“If there were an NPS (Net Promoter Score) for CEOs, Chip’s would be as close to a perfect 100 as would be reasonably attainable,” one employee of Argano observed off the record. The said employee quickly added the following qualification: “given the fact that the job definition of a CEO or any leader is to make tough decisions and hard calls that will always make someone unhappy, a perfect 100 would just be a dream. This is a reflection not just of his leadership but of his ability to build popular support for his initiatives and his vision.”

Such sentiments were echoed widely around Argano, a tech firm focused on building “digital foundations.” With all praises left and right, it’s time to get to know who Chip Register is and what Argano is all about.

Who is Chip Register and what is Argano all about?

Argano is a tech strategy and integration firm that focuses on building “digital foundations” and “deep transformation” within its clients. It has been doing complex work for many famous brands and companies. While Argano boasts of its size, strength, and an impressive world-class list of clientele, which includes most Fortune 100 companies, only a few people have heard of it.

Argano is the brainchild of Chip Register. With his passion, Register created the concept of “joining,” which embodies every sense of the word, and instilled it at the very heart of the company. With the discovery of a need for a “purpose-built,” modern competitor to the top tech consulting firms, Chip Register “joined” together various smaller firms, mostly founded in the twenty-first century, to create a whole that is greater than the parts.

The very concept of “joining” goes deeper than merely having various companies joining together. These companies consist of groups of people that turn into one at Argano despite their diversity.

How does one go about joining so many different and diverse peoples, cultures, and companies together?

Joining company cultures to meld different ideas into one is a challenging task all on its own. The answer to that lies at the heart of the role of Chip Register, Argano’s Group CEO.

Many people have asked the same question: How does he do it?

Talking to various employees and team members of Argano, it seems like his strategy has a few different components that are useful to articulate.

One common observation, echoed among many “Arganauts,” is that he is a true visionary. According to one employee, “Calling him a ‘visionary’ is an understatement.”

Having different firms join together with their unique identities to get lost in the process, which later on turns into flavorful ingredients of a brown stew, is far too common. However, it takes real vision to create a culture and company that is so diverse yet united in achieving a common purpose and mission.

Having to think about it and decide what’s best is simply not enough. You need to communicate to the rank-and-file soldiers to build up excitement and get them on board. This is where Argano and Chip Register excel.

The concept of “Deep Transformation”

One key component of Register’s vision is the concept of “Deep Transformation,” which Argano highlighted in their announcement of CSS joining the platform in December 2021.

In the digital space, there is a lot of talk about “digital transformation,” adapting old-fashioned, premodern Internet processes and companies for the twenty-first century. However, digital transformation focuses overwhelmingly on the tech side of the process. While “digital transformation” focuses on technology first and people second – with the phrase itself referring to transforming “digitally” – “Deep Transformation” does the opposite.

The concept of “Deep Transformation” puts people first and then uses digital technologies to best support the people and teams that are the true magic behind any company.

Making tough calls with empathy and humanity in check

The job of a CEO is a tough one – the glamor of important meetings with important people to decide the fate of industries is an image more from the movies than reality. The reality is dealing with putting out constant fires and making many thankless decisions, most of which are merely choosing one set of problems over another. For a company as large as Argano, born from the merging of various different companies together, the CEO’s job becomes enormously challenging very quickly.

Register’s ability to drive the company to success despite daily work challenges makes his leadership even more impressive.

While part of Register’s job requires making tough, clear, and decisive calls, he does this with empathy and heart, with the aim of always keeping humanity in check. This, in relation to the tumble of the business world, is a quality only a few possess but many drastically need.

If more leaders did have this magic touch, then the magic of Argano would merely be the magic of every company. The fact that so few leaders have this quality is one of the key reasons why Argano can stand head and shoulders above its competition.

(Part II of this profile is in the works. Check back soon!)