We talk a lot about people, processes and systems. After all, it’s at the heart of what we do. However, we think one of the three is much more important than the other two. That is people.
Without your team’s buy-in, any business transformation project will likely hit roadblocks, which none of us want. But there is so much more to it than this. In this blog, we’re going to look at how we ensure that your team and ours work seamlessly to give you the best outcomes.
Why your people are key
Your staff, team or whatever you prefer to call them within your business, are the most important part of how things work and, therefore, ultimately drive the success or failure of your business.
You all know that you can achieve great things if you get the right mix. Sometimes, what you thought may not be even possible for your business. How often has one of your team pulled out all the stops to meet a deadline, for example? That is where every business, no matter what their industry, would like to be. A team that pulls in the same direction and delivers beyond expectations!
But conversely, you also know that if you have people who are not buying into what you are trying to achieve, then that project or business can often have issues.
Some of the biggest issues when it comes to business transformation projects are that these are often initiated and supported by the board and senior management teams. However, we often find there may be very little in the way of communication with the rest of the business, at all different levels and locations. This can lead to issues with trusting the process is going to work out well.
Of course, change is something that not everyone is comfortable with. This is why if you search the web for change management, you will find plenty of articles explaining the key components of change management. If you look at these more deeply, they all talk about communication and building a strong team or coalition to help facilitate that change.
Our top tip is to engage and speak with your team, ideally at the very start of the project. Let them discuss their hopes and, indeed, fears in a way that is safe for them. In doing this, you’re showing that you’re considerate of their wants and needs, but it also helps to build a more positive and strong company culture – which is key! It is important also to remember that different team members will have different preferences for communication. Some are happy with a newsletter, others with an all-hands meeting, but many may seek out one to one, face to face conversations.
Our People
When it comes to using external people to help your organisation facilitate change, they need to be the right sort of people. But what does that mean? Ideally, you’d want a mix of people who have different skills that can offer a full 360-degree approach to any project.
We’re lucky, as that is just what we have!
Many of our team are very experienced when it comes to working in businesses. Some of our consultants have run their own businesses, whilst others have worked across several functions in a variety of roles. All of them can appreciate potential fears around change because they’ve often been there too!
Because of this unique position, we are ideally placed to understand the dynamics of your business, from top to bottom. All of this helps when you’re looking at how best to instigate change.
One thing that has changed in the last couple of years is that consultancies have seen that they can deliver a lot of their services remotely, even from more distant geographies. Whilst we are happy with that, we are also very much of the mindset that it’s important to get to see you in your space, seeing exactly how you work and build trust between us. With that in mind, we always try to visit our client sites as much as possible throughout all phases of our projects.
We all know how working from home can affect people in that it’s harder to maintain the relationships we have with our co-workers. We feel that it’s the same with consulting. It’s always so much more productive when you’re on-site. We also find that we often spot things when walking the floor, so to speak, which would never usually come up on a Teams call!
Why Gradient is different
A big part of working with a team of consultants like ours is trust. Trust is essential when working with you, as we may be taking a deep dive into your business and uncovering things that may be difficult for you to hear.
So, how do we cultivate trust with our clients?
For us, a lot of the time, it’s about reading the room. We would never want to march into any initial client meeting and start selling. But that also extends to when we’re engaged with you. A big part of what we do and do well is being able to gauge how people feel.
In addition to this, what we do is not one size fits all! Far from it. Everything we do is about tailoring the experience to fit your business and how you work. We’re constantly seeking feedback from the clients we work with, and it shows us what we may need to tweak and improve. But often, it shows that we’re very much on the right path when it comes to helping you negotiate change.
So, if you feel like you need to review your business systems or you’re looking for a new one, then why not get in touch to see how we can work together?