To Action: Does This Still Make Sense?

Most change – whether it’s a small process update, or a large transformation – tends to have a reason for its existence. Sometimes that ‘WHY’ is called out specifically, and other times it’s internalised and intuitive (which is the topic of a future post here, I’m sure).

In fact, all too often we hear the phrase ‘Start with Why’,

But what about when the change has already started?

How do we ensure our change continues to be useful to our organisation?

It’s with this in mind I posit to you a different question:

Does This Change Still Make Sense?

Or, to put it another way, is the project WHY still valid?

It’s this question that transforms that initial why into something of ongoing use. A great way to think about this is in terms of ‘proof of the problem’. To give you a sense of what I’m talking about here, here’s a simple example:

It’s something that takes just a few seconds to answer, yet it’s a huge guidepost for the ongoing success and usefulness of your change efforts. What’s even more awesome about this is that it then simplifies your decision making (something we touched on last week).

The decision shifts from a wish-wash of general feeling into one of three options:

a)     The WHY is still valid,

b)     The WHY landscape is changing and needs exploration and monitoring, or

c)     The WHY is no longer valid.

This gives you as a Change Leader a very simple decision tree.

Ask this question over the coming week, then act accordingly.