How the 3p’s can help you identify the coaching needs of your team?
GROW PEOPLE, GROW NUMBERS
Why does it take long to implement changes? Why do the changes not bring success? Do we actually implement changes and outset what success really means? Do we know what success actually means for the organisation? More importantly, does the individual team member grasp what success means and its impact on them?
Turn fear into Success
Defining the right data points to measure up the progression of your strategy…
Data and analytics are a key part of defining and measuring the success of your strategy. They are fundamental in driving business cases and agile implementation. (Big) Data, often unstructured of its nature serves a clear purpose, especially if you can identify what you want to measure overall. Making sense of unstructured data and figuring patterns is something for the specialist. But also as non data specialist, you can use data in to your advantage if you define first what you want to get out of this.
I recently read a great book around Big Data and how to use analytics to support your strategic imperatives (see below). And loved the strategic board which I thought is worth sharing with you.
Here some examples of strategic key elements/topics you should address and apply SMART KPI’s to measure success. But also to build your sourcing and analyse if the direction you have taken, ultimately drives the outcome you desire.
The Purpose Panel
The “Purpose Panel” sets the scene and provides an inspiring (I would make it inspiring as you want to motivate your strategy team to onboard the direction you are taking:) framework and overall context regarding the overall strategy. Your project should always be linked to that strategy to achieve the correct participation and required budgets. This can be for instance your mission/vision statement.
The Customer Panel
Customer are in the hearth of everything you do as a business. Without customers, there is no business. Within your strategic board it’s important to understand how much you actually know about your customer, or actually don’t know. These data points need to be clear and SMART.
The Finance Panel
The finance panel prompts you to consider how much you actually know about the financial impact of the strategy you are or are willing to implement. Bottom line when making an investment, a return is expected. This is not always a financial return, but taking this item on board, you should be able to identify the caveats in the direction you are taking
The Operations Panel
The “Operations Panel” prompts you to consider what you actually need to deliver upon your strategy and what you may need to find out. Partnerships and core competencies should be in line with the deliverables.
The Resource Panel
The “Resource Panel” prompts you to consider what resources you need to actually deliver your strategy. Resourcing and cost involved could run high that the profitability of the direction you are taking, can impact both the financial stability, as your operational rigor.
The Competition and Risk panel
The “Competition and Risk Panel” prompts you to consider what competition you will be up against as you seek to deliver your strategy. This panel is often missing from the strategy board and in depth analysis is required, to be able to differentiate. Some questions to answer:
- What is potentially the risk you are taking
- Who is your main competitor and why
- What is possibly threatening for your success
- Are there any specific market, customer, competition or regulatory risks
Make your questions SMART
Understanding which data points you require to add to your strategy board, requires making the KPI’s SMART. In most cases not all data points are structured, or even available. But a minimal set of good SMART KPI’s and data points can help the start of building up the metrics you need to analyse when engaging your strategical imperative.
It goes without saying the challenge is in the details behind your strategy. Furthermore gathering the data from both internal as external sources can take time. Thus taking an agile approach where you test and le
arn, and at the same time build up the data you need to validate the direction you have taken, is key.
If you are interested in learning more, and are seeking a simple book which next to easy to read, is also educational, check out “Big Data written by Bernard Marr”.
Enjoy!
About the author: @Rahim Gulamali Strategic Customer Experience focussed Transformational Leader with outstanding track record across BPO, Strategic Change Management, Corporate Risk Management, Information technology, Technical and Financial Project Management. Proven track record in; designing, guiding, clarifying and completing (international) strategic programs; motivating teams and individuals to deliver; streaming and energizing existing business processes where People drive/own the success.
