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By: Kathy Kent Toney, CEO & Founder of Kent Business Solutions  Image by Emslichter from Pixabay Have you ever had a teenage road trip that you'll never forget? Well, here's my story and a description of how it, unfortunately, resembles the digital journeys of many organizations. Back when I was attending college in southern Iowa, I searched for the cheapest way to get home for Christmas. I settled on a non-stop carpool to Los Angeles with one other girl and two guys, traveling in an old Karmann Ghia. Little did I know how rough the journey would be! Here's a sampling of what went wrong on that trip:
It's a miracle I arrived home safe! So, what does this have to do with any business topic? It's this: Many companies start their digital transformation journeys with just a wing and a prayer like ours. They start excited about the trip and encounter severe problems along the road. They may attempt to bolt things on to keep things from breaking further. Or, they may continue to forge ahead when something that's broken, and they limp toward their goal. Much like my difficult trip, they may reach their destination, but it either took too long or cost them way too much to get there, OR they're in the unfortunate place where they never arrive at their desired endpoint. If you're starting a digital transformation journey and want to ensure you arrive at your destination with great results, then check out some lessons learned on this topic based on my eventful trip: 1. Chose the Right Solution/Approach So You'll Reach Your Desired Destination An old, not-well-maintained Karmann Ghia was not a good choice for our trip, and it never dawned on my teenage brain to ask the owner how safe the car was. Lessons Learned: When choosing a digital transformation platform, do your due diligence upfront.
If you do this before you even start, there's a greater likelihood you'll stay on time, within budget, and achieve great results. 2. Ensure Your Team Remains Engaged Throughout the Project Our "team" was pretty engaged in reaching our goal, except for me. This trip was a disaster in my eyes, and I didn't want ANYTHING to do with helping to solve the problems. The owner, however, had to be—it was his car and responsibility to provide us transportation home. Lessons Learned: As a team leader, you know it's your responsibility to help the team effectively arrive at the destination. If they don't see the process working well, you'll encounter detractors (like how I was on my trip). So, exploring the best ways to keep your team engaged is a good idea. 3. Celebrate Your Victories Along the Way At times, it looked like we'd never get home. That's why it was a mini-celebration every time the car was up and running! Lessons Learned: Whenever your team reaches a significant milestone, reward them with a small token of your appreciation, such as letting them leave a couple of hours early one day. That will work wonders for increasing team satisfaction and moving forward to accomplish the end goal. These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg to help you on your digital transformation journey. It's certainly not an easy road to travel, and having experts at your disposal can make all the difference in the world! If you'd like to learn how to successfully navigate your digital transformation journey, check out Michael Cantu's and my best-selling book on Amazon, No-Nonsense Digital Transformation. To learn more, click the button below!
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