Kelly Beatty was in the final stages of leading the integration of the $43 billion acquisition of Worldpay as she was asked to step into her new role when the pandemic hit in early 2020. She would now head up an all-new division of 1,000 people.
As the chief transformation officer leading the Worldpay integration at FIS, Beatty was no stranger to dealing with constant, complex changes in her work environment. It was only a couple of years earlier that she led the integration after Vantiv's $12 billion purchase of Worldpay, after which it took Worldpay's name.
Drawing on her childhood experiences of frequent family moves, Beatty noted that she took two valuable lessons from those experiences.
“Firstly, I became used to change and was able to adapt to new situations by viewing each move as a new opportunity,” said Beatty, executive vice president and head of commercial and data solutions at FIS Global. “From my experience, change forces people to adapt, and this can create all sorts of opportunities. Secondly, even though I eventually learned to embrace change as a creator of opportunity, it is still very difficult sometimes. People need to lean into change and work through the bumps in the road. I love the Robin Sharma quote that goes, 'All change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and so gorgeous at the end.' "
This quote from the popular Canadian public speaker embodies what she Beatty learned from the frequent family moves as a child and the new adventures and opportunities she’s created from those changes.
While change often requires making tradeoffs and difficult decisions, especially at a senior executive level where it can affect the livelihoods of many, Beatty has a tested formula to help through those challenges.
When stuck on a project, perspective is everything, she said. It forces her to take a step back and take breaks to do something that she enjoys which allows her to refocus. For example, Beatty found that she does her best thinking in the morning after a workout as it helps her get in the right headspace to then tackle the challenge that she's stuck on.
Yet being a successful leader is far from being a solo job, even though at times it can feel very lonely at the top.
“I also rely on my network of people who I seek feedback from,” said Beatty. “They allow me to pressure test what I am thinking, and they come from multiple backgrounds. I trust these people implicitly and will go to them to identify different blind spots of the project and identify what I am missing.”
In reflecting on what the pandemic has revealed about the payments industry, Beatty noted that it has forced people to step outside their comfort zones. The payments industry had to adapt at a faster pace than ever before, leading to countless innovations and accomplishments.
Probably the biggest impact Beatty noted was how the pandemic affected small businesses, shuttering many retailers and restaurants that had been mainstays in local communities. As a payments technology leader, Beatty and her team have strived to help provide the technology that keeps the doors of small businesses open by helping them to adapt to changing consumer behaviors such as contactless, digital payments and buying online.
Beatty draws on her experiences in dealing with change to provide advice to future leaders.
“I moved around a lot growing up, meaning that I needed to adapt to new surroundings quite often,“ added Beatty. “This showed me how to best work with people from different walks of life and to find common ground that would help us accomplish whatever task was in front of us. Whether it was participating in sports or different clubs in school, leading and motivating people towards a common goal has always been a part of who I am.”
