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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….

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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
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