2016: The Tracks of Change were Constant and I was Jacked Up for it!

As I wrote previously, (31Jan2017 GOWIN post), 2016 was a year of significant transition for me professionally. I took on a new mission. I was going to do things that that I would really enjoy (at least that’s what I told myself). Seriously though, I took on a role that revolved around four main areas that I was inspired by: innovation, communications, knowledge sharing, and organizational culture change. It was a cool gig and I was fired up to grab onto it.

The job was going to take me out of my comfort zone but I was ready for the challenge. For reference, my comfort zone was sales / business development and business operations (i.e. performance management, operational excellence and strategy execution). For the most part I was driven by a left-brained approach to my activities.  The new areas would be challenging my right brain or the creative side of my persona. It was a challenge and at the same time it made for some anxious excitement for me. Was I experienced with them? Um, well, uh, really how much experience is needed? Heck I’m 55, that fact in itself reeks of numerous rodeos and trips around the block in a turnip truck, right? Plus, a bunch of folks who knew me convinced me that I’d be successful at the role, including my mentors and a life coach.

All of that may not sound convincing, but the one ace in the hole I had was I had (and still do), a strong and undying passion that was driving me to move in this direction.

A bit more on the back story which will help you understand the tumultuous environment in the company I was working at and the need for communications, knowledge sharing, and shaping the organizational culture. The larger, “parent organization” itself was undergoing a new business model structure. This new model required the establishing and implementing a completely new organization, processes and procedures, and an evolved way of engaging with customers. At the midpoint of the year, senior management decided another course correction was needed and a (global) company-wide change to the company’s structure was announced. This included a change out at the global CEO spot and a new North American leader was put in place as well. Oh, not to mention, my boss, the one who brought me in and sponsored me to take on this new cool gig? Well he got moved to a new role out in Silicon Valley and left me flapping in the breeze wondering if his replacement would continue to allow me to take the flag forward as planned.

I Count the Year as a Success

Yeah, 2016 was quite the year. I’ve reflected back and honestly have a satisfied feeling of accomplishment, especially in the challenged environment we operated in. We established a very solid innovation program that had a foundation to mimic some of the truly innovative companies in existence (Google, Facebook, Atlassian, etc.). We pulled an organization that was mired with uncertainty and fear together to a rag-tag family seemingly willing to synergize and execute whatever was needed to accomplish objectives resulting in overall success aligned with bigger picture strategy.

How we did it is worth reviewing and for me is worth noting as one of the major achievements of my professional career. Not to hang something on the wall, but to remember and when necessary or the opportunity avails, to replicate with adjustments. We gave specific attention to evolving not just the organization from an operational perspective, but to the culture and behavior of the teams and sub-teams. I wanted to focus on the people and ensuring everyone had a clear understanding why we were doing what we were doing.

Do it Again? Sure – As Long as People Come First

I feel that in any organization’s infancy or evolution to its next phase of its lifecycle, the culture and the behavior of the organization play key roles influencing the level of success achieved and how quickly the transformation takes hold. I look at an organization as the train and the culture as the tracks it runs on. The culture tracks have simple characteristics really (in my opinion); if you buy in or believe the why associated with what needs to be done, then commit accordingly, success is eminent. Once the organization begins rolling on the (new) tracks of its evolved culture, the movement from infancy and into the next phase has begun. Whilst all along the journey, having a specific focus and belief in the following three items is critical to enable the team to move forward on the tracks of success:

1.   Trust and Forgiveness. We’ll all make mistakes. Understanding that the team wants to win and no one tries to error is important.
2.   Honesty.  Straight answers to questions between teammates allow everyone to keep track of what’s what and combat the tendency of anxiety to arise.
3.   Giving and Receiving Feedback. As stated above, all teams want to win. All players on a team need coaching. As I’ve read somewhere, “feedback is the food of progress, and while it doesn’t always taste great, it can be very good for you”.

I’m confident that there will always be efforts to define the need to work differently than before. Focusing on the people affected, the innovation and efficiency they contribute will bring greater success and feelings of fulfillment to all engaged. Ensuring mutually beneficial priorities for your team and for the individual players on the team is critical. Some may feel anxiety with a chaotic situation accompanying the evolution. New leadership may bring about fear and concerns that will affect morale. I feel strongly about rallying behind the concept that chaos brings opportunity. Grasp onto opportunities and lead, support, and collaborate to get the train up to full speed for success.

If you keep trust and forgiveness, honesty, giving and receiving feedback in mind, I truly believe you’ll be laying down the track in the right direction.

Get on board – We’ve embarked on the 2017 journey.

Note: Ok, I’m done with what was what and you can trust it’s out of my system (almost) and going forward it’ll be all about going forward. I promise.

carynoel1@gmail.com

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