Skip to main content

Meaningful change


Many things changed when I moved from the field into the office.  The most significant from my perspective has to be my role as a "change agent".  Hey, chalk it up to me being a slow learner, it seems I still struggle to find the perfect set of conditions which make change enjoyable for myself and others, as opposed to just bearable.  I was inspired to create this post after a recent conversation with longtime friend Brian Pavloff. After our discussion I sent Brian the following luscious quote: "meaningful change is possible when you master the balanced delivery of relevance, passion and empathy". 



Wait a minute you said nothing about meaningful change! Certainly you have had an idea, correction a great idea, discussed it with a few folks and begin down the path of implementing. Ideas, without a strong connection to your business objectives or strategic plans, are just something you happen to think about when you are taking a shower.  Too many of this type of ideas unfortunately will drive your already apprehensive community even further into the depths of resistance. In my experience the key is really making sure that your idea is extremely relevant to the business and the current conditions impacting your organization.



I suppose another way to look at change would be to classify it between short and long-term impact.  Those of you who have a more dictatorial management style will absolutely achieve short-term results; however, I have found this approach as not sustainable. Instead a combination of passion surrounding the topic and empathy for those whose lives which will be impacted is really an exercise in emotional intelligence (EQ).  Leaders possessing skills in the areas of self-awareness; self-management; social awareness; relationship management are the ones which always achieve long-term success.  For me a combination of both has proven to be the most effective with one significant alteration, replace dictatorial with dependency on how your meaningful change will be woven immediately into the workers habit stream. 



The velocity at which our competition, markets, workers are dictating change should be motivation for each of you to reassess your approach and sincerely begin to embrace change. If you don't, I guarantee your competition will.





-----

Next post:  in the "people" business can you really measure performance?

See all of the "last mile worker" posts here:  http://lastmileworker.com

-----
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

suggesting is NOT selling

People and companies want to buy from people that they trust.   The individual which possesses the broadest set of knowledge will gain the most credibility and as a result yield high levels of trust.   When I was in the field I definitely had the ear of the customer and for the most part discussed areas that needed improvement or replacement. At no moment was I ever, at least in my mind, selling. Instead, as I think back on those days, I believe I was simply "suggesting". Take an immediate need, add in a trusted advisor and a credible suggestion, you will most likely get a sale. However, this is not selling. From my non-salesman perspective I would sum up the following related to the sales process; sales is not a single event but instead a sequence of connection points which create a positive experience that leads to a purchase . Over the years I've been fortunate to have known many different types of salespeople in different industries and I believe that they a...
Post a Comment
Read more

In$pired

As the steam from Avid Andy's coffee fogged his glasses on this crisp January morning, he reflected on last year and thought enthusiastically about the year ahead.   Sometimes the noise of business is deafening, we rarely take the time to contemplate our moves, instead are often thrown one direction or another.   Hey, face it, if you are reading posts to gain perspective you fall in the group of folks who pride themselves as obsequious hoop-jumpers.   We live to help others and expect that all of those around us feel the same way.   I just love Influential Irene.   Okay, it is out in the open, she is an inspiration for me and so many others.   Irene reminds folks every year, without fail, these three statements which she fondly refers to as "the punchline" (although this is no joke).   Businesses, of any size, will be successful if they remember that it is people that make a company.   Put this advice into practice, today: Sincerity |...
Post a Comment
Read more

focus on your annuity base, come on man..

Stick with what you know and repeat often. When I think about maintenance, regardless of type of contract, I think about consistency, consistency, consistency. The motivation behind writing this post is to encourage you to either build or bolster your existing maintenance base, here are some things to consider: most maintenance contracts should yield between 5% and 7% additional revenue above and beyond the contract value.   Building trust between you and your clients organization will result in additional service activity. Full risk contracts, or those where you were charging one flat amount and taking all of the financial risk, can be profitable.   Watch out for the age of the equipment, service call track record, and customer disposition pull-through opportunities can be constrained with full risk contracts unless the scope of work is very specific. This can be a bit of a slippery slope. The perception of a...
Post a Comment
Read more