As a Chelsea fan (don’t let that stop you from working with us), it’s not been the easiest of seasons. It’s compounded when a Brighton supporting ‘friend’ sends you the ‘amusing’ gift pictured.
After realising that coffee tastes particularly bitter when drunk from this mug (in all senses of the word), I was cheered slightly when I saw an opportunity to use it in another tenuous post….
The phrase “Trust the process” is not one that I’m a fan of.
To me, it suggests that simply designing a good process will result in the desired outcomes. It always makes me think that the process in question is actually a ‘should be’ rather than ‘as-is’.
An as-is process looks at how things are really done, warts and all.
It takes into account the existing challenges. obstacles and imperfections in the ways of working. It might not always be what people want to see or hear, but it’s a true reflection of the current state.
A should-be process tends to overlook these, which makes issues arising from the process harder to understand and address. This isn’t to say that the should-be process shouldn’t be a target., but you need to understand your start point (the as-is) in order to move towards it.
If a process isn’t delivering the expected results, it’s always worth questioning whether peoples’ understanding matches reality. Do other factors need to be considered that will provide the answer as to why problems arise and allow action to be taken?
If you’d like to discuss how to start understanding the as-is view of your business and driving real change, then drop me a line.