Software Implementation and Digital Transformation should be as humane an experience as we can make it. The people receiving the change should understand why the change is happening, they need to understand what it means for them, and, whenever possible, they need to have a say in the Change and its timing. But oftentimes,…
It’s incredibly easy to have an idea. Thoughts are free. The delivery of an idea has a cost. The cost is often not just financial. The real cost, often, is very personal. It comes when you face an obstacle. The obstacle can be anything, but its root is usually the same: Fear. Fear of…
My very first job ended in complete disaster for me. But it also taught me two of the most important lessons I carry with me to this day. Lesson #1: A business is a business – it doesn’t care about the individual. Note: This may seem harsh, but so many people carry an allure…
It’s all over the news and LinkedIn and other outlets – we are in a period of significant change and uncertainty in the tech job market in a number of sectors. Whether you are in software, engineering, AdTech/MarTech or any other related industry, you have seen what’s going on and chances are (if you…
The other day my team asked me to detail our new purpose. I felt the conversation was constructive, but upon reflection, it ended with insufficient information for my team. The conversation was reminiscent of an old parable about a fisherman and a businessman. A fisherman once fished off the pier and caught a few big…
You get assigned an implementation. It’s terrifying – people are going to hate it. So, you pick a team. And now you and your team are shaking in fear. “Why me?” you ask yourself. “Why me?” asks everyone on the team. Here’s what you do. Panic. No, I’m kidding. First, lean into the fear….
Leading Change, a book by Dr. John Kotter, remains a must-have for Change Leaders. His book outlines 8 Steps to effectively lead, implement, and sustain a successful change project. Here are the 8 Steps: In his steps, he’s proposing a solid strategy that addresses an organization’s culture first. For example, the first three steps are…
My first large-scale change initiative involved moving Charles Schwab’s Creative Services department from a paper-based workflow to a completely online workflow while also integrating multiple Creative groups (added through acquisition) into a standard process. It was a 2-year project that was chock-full of learnings. One of the most dramatic learnings was that of the…
In the book The Rise of the Creative Class, Author Richard Florida postulates that motivation for Creatives is more intrinsic than extrinsic. Extrinsic Motivation uses rewards or punishment to motivate the correct behavior. While Intrinsic Motivation involves using a personally rewarding factor to achieve a goal. In his research, Richard Florida found that 9 of…
Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution. – Albert Einstein That is excellent advice, but when you are a software implementer, sometimes you don’t have a choice in who you work with – so you have to plot a new course that works within these constraints. A few years…