We are well into the first thirty days of the new year, and I imagine some of the projects you have going are gaining momentum. Others may have already been forgotten.
If you are seeking to streamline operations or grow revenue by using technology, the temptation is to overengineer the solution. You may not know you are doing this. Shiny new CRM systems or online transaction systems can provide great gains in productivity and team collaboration. You can undertake software integration projects and pursue complete automation of your business.
But it won’t work just because you have technology. Everyone can get this now and pretty cheaply. The bigger problem will surface when your technology and systems become a disrupter. The questions you should be asking are:
Who will lead?
What kind of culture do we have?
How will my team handle change?
Do we have the right talent to use the systems?
Is it as simple as it could be?
Most of these are less about technology and much more about people. The technology is often much easier. How people interact and make use of something that is supposedly better is a whole other matter altogether.
Thus, leadership around the goal is critical. Being able to keep the big picture in mind while working in the minutiae and ensuring there is buy-in and ease-of-use is a hard mark to hit.
The success that systems promise are all achievable, but it takes an accurate view to begin with. The technologies are largely commoditized. The talent and leadership required to implement them and make them work for your business successfully are the cornerstone.
If you can see this reality, then you are on your way to solving the problem.
