Summertime brings the seasonal “swim between the flags” warnings to beach goers. Swimmers often get into difficulty by venturing into an unseen rip, or assuming that their capabilities are more than adequate for the conditions. It is remarkably similar in the business world.
How often we hear about a new project / IT system / strategy / etc. being launched with great enthusiasm, only for it to run into major difficulties later. Harvard Business School reports that 70% of projects fail to achieve their full objectives. The really interesting point is the lack of any improvement in this statistic over many years. Although the world is changing faster and faster, clearly our ability to cope with it is only advancing at the same rate.
On the beach, the lifesavers evaluate the prevailing conditions and beach population capabilities before placing the flags. They then continuously monitor and actively manage. Does your business do this as part of it’s transformation, or does it adopt a “sink or swim” approach?
If you want to take steps towards improving the success of your project then check out our Transformation Success self-improvement Worksheet. This free and confidential worksheet is designed to enhance your success through your own power of self-discovery, in only 20 minutes.
Other relevant Mensard resources
Smart Business Transformation (Free audio podcast) also available on Apple iTunes and Android Stitcher.
Right is Wrong: 8 essential steps to avoid the pitfalls that smart people make when transforming their organisation (Free book).