It's just getting started, isn't it?

09/11/2020

A large part of my focus right now is on getting started and implementing Rolf with our customers to help them be successful. But how do you succeed with an implementation?

I share an example of a successful implementation with one of our international customers that I visited this summer. Hopefully it's something one of you can take advantage of too!

This customer started their journey with Rolf on a small scale through a mentoring program. They are now taking the next step and scaling up by allowing the entire management team, including all country managers, to use Rolf for goal follow-up and later reflection on their work to achieve these very goals.

This project is of course super exciting for us! The goal of this part of the implementation is for it to spread further in the organization that rings on the water but then it is necessary that we really give everything at this early stage to give the customer the conditions to succeed. From the start, this is an organization that I think has the right approach when it comes to making a change and implementing something new. They start from the top and let the change run downhill and perhaps the biggest key to success is that they get involved and take it seriously. It now has a new way of working/system that will eventually permeate both management and the organization as a whole.

On the last occasion, we trained those who actually decided to buy in and use Rolf. Why do we want to start there? Because we want them to be clear about why they're doing this. They had to explain their wishes, expectations and, not least, the practicality of how the organization should be built up in Rolf to reflect reality. We then went through the different steps regarding the purely administrative so that they have a check before the start-up. It is a way of ensuring that senior management is on board and that they also know how everything works in practical terms to avoid misunderstandings.

The next step is for the above-mentioned people to inform their management team in good time and with clarity this new way of working before leaving it to us to train each one in the system (max 30 min individual telephone meetings). In the near future, the management then takes back the baton and follows up with our support behind.

When they are up and running and have been running for four months, we look at the next step. As we enter 2021, management has thus tested the system and if they choose to move forward, they have a check, feel safe in their use and have an excellent tool to make the best use of digitalisation. They will gain time and create the conditions for the development of both individual and organization and we will then have carried out a successful implementation.

I would like to stress once again the importance of management making a decision to implement something new in an organization seriously. If I now choose to spend time, energy and resources doing this, I as a leader must show determination and perseverance.

It doesn't have to mean it takes an infinite amount of time and energy but it means I have to make up my mind and have the courage to stand by my decision. That I show my organization that this is something we should prioritize and be clear in why I think it is important and the right way forward. There will always be early adopters who get on board immediately, but the challenge is to get those who usually choose to remain on the platform.

"Peu en peu"

Yes, if you have a long-term plan, you can afford to take it step by step. This insight has gradually sunk in with me because at the start I wanted to start 100% of the system on the entire company immediately after signing the agreement. In order to succeed with an implementation, it is important to work with the appetite and not eat the whole cake at the same time.

Suppose, as is often the case, there has been a total lack of structure in its employee development at the company. Is it reasonable, then, to be the best in the class overnight? It is not reasonable, but these expectations on the part of management risk stressing a process of change that will have to take some time. Without patience, you run the risk that the experience will turn negative already around the start-up and no one benefits! New ways take time to implement, that's just the way it is. Take it one step at a time, do it right and do well. Draw up a clear plan and follow it. Also ensure that the managers in the company are constantly step by step in the process.

To live as one teaches, I believe, is fundamental in any change. We often talk about the difference between being a manager and a leader and that as a leader you take the lead and lead the way, but that as a manager you often point and think that the change does not apply to you. For this reason, we clearly see the connection between the leaders who themselves use the reflection log to reflect and that their employees do the same. Logical!

There are studies that say that 7-9 out of 10 strategy decisions made in a management team are not implemented throughout the organization. Many times this is because employees do not believe or, above all, see that management themselves are undergoing the change over time. The feeling is that it is "something new but that it will soon go back to how we have always done things"

"something new but that it will soon go back to how we have always done things"

I've done the parable before, but it's the same as telling your child to only eat candy on Saturdays, but then running to the store and buying candy on Monday. Then how are you perceived? Don't the rules apply to everyone?

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