Last mile is the critical connection to the end-user. Without the last mile secured, billions spent on the other parts of the network infrastructure in an organisation are rendered instantly useless.
Similarly, inside every enterprise there are large investments being made to enable execution through the people 'infrastructure', and this people infrastructure also has a critical last mile. During times of change and transformation, these investments can double or triple.
When change gets difficult and progress stalls, everyone looks at the 'unconnected wires' of the last mile and wonders why it’s so difficult to make the connection with individuals in your company.
If it were as easy as connecting a fiber optic cable to a home, then your nearest IT consultancy could easily solve this problem for you. But people are complicated, and they’re smart, and they have low tolerance for poor practices in this area.
There are a few common mistakes which have to be stopped and these include putting process over people, spending more time of strategy, goals and metrics and less time on mindset, beliefs and capability. You must also stop believing that change in information equals change in behaviour.
In times of rapid change, you need to provide powerful experiences that allow teams to practice with the new behaviour and capabilities you are so urgently asking of them.
Reflect for a moment on all the important things you have learned both professionally and personally. Most of the knowledge and beliefs you hold today can be connected to past experiences. This linkage between current beliefs and past experiences is key.
Designed right, these experiences will instill in your teams the same level of conviction that the C-suite has around market evolution and the need for change. Further, when your senior leaders are involved in creating and facilitating these experiences, the last mile begins to shrink.
The last mile, when managed correctly, puts people's beliefs and behaviours at the center of execution. The three biggest factors on the people side of execution are: Alignment, Mindset and Capability.
* Alignment: Getting people to understand the 'Why, What, How' of the new strategy.
* Mindset Shifts: The shifting of core beliefs to support and re-set of a company’s strategy.
* Capability Building: Defining and building new capabilities required for a new strategy.
New strategies and business transformations require new beliefs, new mindsets and new capabilities. When your organisation takes the time to understand market shifts and ‘what great looks like’ in the new environment, practice new ways of working, and test new beliefs, employees generate their own commitment and conclusions. This results in a much higher degree of ownership and accountability, and accelerates execution.
Courtesy: www.peoplematters.in
