We all need an A team.
Let’s agree on one thing; the world continues to change every day, for our customers and us. We cannot delight our customers today doing the things we used to do before. We need to change what we do and how we do it.
So follow me on this example.
Our organisation was set up to do the things we did the way we did it (and probably still do). Our team supported us brilliantly to do so. We carefully selected, developed and managed this great group of individuals and created a culture that helped growth and productivity. We knew what to do and had focus.
When the last crisis hit, we managed to adjust a few things, so the operation was optimal. You could say everybody was a bit stretched, but we all need to take one for the team sometimes, don’t we? And it is fair to say we always got the team trained up on skills that were so critical for their tasks. Sterling job.
What does this have to do with our ability to be relevant to customers in this rapidly changing, digital world?
In this example, it would be important for our management to recognise the impact of the change in our reality. The idea of just focussing on executing the way we always do does not cut it anymore. Not on its own.
Our company is going to need an A team to help us deliver on their customer’s expectations, and this team will have to use different knowledge and play a different game.
When facing a team and organisational transformation, our fictitious company may experience three types of anxiety we often see:
1. Management may have some doubts about the team’s readiness. What brought us here may not bring us there. Doubts and lack of confidence lead to additional controls affecting productivity and engagement.
2. Employees could feel ill-prepared to work differently and try to hang on to what they know, using their current workload as a reason to resist change initiatives, even if this damages their value and employability in the long term.
3. Management may find hard to let go of some aspects of the structure, culture and leadership style they are proud of, even if those aspects are now hindering the ability to react to customers’ needs. Think of KPIs, layers of control, or rigid processes.
The good news for professionals is there’s never been a more exciting opportunity to refresh your career and knowledge, and the answer is not necessarily jumping boats. You can be part of the A team that moves the company forward.
For management, moving fast and using this new knowledge effectively is going to require empowering employees and adapting the structure. Experience shows this can be done while maintaining your core strengths. It is an excellent opportunity to anchor your values and show a great message to partners and customers.
Let’s discuss how Stay Relevant helps organisations AND professionals to be relevant.
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