It was after we’d been speaking at a North American client’s office about the need to keep innovating and looking for a new edge that I found myself chatting to a member of their senior management team. A truly delightful gentleman, that rare combination of interesting and interested, by his questions he’d obviously been listening to us, and wanted to share his take on the topic. You see he didn’t agree. He was of the opinion that if everything was going well, why would you want to do anything differently? The old, ‘If it ain’t broke’ thing. And as I noticed that the late afternoon sun pouring through the window was glinting off the diamonds encircling the bezel of his watch, I remember thinking, ‘No. I bet you think things are just fine as they are.’
Now don’t get me wrong, I love it when people do well. LOVE IT. Our reason for being in business is to help people do exactly that. But sometimes doing well is what stops you from doing better. Because when things are going well for you, why would you want to risk changing that? You’ve been making good money for a while now, and as a senior partner your comp package is tied to the firm’s success. So why change anything? Whatever the organisation is doing seems to be working, at least for you. Why not let things carry on as they are? Because my friends, the one thing you can put your money on, is that things are not going to carry on as they are.
In any service sector, things are getting crowded. New firms are opening up very five minutes and shops that five minutes ago didn’t do what you do, now do what you do. New, sexy tech offerings are enticing your clients away with new, sexy ways to solve their problems. The pace of change seems relentless and that isn't going to change, in fact all the signs are that things are accelerating. In the face of all this change, despite any previous successes, as a leadership team it is your duty to be leading the drive to change. And change can be amazing. it can lead to new products and services. Growing existing client business and attracting new ones. Change delivers new revenue streams. Change can be good for everyone.
So do your homework. Do some research into your customers, your competition. Look at emerging technologies, seek out external partnerships. Find out what as yet unmet need you can fulfil and how. Have some new ideas. Innovate. Make it your new thing. But here’s the other thing. The leadership won’t be the only ones who find the idea of change uncomfortable. When your employees hear that change is happening, they won’t be listening to what it means for the organisation. Everyone just wants to know what it means for them.
A psychologist once told me that fear of change is an old fear, a childhood fear, a fear of the dark. It’s a fear of the unknown. Everyone prefers sticking to what they know. Because it feels safe. Comfortable. So make your people comfortable with the changes. Better still take the fear that they will be feeling and turn it into excitement. Hope. Talk to them as people not employees. Talk to them about new opportunities for them to develop. This is about gaining broader skillsets, wider experience, future proofing their careers in the ever changing world. Make it a good thing.
Work with HR, conduct audits of existing proficiencies against whatever you’ll need to deliver the new thing, whatever that is. Carefully plan training for your employees. Useful, relevant, inspiring. You’d be surprised at how often it’s dull, pointless and irrelevant. Let them know that their feedback is valued and listened to. And then listen to it and value it. You’re all in new territory now, you might just learn from their experiences yourself. Be transparent. Give regular honest updates of how things are progressing against the plan.