How often have you tried to economize by fixing something yourself, only to be forced to call in an expert to fix not only what was broken, but your subsequent “repair” as well? Let’s face it; experts in nearly any field are in demand for a reason – and the reason is they know what they’re doing, and they do it much better and faster than non-experts can. I wouldn’t hire the guy who cuts my lawn to cut my hair – or ask my barber to do my knee surgery. Would you?

That’s why if your business processes are broken, my best advice is that you hire a person or a firm that specializes in business transformation to guide you through the Business Storm Cycle. You need professionals who already have experience riding out the storms.

Why?

  • They’ve been through the entire cycle many times with many different companies, and they’ll be able to see far more objectively and clearly than you can.
  • They can give you not only the tools you’ll need but also a prewritten script on how to rally your troops by explaining what’s going on.
  • You shouldn’t have to grope your way through the dark, playing hit or miss, when there is someone out there who can tell you exactly what to say, whom to say it to, where to say it, how many times to say it, and how to say it.
  • If you have never survived the Business Storm Cycle before, you won’t be able to speed things up; in fact, you’re very likely to slow down the process.

Often I am brought in to lead this reinvention of a company and build the IT backbone that supports it. Since I have done this over and over again, I can help a company address the overall problem as quickly as possible.

When I’m hired to help a company reinvent itself, I use many different communication techniques to bring people together, including things as low-tech as posters hung up in the hallways and “town halls,” as well as e-mails and social media. We let people know how and why we are going to transform them into a better, faster, smarter company that will be ready for the next Tornado.

Together, we move the entire staff away from being worn out, tired, and disappointed to becoming enthusiastic and hopeful once again. We let them know that they’re not failures; instead, they are successes, because they made it through the Tornado alive—and now we’re going to get ready for the next one that’s going to come along.