I had my first-of-the-season shakedown cruise on the boat over the weekend. A lot happens on a shakedown, but nothing more important than remembering to always have two points of contact between me and the boat.This can be a foot and a hand, foot and a knee, and so on, but only one point is dicey at best and dangerous at worst. These two points of contact could be seen as limiting but are actually the foundation for every other activity – e.g. fishing and taking pictures.
In our organizations, we have a similar dynamic. We need to grow and change, but we can’t change everything at once without losing our footing. What are the points of contact, the parts of the organization foundation that will support the changes that you are trying to make? Maybe you have a great team and product, but need to work on customer success. Maybe it’s sales and development that you can rely on while you adjust production. Whatever your particular situation, be conscious about the parts of the organization that can support the change. Let them know that you and the rest of the team will be leaning on them for support.
Changing too much at once can result in chaos. On the boat, that means I get wet – or hurt. In an organization, it might mean failure.