How The Art of Service helps leaders upskill in tech

Upskilling might just be the most powerful tool you can use to futureproof your business.

Pledging to enlighten tech leaders through gaining a competitive advantage within their field, The Art of Service does just that.

Founded by Ivanka Menken and her husband in 2000, the company has been empowering leaders to grow through improving business policies, processes and procedures, all while not losing sight of the human factor within the corporate world.

"We developed products – our Self-Assessment Toolkits and Critical Capabilities Cheat Sheets – to help create the clarity that executive teams need to enable them to make educated decisions," Menken explains to The CEO Magazine. "Look at it as creating awareness and understanding the unknown unknown – you don’t know what you don’t know."

Committed to making e-learning better, the Australian-based company helps clients create IT services for them to use in scaling up their business by focusing on IT strategy, IT management and web security.

"We are laser focused to stay ahead of the online attention span we all have, which is milliseconds." – Ivanka Menken

The Art of Service became entirely digital in 2009. However, as the world increasingly connects online, it has created new challenges.

"We had an advantage back then, which was also a hindrance," she says. "It worked before, why wasn’t it working now? The answer was simple: because there are so many more companies vying for attention online than there were in 2009."

The entrepreneur hasn’t always been in the IT service management field. Menken started her career as a vocational teacher, after earning a double degree in applied sciences (agriculture) and education. It was her passion for technology that led her to the startup world.

"During my career I’ve always looked for ways to empower professionals to create clarity and a culture of continual growth," she shares.

Through blending her educational expertise with management consulting, Menken has honed her leadership skills.

"Good leadership is a combination of a clear vision and the ability to communicate this to the team in such a way that it empowers the team to make independent decisions, knowing they are an integral part of the company’s journey and provide value," she explains. "I’ve seen that giving clear boundaries and understanding the bigger picture really helps professionals be self-guided and not second guess everything.

"Surround yourself with peers and experienced entrepreneurs. Joining the Entrepreneurs' Organization in 2006 was such a great decision. Having access to 15,000 entrepreneurs gave me a global insight into the business world, which allowed me to prepare successfully for the Global Financial Crisis in 2008."

More recently, having overcome the challenges of COVID-19, the IT service management business is ready for the future.

"We are laser focused to stay ahead of the online attention span we all have, which is milliseconds," Menken says. "This forces us to be ultra-clear in each and every message."