The fix map

The window for change is finite and without the combination of ‘speed’ and ’trust with stakeholders’ change becomes challenging. In this context, I like the new book of Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei & Anne Morriss : ‘Moving Fast & Fixing Things’. It provides insights and reminders such as:

• Make a ‘good enough plan’ to solve the key trust issues of stakeholders: empathy (do I feel that the organisation cares?), logic (are they able to deliver what I need?) and authenticity (do they do as they say?). Reimagine your business model, and dare to experiment to find new ways.
• Unleash the full potential of all employees (important stakeholders) in the organisation. Diversity brings unique valuable perspectives, experiences and strengths to the table. However, only when people genuinely feel included this power is unlocked.
• Storytelling is your most powerful tool. Understand deeply to convey simply. A compelling story embraces the past (the good, the bad and the ugly), lays out the case for change, and charts a rigorous and optimistic path forward. The story is repeated over and over again and helps people get aboard on your message.
• Go as fast as you can as the window of opportunity is finite. Simplify processes, make tradeoffs, empower decision makers, cut through slow-moving hierarchies, reduce and optimize meetings, consider ‘ambulance’ fast lanes for key initiatives, embrace fast and effective conflict resolutions, etc. To ‘go fast’, as Frei & Morris also lay out, some limiting beliefs have to change. The most effective beliefs I have seen change in organisations are:
• From “change happens slowly”, to “change can happen now”
• From“big problems need big solutions”, to “big problems can be solved by simple solutions”
• From“we need more complete information” to “we need sufficient information”
• From“let’s not decide now” to “not deciding now is also deciding and has consequences”
• From “change has to be chaotic” to “effective process makes for effective progress’
• From “every decision is important and has to be scrutinized”, to “many decisions can be reversed, so make the decision and learn”
• From ”fear of failure” to ‘fear of not progressing”
• From ”being uncomfortable outside the comfort zone, to “being uncomfortable inside the comfort zone”