Skip to main content

Apprehensive adopter



As folks assembled in the meeting room you could feel the uneasiness in the air.  The invitation read "manage customers digitally" with the body of the message including words like "revolutionary and efficient".  Although the ground was flat, I was looking for something to trip on, help me fall suddenly and smack my head against the floor, anything to get out of this meeting.  You could see the attendees all preparing to take their stance, some were curious and sincerely interested in change, a handful had no real feelings either way, and of course my fellow naysayers.  If we added enough resistance to this movement it would fade away like so many others before I thought.  Our naysayer silently continues to vent; "the fact of the matter, at least from my perspective, is that I have been successful for years why should I change.  If my Big Chief tablet and a number two pencil has worked, let's not upset the apple cart".  However, my funk was broken when I heard the first words from the speaker’s mouth "I am not here to teach you what or how, instead let's focus on why".  These three simple letters threw a curve ball, disrupting my normal aloof responses and attitude.

The speaker continues; "for most it is as simple as helping an individual find the quickest path to their "aha" moment, once discovered all of the resistance will melt away.  Modern software development practices and toolsets have made the user experiences and user interfaces extremely intuitive.  Instead the struggle for most is determining the best way to blend the proposed, and often digital process, into their own successful habits". 

This speaker might be making sense, could it be that I may have to retire my naysayer persona?  Since my boss will be in the training and Frank, my competition for the next promotion, I will be a bit guarded with my questions.  How does that saying go…?  be quiet and let people think you are an idiot, open your mouth and prove it.  Who makes up these damn sayings anyhow?

The trick is, as our speaker continues, is to allow your mind to open itself to hearing, without bias what the solution provides.  Individually begin to connect your thoughts with the routines suggested to gain alignment.  Each of you have a journey ahead of you and the steepest climb is getting yourself to the "aha" moment.  For now, you will probably have to permit yourselves to press the "I believe" button.  This blind confidence will serve as your fuel to get you over the aha-hump.  So, during this session ask questions which get you closer to your personal process alignment.  Don't worry about asking questions regarding how the tool functions, that will come after you wrap your head around why this tool is important to you and you alone. 

Natalie, our Naysayer, drifted off in thought, no longer concerned about how others would perceive the speed in which I was going to "get it", instead questions flowed from my head to the notebook in front of me.  These questions, while they may relate to others in the room, were all about me, I could ask them without fear of any comprise to my station within the organization.  What a relief, all I need to focus on now is an open mind….

-----
Next post:  from the field to the office
Thoughts?  feel free to leave replies or direct message
See all of the "last mile worker" posts here:  http://lastmileworkersolutions.com
-----

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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

expert at everything...not a problem

Well... I would say sometimes there certainly is a perceived notion that one person is an expert at everything. For the worker "everything" may be defined as the specific area in which you were hired or are constantly scheduled. Our opinions are frequently influenced off of past experience, or information we've received from their coworkers. Unfortunately this only gives us partial insight to that workers expertise and often is limited to their most recent history. Narrowly focused accounting is made of the skills that this individual possess. Come on, can't we figure out a way to leverage all of the skills of a particular worker? One of the challenges has always been that relationship between the activities which need to be accomplished and the myriad skills of individuals within your workforce. In addition, even if you could inventory and get a pretty good handle on the skill sets, they are constantly changing (with any luck) and thus the ineffective process of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Who owns the data?

Finally the capital budget allows you to replace some very old equipment.    You can't open a trade magazine without seeing the latest news regarding the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).   Lucky for you the equipment manufacturers are offering an IIoT ready solution packaged with your equipment.   Suddenly your enthusiasm turns to confusion as you review the details of the quote.   What the hell is that subscription fee?   Isn't this equipment mine; lock, stock and barrel?   You mean to tell me that I need to pay the manufacturer, every month,   to give me the luxury of accessing data produced by the equipment I just purchased?   The only explanation has to be new math, at least as a child this is what my parents told me when I asked hard to answer questions. It's amazing how history repeats itself, we are starting to see manufacturer specific data languages appearing in their "smart" equipment.   Didn't we learn our lesson ...
Post a Comment
Read more