LTYM - Are you on the bus or off the bus?

Letters to a Young Manager

Are you on the bus or off the bus?, #165
LTYM > Leadership and Values

Dear Adam,

***

You asked about whether you need to have everyone on-board before you start a major project or initiative. The short answer is, yes.

I remember a large project at a nonprofit to upgrade their legacy donor management system. Many of the fund-raisers and support staff had developed their own spreadsheets and other files to work-around the aging system. We thought everyone would welcome the new system with open arms. Some did. But many clung to their old ways of doing things. Change is hard, even when the benefits are clear.

What happened next changed the landscape. The VP of Fund-raising made it known that the only reports that would be accepted at the weekly fund-raising meeting were reports from the new system. If it wasn't in the new system, it didn't exist and no one would get credit. None of the old spreadsheets mattered. They were quickly discarded.

What the VP did was make clear that the bus had left the station. She created a "burning platform" where there was no turning back. The team had a simple choice: were they on the bus or off the bus. Asking this simple question can determine whether you aligned with the bosses strategy or not.

***

Until next time,
Ed

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Takeaways:

The bus is leaving the station; are you on it or not?

Discussion Questions:

1) How do you determine if the team is aligned with a new initiative?
2) What are some possible types of "burning platforms"? See the "Burning Platform", Story #366

For Further Reading:

See "The Burning Platform," LTYM #366