Business transformation… as easy as splitting wood!

It’s been a busy weekend with several household chores being completed, but one of them really got me thinking…

As I was splitting logs ready for winter, I had to dig into the memory bank to remind myself how, each year, I make this task quicker and easier – the joys of having lean thinking so deeply engrained (and yes, to the lean experts reading this, I know I should capture this in standard work, so the knowledge isn’t lost, but as it’s home life, there is little enjoyment out of rediscovering the ‘knack points’).

As the memory came back, I made a parallel of my wood splitting, with making business transformations.

The H&S implications were a given. It was natural to put on the safety boots, glasses and wear a pair of protective gloves – H&S (and Environment) should always come first in any project.

Next came support. Setting up a nice thick log to just the right height was going to take a load off my back, but equally, making sure that support was of the right hardness was crucial too – too hard and when the axe when through the logs, the shock wave back through the handle could be quite uncomfortable, too soft, and the axe would bury into the support log, making it disintegrate rather too quickly. Similar to any change program, the stakeholders need to support the change, to just the right level; interest without interference, able to support when there are challenges, but not steam roller in with their own agenda.

Raising the axe ready to drop onto the log, the voice of my Pilates Instructor came into my head – ‘engage your core’ she always says, just before we attempt a tough exercise. Engage the workforce played through my head immediately after. Whilst the former definitely took a load off my back, and made the chopping action much more smooth, an engaged workforce also makes the path of change much easier. A former colleague had good terminology for it ‘one true North’ – the concept of everyone knowing, understanding (even if not agreeing) and pulling in the same direction. The smooth efforts of the swing of the axe with an engaged core, were certainly more impactful than trying to make my back take the load.

Next was my aim… Whilst I wanted to cut every log to the exact same size, I knew that working with the wood was the best way forward. Identifying and following the shakes enabled cuts to be made with significantly less force, and here again, my analogy with work – I have always found that when making changes, it’s best to take a path of slightly less resistance, and get buy in, rather than fight for 100% of what you think is the right solution…80% of the result, for 20% of the effort, is a great outcome in my book….not least, because of the next point.

You can’t always split the log to the size you want with one stroke. Therefore, breaking it down into bitesize pieces and then further sub dividing each one, will get you to the same result, a lot easier, than trying to force a route down a very difficult path. Islands of success, can be hugely beneficial, and ultimately lead to the same end result. Not every log could be halved, halved and halved again. Some had to have sections taken off piece by piece, until the desired outcome could be achieved.

Next came the tools – a splitting axe should not be sharp, but nor should it be totally blunt. The right tools for the job are always required. For the task I had in hand, I could have used a hydraulic splitter, or a small splitting block and a mallet, but the right tool, of the right scale, was a traditional splitting axe. As in transformation, it’s easy to over or under specify the tools (skills and abilities) required and it either costs too much, could take too long, or maybe won’t even deliver the desired outcome….especially if the tools are not properly maintained (a damaged or totally blunt axe, is the equivalent of out of date or insufficient training/experience).

The result of my days’ work was a double stack of wood into my seasoning store, ready to be burnt in a couple of years’ time. It was split quickly, and efficiently with the minimum strain on my back. It only took a couple of strokes for me to remember all the key points of splitting wood, so I won’t be rushing to write it down. However, next time I do it, I will be looking to pass on the knowledge to ensure it’s not lost, thus making sure the ‘change’ I have made (certainly from my first back breaking attempt many years ago) is sustainable.

If you’re looking to drive change into your business, considering the above would certainly be useful. It’s not the whole story though, so unless you regularly implement and deliver successful change programs, I suggest you get some help from a professional – making successful change within a business is a little more complex than chopping wood.

To put that into perspective, I was talking to a business leader a few months ago, who, when I told him about some of the leadership coaching I was doing at the time, asked me if I thought he needed a coach. I am glad to say, I didn’t have to answer him, as he did a pretty good job himself. With the Olympics on (and boy aren’t team GB doing well!?) I have realised the next time I am asked that question, I will have a very succinct answer – I don’t believe any of the Olympic athletes would ever contemplate not having a coach, so deciding if you want/need one is really a question of how successful you want your business to be…

MCDBT is here to help your business achieve gold medals, please do get in touch if you want to find out more.