ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL. LESS TALK, MORE WALK

I have been favored enough to have had the opportunity to work across multiple disciplines and with many teams over the years. I have done it all, from filing clerk to managing a technology/consulting firm. My experiences have led to a fascination with the complexity of how companies and people function.

For the most part we all love buzzwords (I’m guilty as charged), “Centre of excellence, swim lane, synergy, big data, cloud, operational excellence, best in class, best practice, industry standard, paradigm shift, core competency, value add and the list goes on and on. What is wrong with wanting to ride the “cool business lingo” bandwagon? At a minimum, it makes us feel “knowledgeable and smart”.

Just try discussing the following during your next meeting:

“A paradigm shift is needed if the company is to positively move the needle and gain competitive advantage while doing more with less. We should focus on the low hanging fruit by combining best of breed processes and cutting edge technologies which will allow us to leverage critical to the business resources and to strategically focus on value add and core competency related activities” Once you are done, ask if anyone has any questions? Hopefully everyone is too confused (blank stare) to think of anything to say, or to dare ask you to elaborate. I’m yet to see the first person that simply says, “Can you speak English please?” I don’t speak jargon.

At the end, it is very simple. Technology is evolving, processes are evolving, and inevitable people are forced to evolve as well. Keeping up with the fast moving landscape is not optional but a necessity unless we manage to live under a rock. Leaders must be practical and display common sense. One size does not fit all.

Be smart and take what you need from every best of breed process, industry best practice recommendation, technology etc., to drive a successful outcome for your organization. Think of your company as a living being with a UNIQUE DNA. To date I have not encountered two identical organizations. Most importantly lets focus on less talk and more walk. It is not about what we say but what we do that matters.