It’s funny how the end of a busy week causes us to pause and reflect on exactly what we’ve accomplished. Your calendar, like mine, is most likely filled with meetings, product review sessions and updates on the financial status of your company.
In all these meetings, though, I find an increasing need for the voice of reason — the need for someone to clarify points or summarize ideas so that all may be assured that, as it’s often phrased, “Everyone is on the same page.” Traditionally, this role has rested with the meeting leader or the most senior individual according to the organizational chart of your growing startup.
If you’re the CEO, that person would be you.
And, as CEO, when you undertake the “same page” summary, a nuance in your effort to achieve clarity comes down to what I call myth-busting. These myths can begin as rumors, and left unchecked, turn into false beliefs about why something is being changed or a decision has been made.
If that myth didn’t start because of a rumor, it’s certainly an assumption that employees have made. Such assumptions are rampant in every organization. While not explicitly stated, these assumptions prompt team members to carry on with a reasonable explanation for the current state of affairs.
Myth 1: Systems
“We’re changing our systems because . . . “
Some companies move faster than others at changing or improving their systems. Employees have become accustomed to navigating their way through the day, starting with such business software as productivity apps (email, calendar, docs and spreadsheets), customer-relationship management apps and the usual financial or accounting systems.
Introducing an entirely new system that replaces the old, therefore, is a daunting task, regardless of the size of your organization. From planning to implementation, and then training and adoption of the new system, someone will always exclaim, “Why are we doing this anyway?!”
The myth-busting approach. In dealing with the need to bust myths, I defer to Bill Hybels, leader of Willow Creek, who in a speech to the Global Leadership Summit, touched on his often-referenced definition of leadership. It’s about moving people from “here” (a comfortable, but flawed place) to “there” (an unknown but better place).
When changing systems, you must clearly communicate what is wrong with the current software package, Hybels said. Perhaps the product has reached the end of its development and is no longer being supported by the company. Or, there may be two versions, and you need to upgrade in order to unlock some key functionality that will improve productivity. Whatever the reason, you must be clear in explaining why the status quo is no longer acceptable.
Only then can you introduce the new system with any hope of achieving 100 percent adoption.
Myth 2: Process
If you’ve invested in cloud-based, secure and scalable systems, it’s unlikely that you’ll be migrating to a new platform entirely. Rather, you may find the…