. The purpose and mission existed, but was not unified, understood and really lived, though as he admits, it could have been ok. His points about trust and leadership are important elements of the learning from the journey. In essence the merger and integration could have been better and more efficient, and with their new purpose and better aligned business, doubtless new acquisitions will be much easier.

If you are interested in Matthews points about Tribes and Villages, these are referenced from Author of Blitzscaling, Chris Yeh, who talks about understanding how an organisation grows, the Five Stages and challenges. You might find it interesting to read this and cross reference with this podcast.

The story continues from working from the office to be almost entirely home based due to Covid. At this time the business set some goals and challenges to engage staff and have some fun. The outcomes turned out to be much more than fun, indeed it led to rethinking their Mission, Vision and Values, and gave them a new clearly defined Purpose. The 12 month process was engaging and collaborative. Matthew admits he could have written a decent purpose on his own. In reality none of his words made the final version. What does that say about the importance of engaging staff, listening and finding that common purpose.

The fun challenges mentioned included ‘Helping 1000 people get back to work’ during Covid. In fact they achieved twice this number in less time than expected. Why?

Matthew has done a few Marathons, even his slow ones are quicker than me! But did you know he did a Marathon around his garden in support of the NHS in Lockdown. What’s this got to do with purpose and leadership – may be very little, or perhaps there’s more to it?

Matthew offers many examples of how the Mission, Vision and Values are brought to life and lived in the business. You get the sense it really is integrated and understood.

Finally his Top Tips for Leading Business Change:

· Execution

· Authentic

Stay Paranoid ( you need to hear the narrative to understand this) 

Thank you to Matthew, and thank you for listening.