Just over six years ago we moved into a house that we were about to renovate. The need to make essential changes was obvious even to an untrained eye... Wallpaper hanging off, damp carpets, rotten windows and a front door you could almost walk through when it was locked shut!
It was a bomb site! Some of the tasks needed to be undertaken immediately just to make the place livable and safe! By month two we had undertaken the major urgent works and we were able to settle down for a couple of months whilst we planned out our next steps... On the face of it, things could be repaired and restored at relative pace assuming there were no hidden surprises? One afternoon in winter we arrived home only to find that the water tank was overflowing and pouring out of the ceiling!!! Quick as I could I ventured up to turn off the supply... That is when I found the first signs of a failing structure!
The picture above ( go back up and take a look) is of one of the main columns holding up a concrete tile roof, which was supported by two pieces of timber nailed together!!! We had believed that we were sleeping in a house that was basically sound but in need of some renovation... How wrong we had been!
Two weeks later we decide that we would renovate the bathroom it would have been spectacular in 1972 but the pink suit and tiles had to go! "Let's rip up the floor and get on with it"
Man oh man what a surprise that was! The lower part of the wall was actually missing and the joists were resting on some free standing bricks (see below)! If that were not bad enough this was the same for the wall which had the column which was holding up the roof! Agghh this was disastrous! Basically, we had believed that the structure was mainly sound and all that we were up for was a solid makeover how wrong can you be!
So what the point Kieron? Steemit isn't a builders forum page! Well, the point is simply this...I am constantly reminded of my building project when I first start looking at the organisations that I work at. At first, when you look around you can see the cracks and the rot in various places. You can see areas where just a small bit of effort can produce a significant improvement (like the piece of ply I nailed to the back of the front door!) But frequently, to many times to be a coincidence... After a fairly short period of time, after we have taken a look "under the hood" and into the main issues, the true nature and size of the problem materialise's... There is a failure in the main structure itself! You have been asked to come in and paper over the cracks, when the real problem is that the foundations are missing!
So what's the solution? And how do you strengthen a failing structure or organisations? Firstly you may need to appoint a person who can objectively look at your organisation. A person who does not need to justify their existence or boost their own ego. A person who has only the interests of the organisation at their heart.Then you will need to begin by implementing these key steps...
Gather the key influencers and verify the truth of your hypothesis
Define the size, scope and depth of the foundational problem. Gather and collate the evidence to share with the executive team. This evidence must confirm the truth that you have uncovered and agreed upon...
Work out and document the recovery roadmap - include all steps and express the impact of the actions...
Prepare the executive team (individually) to receive the news you are about to deliver...
Land the foundational transformation plan with the executive team...
Coach the executive team in readiness for the large scale foundational transformation. If the exec team are not ready on all fronts physically, emotionally or relationally, the transformation effort may be wasted....
Execute the plan...
If you would like to speak to me about undertaking a review of your organisation's readiness for change. Or indeed your executive team's readiness for change and transformation I would love to hear from you...
By the way, the house was totally rebuilt from the foundations up with only three walls left from the original structure...Sometimes you need to strip back the whole structure and rebuild again in order to fix the underlying issues, which manifest in seemingly smaller ways...
Kieron McGhie
Business Change and Transformation Coach