Big Macs and Bypass Surgery

I hate the gym this time of year. All these people taking up the machines. Thankfully, I know that the once a year crowd will be gone shortly, resolutions abandoned, and I’ll have space for my workout.

What’s that got to do software? Simply that when you hear some idiot blathering about “best practices” and the opportunity to “rethink your business”, you need to be really careful. Change is really hard. Ask yourself how many of the following people you recognize.

1. John who still wolfs Big Mac’s after having quadruple bypass.
2. Bill who lost 50 pounds after having quadruple bypass
3. Gary who has never had a heart attack but would like to lose 50 pounds.
4. Steve who lost 50 pounds just to get in shape.

I’m betting that most of us know many more people in categories 1, 2 and 3 then ever in 4. Most people are like Bill who will only change when there’s a real issue. Some are like John who won’t change even when they know it’s critical. It’s really rare to find someone like Steve who manages to change without an immediate crisis.

So we all know that change is hard. Yet, so many in my business assume that just because you’ve purchased new software, you’re ready to change everything about how your run your business. Indeed, these people strongly disagree with my approach to training. They argue that if you focus to exclusively on training your staff in what they need rather than the full breath of what the software offers, they’ll miss out all kinds of possible benefits.

So, if you want software to be part of changing your business, I’d ask you to remember two things. First, people need to be in real pain before they’re willing to change. Most people need to be comfortable and in control in order to change. It may sound a little paradoxical but tune in next time and I’ll explain.

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