MOTIVATIONAL CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Motivational change management
I’ve worked in services based consulting in the past 20 years. When looking at changes in corporate and operational change management, you see that the way we operate and think is changing fast. In the traditional business cases the key focus often is focussed on competitive edge, market opportunity and risk mitigation (yes yes… there is more but I’m trying to keep this simple)… A business transformation strategy and the success of the objectives you set, are in direct relation to your operational rigor. I wanted to share some simple tips to involve the whole company in the strategic direction you are taking
Keep the message simple and clear
Simplicity is everything. Sometimes we overcomplicated things and as a result your team members get lost. Keep it simple and clear
Tailor your message to your audience
Some of you may think “Duhhhh”. We’ll in practice I have seen answers be too long, overcomplicated, and even more risky, not tailored to the audience.
Not everyone has to/will follow
In organisational change we soo often want to change the world. When making a change effective, first do your due diligence. Ask yourself who you need to make the change effective, What triggers your team, and ensure that
you remap the team towards the objectives based on skills, willingness and competence. If there are gaps, you can initiate a streamlined training and coaching plan for the ones who need this.
Be Curious
Curiosity is one of the most important elements of change. The more curious you are in investigating impact and tenor. The more you will find out over the course of the implementation. An openminded approach is key. And again the trust part is key.
Be Generous
Be generous to the people who follow. Be even more generous to the people who can’t. Help them to success and be happy. Even though they cannot follow the change, there is always a place for the stable team members in your organisation. Never enforce… That will backfire. But find common grounds.
Be Data Inspired
Ensure you have simple KPI’s which are tangible. But never overanalyse the data. When you have build the change process via agile methodology, you will be flexible and able to steer around possible challenges.Even more important, ensure that you start gathering the right data points to answer the questions you have. Big data is everywhere, but making sense of it in relation to your strategy is another. A SMART approach is required to capture and make sense of the information gathered. Especially the less normalised information can make a difference when running through this. Easy way’s of gathering an outside in view, is the use of surveys. They are cheap and will give you direction, the challenge however is that on average 10-15% response rates (when you ask customers) is quite low so a you will need some volume to actually make this measurable. `But also internal survey’s with your team members are important to capture their uncensored feedback.
Bring fun in to the game
Change is often perceived as scary. It can bring processes and people to a hold. Make it fun. Enjoyable and use the right stimulation tactics. If people are having fun, they will do what’s asked. If people have trust… They will follow even though they have an initial disbelieve. Every change should be perceived as a fun thing, where mistakes are used to learn, not to prosecute.
Be a coach, not a story teller…
As you may have noticed in other blogs, team members come first. I have a strong believe that when you coach them well, and they have the capability, you can make any change successful. Test and learn, preferably via an “agile approach”. Without having the right team in place, every project, change e.g. implementation can fail. As leader and coach you should keep focussed on their development. Do less yourself and ask the right questions. Make them come up with the game plan, and do not step in and give free advise. Ofcourse you can give direction, but in general what you can use is the AWE question (And what Else). That will keep the creative thinking going.
Transforming your organisation, team, processes and services take time. Rome was also not made in one day, so take your tim
e and keep focussed on your team members. Make sure they stay onboard, and own the change. You are there as leader to guide and support, not to actually deliver.
About the author: @Rahim Gulamali Strategic Customer Experience focussed Transformational Leader with outstanding track record across BPO, Strategic Change Management, Corporate Risk Management, Information technology, Technical and Financial Project Management. Proven track record in; designing, guiding, clarifying and completing (international) strategic programs; motivating teams and individuals to deliver; streaming and energizing existing business processes where People drive/own the success
RETURN ON INVESTMENT
How to make sure your program delivers the right ROI?
ROI, in common lingo known as Return On Investment, in change programs evolve to Return on Involvement (At least, when you have done a bad job). If you believe most software companies, the actual adoption of the new in the first 90 day’s, if estimated on no more then 30% of your business. That means that in the months to follow, a large portion of the actual embedding of the change, is required.
Some useful tips to ensure you will stay on track and get people on board.
BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION TOOLSET
Simple models for business and organisational transformation
In this E-Book we will give you some useful tips and models for building the right foundations for change. With some simple tools you can start building a cohering foundational strategy and set the base for future investments.