Don’t worry: this isn’t a post on how to kill anyone. It’s about having the tools to help you and your organization execute or implement new ideas and concepts.
Many years ago, I was fortunate enough to attend a large presentation in Toronto given by a very well-known self-help expert. “Given” is likely the wrong word: the tickets were several hundred dollars each and there were more than 1,500 business professionals in attendance.
I was there with several co-workers and a handful of other local business people. The presentation was excellent, and I learned many lessons, some of which I continue to use to this day. Perhaps the most important lesson, though, was the first one discussed that morning. The speaker began his presentation by saying that of the 1,500 people in the room, only 10% of us would ever use any of the points that he was presenting. That was staggering: this noted speaker was telling a room full of successful executives that 90% of us were wasting our money by attending his seminar. He then doubled down and asserted that, of that 10%, only half would ever use his lessons consistently.
His statement was greeted with shock and disbelief. He was convinced that he was correct and, based on my limited experience, I believe he may have been overly generous. The problem was not that his ideas were wrong, unhelpful or difficult to understand: the problem was (and is) that many people struggle to take ideas from the discussion level to the execution or implementation level.
SO WHAT?
In my career, I have been fortunate to have some excellent mentors. One of the best was my boss for more than twenty years, Bruce Beattie. Many times, in our working relationship, I would make a presentation that I had worked very hard to prepare. Bruce would listen, ask questions, and then at the end, he would ask me … “So what?”
Bruce was not being difficult. I learned he was asking me to think about the next step: how was I going to implement what was contained in the concepts and ideas? He forced me to develop ways to move past the idea and consider how to consult with others to develop, and eventually execute, a plan. Once the plan was in place, Bruce would work with us on making incremental improvements, allowing the original concept to constantly evolve.
Doug Robbins was another excellent mentor to me. His greatest lesson was to always to consider six questions when developing and implementing any kind of strategy:
- What are the facts?
- What are the alternatives?
- Make the best decision you can, given the time allowed and that you likely do not have all of the facts.
- Once a process has been put into action, ask: What did you do right?
- Then: What did you do wrong?
- Followed by: What would you do differently the next time?
Doug told me that, although intuitively I was usually correct in most things I did, I would be even better if I could demonstrate that I was not simply “shooting from the hip”. It is “ready, aim, shoot,” not “ready, shoot, aim.”
Both of these very successful business executives developed my awareness that everything is a process. Very seldom is there one magic step that solves every problem. Many people have great ideas; far fewer of them are actually able to see them through from start to execution.
TIPS ON HOW TO TAKE IDEAS AND CONCEPTS AND IMPLEMENT THEM
- Start with the basics and focus on a priority – Many great ideas fail because the person or group that proposes them tries to execute too much too quickly. Your associates need to realize that change is a process, not a one-step solution.
- Appreciate that people have an ever-increasing amount of information to process – As important as our Zoom meetings and phone calls are, how much of what gets discussed do people actually have time to do? People may think the concept is great, but if they perceive it as one more burden on top of an already impossible task list, nothing will happen. Remember to pace your team, and consider the bandwidth of each associate.
- Choose between three and five key points of focus – If you could only have your associates remember three things from the meeting, what would they be? Keep in mind that your associates may be juggling several priorities at once and overloading them will not help anyone succeed.
- Having allies is important – When introducing a new idea or concept to your organization, have people who share your vision and who understand why it is worth the effort. You need willing cooperation, and having cooperation from respected people will influence the undecided to get behind an idea. If you are presenting in a meeting, take the time before to get a few key “influencers” onboard with your plans.
- Sell people on the benefits to them – You would never make a presentation telling people how much more work a new idea is going to be for them: instead, start with the benefits. This is particularly persuasive when the benefits directly relate to them, and from there, you can widen the discussion to the benefits to the organization. Determine their magic “button” – how can you present your idea to different audiences?
- Begin each regular staff meeting with a recap of the key points from the previous meeting – At the end of the meeting, do an “around the table” summary of its key points. Ask “What are the take-aways?” When introducing changes, far too many people do not connect their meetings, almost as if they assume that everyone remembers and has bought into the concepts from the last meeting … rarely is this true.
- Your training should be clear and concise – When you are training people on new procedures, ensure clarity and allow the trainees to ask questions.
- Don’t have meetings that are too long – Thirty minutes is great, and sixty minutes should be the longest you go (based on anecdotal information). Watch how engaged your audience is. More short meetings, I believe, are better than long minutes crammed full of data. Remember to spend a few minutes to review the previous “take-aways” and then end the meeting with a short review of that meeting’s “takeaways”.
- Incremental change can be easier to implement than revolutionary change – Failing to take this concept into account will make your job much more difficult. You may believe that the sheer force of your personality will get people onside: in the long run, it will not. Instead, build confidence by implementing change using the “prototype” method. A prototype or test implementation could begin by training a key supportive person. Make sure to “red-team” the training beforehand to eliminate unforeseen issues. When the prototype is up and running, you will find that the more skeptical people will be easier to get “on board”.
- Have an agenda – When implementing change, rambling meetings will leave your associates without focus on what the purpose is and worse, you will frustrate and bore your people.
- Implement your changes in steps and ensure that “change” is being driven by “the team” and not just you – In the beginning, as people leave their comfort zones, they will need you or someone to lead. As things progress, however, change should become part of the “new normal”, allowing you to move forward to the next stage.
- Monitor and encourage each step of the change process – Encourage your associates to assist with this. Using “early adopters” on your team to help the more apprehensive associates only builds the momentum of change.
SO WHAT? In that meeting so many years ago, the lesson was to do more than just present ideas. If you want to make a difference, as an owner or leader, you must prepare and implement an entire process.