Not by quiet quitting, coming in late, or slacking off.
They are likely loyal, reliable, and long time staff members. Unfortunately, their job is to manage email threads and manual systems tending to minutiae – like site inventory levels and billing cycle details. It’s all just money going out the door and a big liability if someone leaves, gets sick, or goes on vacation.
All of those spreadsheets that seem integral to your company’s daily operation... All of your on-staff and consultant programmers that wrote custom programs... It’s all peripheral to your actual business.
If you know it's time to replace those out-dated systems but aren't sure what steps to take, I've got a quick anecdote for you about a close friend of mine. In his career as an analyst, he focused on emerging tech companies like Craigslist, Google and Airbnb.
In the early 2000s, the company he worked for also owned about two dozen newspapers around the country. For decades, they had been big money makers for the company. But when my friend was asked about the papers, he’d always tell the brass, “Get rid of them now. They won’t last another ten years.” He knew the newspaper revenues would plummet because advertising and classifieds would shift to online models, and declining newspaper subscriptions can’t cover operating costs.
For years, his company had asked the newspapers to figure out how to change themselves. But it wasn’t really a newspaper problem, so the wrong folks were on the job.
Eventually, the boss sent my friend to “help” the newspapers. He got transferred to Las Vegas with a directive to stay there until the problem was solved. As an analyst my friend is not a gambler. So, he asks, “Why would you pick me to fix your newspaper division? I'm no fan of newspapers and I can’t stand Las Vegas.” To which his boss replied, “That is exactly why you’re the one for the job.”
We all need a little outside perspective sometimes.
Even I’ve become an old dog that can’t learn new tricks without some tutoring. For years, we have been trying to step away from our ERP system. Since I’m the one that first implemented it (over a decade ago), I was in charge of the much-needed update. But it wasn’t until we hired an outside consultant that we were able to make real progress.
When we work with companies to replace old processes, we are often paired with the person who created and runs it. These folks are smart and resourceful. But just like me and the newspaper staff, they have always approached problems with the same tool set in mind – so you end up with more of the same.
Who in your company has the vision to move past your current state? Is there someone on-staff that can see the bigger picture? If not, or if you just want a little guidance, we are always happy to chat. Many of the companies that have successfully implemented Printerpoint relied on our expertise to guide them, rather than looking internally.
Don't waste any more time. Let's talk.
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