Insights from Telco Talent: Technological transformation through operational empathy and “moito xeito”, with Yolanda San Juan

Digital transformation in corporate environments rarely starts from a blank canvas. When a technology partner takes on the challenge of modernizing the architecture of an operator or large account, it typically means integrating into a highly complex ecosystem: critical legacy systems, deeply entrenched processes, and teams that have sustained operations for years. In this scenario, the line between the success and failure of a project does not depend exclusively on code excellence, but on impeccable change management.

In episode 53 of our podcast Telco Talent, we speak with Yolanda San Juan, an expert in human potential development and an interim manager specialized in guiding organizations through critical turning points. Her insights on external intervention in established companies resonate with the philosophy we apply at Optare Solutions.

Below, we reveal three executive takeaways from our conversation with Yolanda, applied to the operational reality of large Telco deployments:

1. Avoiding the “elephant in a china shop” syndrome: The value of empathetic diagnosis

The common inertia in traditional consulting often makes the mistake of bursting into the client’s space with standardized diagnoses, seeking to replace the existing model with an idealized theoretical framework. Yolanda illustrates this mistake with unquestionable precision: “You enter [the organization] like an elephant in a china shop”.

The antidote to this technical arrogance is absolute respect for the company’s background and track record. “Most of the time, they got there through trial and error… you have to enter with a lot of care and affection”. When taking on an infrastructure modernization project, we must understand that the current ecosystem exists for valid historical and business reasons. High-level consulting demands active listening to audit without judging, understanding initial constraints before proposing technical disruption.

2. “Xeito” as a deployment methodology and operational empathy

During her talk, Yolanda confesses that her most effective tool is not a rigid matrix, but an attitude that our Galician culture defines perfectly: entering “con mucho xeito” (with tact, skill, common sense, and know-how).

In the execution of automation or network integration projects, this xeito translates into “operational empathy”. It consists of orchestrating platforms that client teams do not perceive as a threat to their technical expertise, but rather as enablers of their day-to-day work. As Yolanda emphasizes, servant leadership is the true catalyst for success: “First you have to make yourself available to them, because they are the ones who know the company”. No matter how innovative a technology proposal may be, its real value will depend on its organic assimilation by the operator’s corporate culture.

3. Transferring ownership: Accompanying versus pushing

Every structural transformation naturally generates friction. If change is perceived as an external imposition, project adoption will suffer organizational roadblocks. Yolanda warns us that the ultimate goal is not to dazzle with individual talent, but to empower the entire collective: “The team doesn’t work if the individual doesn’t work”.

For the implementation of a new system to be sustainable and scalable over time, it is imperative to progressively transfer ownership (the ownership and control of the project) to the client. If an operator modernizes its network but its engineering team feels disconnected from the process, the transformation is purely cosmetic. The goal of a true technology ally is to audit, build, train, and ultimately step aside once the internal team is fully prepared to govern its new infrastructure autonomously.

Technology only transforms effectively when people make it their own. To reach that milestone, we often need to lower technical ego and, as Yolanda San Juan reminds us, apply generous doses of xeito.

🎧 Want to discover how advanced people management can boost the competitiveness of your business operations?

👉 Click here to listen to the full interview with Yolanda San Juan on Telco Talent