People

Technology. Products. Processes. Budgets. P&L. AI… People, what about the people? The team members doing the work are people, real human beings, so are the ones on the client side, so are the ones building and selling and so are management and stakeholders and vendors and partners.
The root cause of most implementation challenges, and the solution to many of them, are the people.

We often get caught up in the discussions about solving the tech or product challenges, about changing processes and changing again, we talk about the car but not about the engine, and we need to remind ourselves of the person that still needs to implement the solution. This person that needs coaching, that needs support when facing a difficult client, that needs training to be able to accomplish what we expect, that needs the time for that (not the time that was procedurally allocated, each of us is different). This person that has a baby that cries at night or a sick family member or a neurodiversity that loads another heap of challenges. This person that needs a (virtual) hug, and the one that needs a recognition.

Here’s what I have learnt – We need to learn to listen better, and to observe more carefully, not everything is printed in Times New Roman in an email. We need to coach and guide, and of course – to train, not only manage and direct. And we need to bring the people on the journey with us, and get their inputs and ideas from day one, so they can be and feel a true part of it.

It’s early morning here in the UK, enough time to squeeze in a coffee together with one of these people, or a beer later. In my experience the value of this far exceeds yet another meeting or email exchange.