It may not be all planned out and certain

I received a call from a company wanting guidance on transitioning to new-ish ways of working. We talked about why they wanted to do this, yet they also wanted a plan, a document that showed what would happen when so they could ‘roll it out’ across the business.

But here’s the thing: as the world is all uncertain and changing, so too might this change or transformation process. The way it starts may not be how it continues or how it ends.

As the team learns more, they’ll hopefully try more. As they try more and experiment more, they’ll learn more. And so this evolution happens of learning, experimenting and learning.

There’s a kind of irony here. If we need to begin working in some more agile, adaptive and responsive ways, it will mean we’ll need to be more agile, responsive and adaptive.

We can’t do it by being controlling and coercive and delivering 186-slide PowerPoint decks. It doesn’t mean no plan but it does mean being more adaptable. Throughout. Stay adaptable, responsive, interested in what’s next.

Action: Talk about expectations of change. Some people want detailed information; others are okay seeing how things change, unfold or evolve.