This sounds like relationship advice (and in a way, it is). My last post talked a lot about figuring out the reasons you would want to start “digitally transforming” some process, and I’d argue that understanding your “why” is a core pillar of making a meaningful change.
If the change you want to make affects other people, it isn’t enough to keep those reasons (or your plans) to yourself. You need to get enough support or permission to start making that change.
Quick templates for starting a conversation about change
If you read my last post (linking again, in case you didn’t) and if you went through the exercise of coming up with a value proposition, you already have a nice statement that you can share with another person. Sometimes, you need more than that. Here are a few different approaches to helping other people understand the value of what you want to do. These aren’t meant to be manipulative or to abuse any psychological principles, they are just meant to be a starting point for getting buy-in for a new idea.
Old-world/new-world
Right now, we are [doing/spending/performing/in an old-world state]. This lets us [current accomplishments and action-abilities]. I think that we can improve [part you want to change] and achieve [improvement of your values].
My idea is that by [making a change], we will [tangible benefit]—and that will let us really [core value achievement].
Challenge and effort
There has to be a way to [improve a concrete challenge]. I keep running into [effect of the current situation].
I know I can’t just snap my fingers and make it perfect, but I think that making a change in [affected process] would make a big impact in [core values], not to mention the [tangible benefits].
Ask and revisit
I’ve noticed that we are [non-ideal actions/outcomes]. Is that something that you run into a lot?
Then genuinely listen. They might have a similar train of thought or approach, and if your ideas are in line with their ideas, you have a green light to share your hypothesis. If this challenge hasn’t been on their mind, it doesn’t mean they don’t care, and now you can bring it up and explain its importance.
These are things I’ve been thinking about a lot. My prediction is that by [introducing a specific change] in [process], we can really improve on [non-ideal/current state] and get closer to [ideal state]. For me, that means [achieving personal values], but for the group, I think it will result in [tangible results].
Prompt for starting a conversation
I think you should make use of the tools that are available to you, and if your are really struggling, you can take those templates and toss them into something like ChatGPT. Here is one that is ready for you to copy and paste. It will ask you questions, and after you answer them, it will give you some suggestions. (Please do not type any sensitive information into a ChatGPT window. It is not safe).
Copied!I'm looking to make a change to process in my organization, and I need to start a conversation about it. Here are some strategies I can use to start the conversation: ## Old-world/new-world > Right now, we [are doing/spending/performing/in an old-world state]. We have to do this because [current accomplishments and action-abilities], but I think that we can improve [part you want to change] and [improvement of your values]. > > My idea is that [making a change] will [tangible benefit]—and that will let us really [core value achievement]. ## Challenge + magic > There has to be a way to [improve a concrete challenge]. I [frustration/effect of the current situation]. > > I know I can't just snap my fingers and make it perfect, but I think that making a change in [affected process] would make a big impact in [core values], not to mention the [tangible benefits]. ## Ask and revisit > I've noticed that [non-ideal actions/outcomes]. Is that something that you run into/hear/notice? Then genuinely listen. They might have a similar train of thought or approach, and if your ideas are in line with their ideas, you have a green light to share your hypothesis. If this challenge hasn't been on their mind, it doesn't mean they don't care, and now you can bring it up and explain its importance. > These are things I've been thinking about a lot. My idea is that [introducing a specific change] in [process] will really improve [non-ideal/current state] and [get us closer to ideal state]. For me, that means [achieving personal values], but for the group, I think it will result in [tangible results]. --- Ask me: - What process I want to change - What I hope to achieve (my "why") - What the change is After I answer, respond with just the suggestions.
What comes next?
It’s great to start a conversation when you have a clear plan. It’s less great when you don’t have a plan.
If you’ve ever wanted to automate something tedious, but you get stuck at how to go from your current state to the ideal state in your imagination, you might want to grab a stack of sticky notes and wait for the next few posts. We’ll start digging into the realities of making a plan and turning that into real-life software.
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