“If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old”
― Peter F. Drucker
“New” is hard! Think about the first time you wear a new suit. There’s a sense of pride and self-confidence, the desire for others to notice. But most of the time, the new suit is also scratchy, a bit stiff in places, and not very comfortable. Wear it 4 or 5 times and the compliments increase because the suit relaxes and fits you better. Wear it 8 or 10 times and it becomes a favorite. Now it’s comfortable, a favorite pick on challenging days, and it flows with you. Over time, it may become one of those that you have trouble parting with, especially when you consider the cost of new suits, time to shop and accessorize all over again! If you can’t relate to a new suit, how about new shoes?
The same “new is hard” can be said for many areas of our lives. A new house, a new car, a new phone! There is an adjustment period, often difficult, sometimes fun, and, if managed well, there should be a sense of excitement and real accomplishment too.
I recently asked several leaders who purchased first day iPhone 6’s about their motive in being a first mover to new technology. The reasons ranged from practical, my old contract and phone needed updating, to image, great looking phone, I couldn’t wait to have one, to strategic advantage, I’m staying up with, or ahead, of the technology curve. Some of those early adopters have adjusted in a few days, others a few months, but they all agree that they made a smart change.
When it comes to “new” in any area of your business, expect challenges. You can expect people to hold on to familiar, manageable processes that are comfortable. They equate mastery of those processes with job security. They also resist “new” because of a variety of fears . . . not measuring up to new requirements, the burden of delivery without adequate training and preparation time, and extended hours required as they juggle their current responsibilities with new learning and management expectations. These are all rational fears. These are all fears that may be holding your company back in the marketplace.
But “new” is mandated. Oh you can keep wearing the old suits and soon you have an outdated wardrobe and the cost to update it is significant. The same is true in business. When the familiar strategies, business models, and technologies suddenly aren’t competitive, the cost to update all can be significant. Couple that with top talent that is going out the door for new market entrants, retirement, or training to achieve a higher salary, and the costs continue to rise.
How can you strategically embrace change in your business and create a foundation to confidently manage “new” that occurs daily, monthly and into the future?
NEUVONOW is a company designed to help you embrace all things new including the purchase of a new company, the re-invention of your technology department, hiring top talent and the new imperative to become a digital enterprise. We work with you to:
Develop new business and product models through current state/future state strategies
Create digital transformation solutions throughout the organization
Rescue at-risk projects
Embrace social, mobile, analytics and cloud
Enhance team building, identify talent gaps and hire and retain top talent
The holistic, strategic solutions from NEUVONOW empower your workplace to create a new culture of innovation, change and sustainable growth.