Step 6: Getting off to a Good Start
We all know the drill; a new initiative is launched or a new process or software tool is unveiled as the next great thing to improve the business. A few enthusiastic early adopters get on board fast to give it a try. But most of the team stands back and watches for clues to see whether this new thing is a real game changer or just the fad of the day that will be gone in a few weeks. Showing early indications of success can make all the difference in getting that broader team adoption, and that positive outcome doesn’t happen by accident. It takes good planning and sometimes a bit of theatre to build some buzz and get the groundswell of support needed for scale.
Set the expectations early and accurately.
Often valuable projects fail because of unrealistic expectations of what success will look like, or because people don’t even know how to tell if the project is going well or not. Every big project will have some bumps along the way so it’s important that people don’t just grab on to those as the ways to measure progress. Set early milestones that show progress but that are reasonable to achieve- and lay the groundwork that there will be some broken glass along the way. In fact, make those bumps in the road part of ‘progress’ rather than setbacks. Find analogies the team can hang onto- sometimes it’s easy to say things such as ‘we all know that to get stronger we’ll need to have sore muscles for a while-- that’s true in this project too,.’ These sorts of analogies may sound goofy but they can give people a context that makes sense to them in areas that are otherwise unfamiliar.
Communicate like crazy.
When milestones are hit, be vocal and clear about them. Make sure everyone knows where the project stands so they are not basing their opinion on second hand information or the views of the biggest cynic on the team. When issues arise communicate those too align with the plans to address them- and make them part of the process of growth rather than signs of failure or mistakes that erode confidence. Keep the project top of mind for the people involved every day, but don’t forget the adjacent teams that might not see it every day but that might have to have a point of view someday (finance, HR, senior management).
Start thinking about expansion as soon as the early progress is clear.
Sometimes people want to wait until the first stages of a program are completed and all the kinks ironed out to start advocating for expansion. But if the new product or tool is really showing it can deliver value, then you want to get it rolled out broadly as fast as possible. While there are possible risks to going faster, there are definite measurable costs to going slower. Use the early wins to attract attention of the next set of stakeholders, whether they be other plants or divisions, or maybe senior management who can help you scale what you are doing.
Use some theater.
Everyone is busy and dealing with multiple priorities. Just adding a line about your project to the next newsletter probably won’t get much attention. Hold an awards ceremony for the early adopters, or make a short video you can send around the business or post on the intranet. Ask your manager (or an exec who’s in town) to be part of the recognition events. Make sure you know how your project impacts the overall corporate targets or initiatives and send a note to the corporate PR or investor relations teams. Are you impacting sustainability targets, adding digital/AI capabilities to a new part of the organization or making work safer or more engaging for your team? - the PR teams are always looking for evidence of innovative projects that support the messages they’re delivering to the market and they might give more visibility and recognition to what you’re doing.