Transformation: a Buzzword or a Necessity?

The other night, we watched the documentary Side-by-Side, produced and narrated by Keanu Reeves, about the transformation of the movie industry from film to digital.  What fascinated me was that the key players in the industry are still debating the merits of the two technologies 45 years after digital video recording was invented at Bell Labs.

The obstacles to this strategic shift were not limited to the maturation of the technology itself. There is a rhythm to the process of making movies.  Film is expensive so the camera rarely runs for more than 13 minutes.  Those on the set – actors, directors, cinematographers and the support team – are geared toward being “on” when it’s rolling and relaxing a bit when it’s not.  Next morning, the first thing that happens is a review of the “rushes” (the film that was shot yesterday and developed overnight) by the entire crew.  An out-of-focus shot or bad lighting won’t be discovered until that morning review.

Digital solves those problems but creates a massive change to the workflow of making a film.  Forty-five years in, many of the participants still aren’t ready to make the shift.

In your business, a strategic shift may not be so dramatic but it may be critical to your success. Technology is the key driver of the need for transformation in many industries.  Getting information to the right people at the right time improves quality and service as well as cost.  Get caught resting on your laurels while your competition is investing in the future and you might see your business begin to evaporate.

So, what do you do if you’re at a point where you believe that the survival of your business depends upon making a transformational change?

Transformation is not just a new buzzword to replace the overused “change management”.  Transformation means that there is a fundamental change in your beliefs about how you achieve certain results.  It involves a massive investment of time and money; so, it’s critical that you get it right the first time.

So, before you go through the intellectual exercise of re-strategizing your business, you must go to the core of why it’s needed.  There may be several reasons; but you must ask yourself which is the most important.

For the movie industry, the quality of the visual experience overrode all other factors, including cost and speed of production.  It wasn’t until digital technology could produce a better visual experience that it was embraced by some of the key players in the industry. 

One of my clients is CEO of a regional bank.  He competes with the Too Big To Fail banks in our local market by focusing on the customer experience when they visit a branch.  Many customers place a higher value on that experience than on whether they have the best online banking website or the coolest iPhone app.

That one priority is an expression of his personal values and must be embedded in every process of the bank – from hiring and training to the data that appears on the computer screen on the branch manager’s desk.

In the movie industry, the visual experience is the highest priority.  For my client, the highest priority is a belief that customers deserved to be treated a certain way when they do business with the bank.

So, the question you must ask yourself is not what will make you faster, better or cheaper.  It’s what is the highest priority and how can we best deliver on its promise. 

WHO WILL LEAD?

Leadership and the Space Between the Notes

French composer Claude Debussy famously said that “music is the space between the notes”.  It’s the pause between musical phrases that causes a cessation of extraneous thought and fills us with anticipation for the next one.

What if we thought of our lives as musical compositions?  Would it be important to fill every moment with activity?  Or, should we focus on the space between the notes?

In our busy lives, we usually start our day diving into our email.  It’s tempting to spend a day hitting Reply to All.  It keeps us busy.  And, we’re supposed to be busy, aren’t we? 

Try this…

Shut down your email for a few hours.  Clear your desk of clutter.  Create some space between the notes. 

Think…..

Think of the last thing you did that you truly enjoyed.  Did you create a work of art?  Cook a fabulous meal?  Build something in your workshop?  Develop a clear and thoughtful business strategy?  Did you carve out some time for family and friends and create a new lasting memory?

Whatever it was, it was likely the result of a focused effort, devoid of the clutter that often rules our lives. 

Daniel Levitin, director of the Laboratory for Music, Cognition and Expertise at McGill University, tells us that “the processing capacity of the human mind is limited”.  Writing in the New York Times, he describes the triumph of the human brain as resulting from a two-part attentional system that seesaws back and forth to develop and execute ideas.  The task-positive network comes to life when you are focused on getting something done.  Its counter, the task-negative network, daydreams.  In your absent-mindedness, your daydreams figure out how to solve problems while you’re doing something else – making a sandwich, filling your gas tank, shopping for food, etc. 

A third part of the system filters out the extraneous.  Dr. Levitin theorizes that it was developed to keep us alert to predators. He recommends that we filter out the extraneous by breaking our day into project periods, isolating email and social media from the times when we must focus to accomplish something important.

“Oh sure,” you might say.  “That sounds great but reality imposes a different order on us.”

NPR’s Dan Charnas has reported on how the methods of executive chefs affect their lives and the lives of those around them.  The system called “mise-en-place” is a way of organizing and executing a plan.  It “transforms the lives of its practitioners through focus and self-discipline”.

Mise-en-place recognizes that time is precious. Organizing according to its method creates space, focuses our attention and develops self-respect.  Its adherents are zealous, describing it as a “Zen-like thing”. 

“All my knives are clean. Clean cutting board.  Clear space to work.  Clear mind,” said one sous-chef.

LEADERSHIP requires a clear mind.  It requires that one slow down… pause… clarify… articulate… and communicate.

Can you articulate the desired direction of your team?  Can you tell them where you’re going, why you’re going there and how you’re going to get there?  Can you say it clearly?  Is the message consistent every time you say it?

Can you keep them focused?

Music without space between the notes is cacophonous. 

A life that is so busy that we have no time to think – to contemplate – is unenjoyable. 

An organization that jumps from crisis to crisis is ineffective. 

Our happiness derives from our experiences.  We can’t have great experiences without the space to do so.

It is incumbent upon LEADERS to create the space between the notes for our team, our colleagues…  our families.   Try it.  I promise you’ll love it.

WHO WILL LEAD?