I’ve seen a number of people exit corporations to launch startups. One of the many challenges formerly corporate employee, now startup founders face is reframing expectations for success. It is extremely difficult to know if what you are doing is adequate because in startups there is often no “bar” for performance. So know that not knowing how well you are doing is a common experience.
A few years ago at my firm, we were doing culture workshops with teams around the world. There was a discussion about the idea of the proverbial grass being “greener” at competitors. Colleagues shared, “at Aon they do this or at Willis they do that” and that maybe everyone should go work elsewhere. At the back of the room, some very wise woman piped up and said, “If the grass is brown, water your own damn grass!” Amen - I couldn’t have said it better!
Change management is a cluttered field of study with many models, perspectives and methods. At my last firm I was blessed to help design and lead a transformative culture change to drive business results. The multi-year road to success was a total roller coaster, incredibly challenging and deeply rewarding. When I left the firm I reflected on what I thought were the most important things I learned in the journey and captured them.
If you are a business owner, senior executive or even a product or project manager pay attention. Much of driving change, advancing strategy and winning in the market relies on changes within your firm to make it more competitive externally. Unfortunately, research has shown that the vast majority of major change initiatives fail.
Artificial moments like a new year, a birthday, or a major life change often make us pensive about what we want to have in our lives. These are often amazing moments to capture as we are ripe with creativity, desire, passion, and commitment. However, often many of us struggle to translate these goals into reality.
