Don’t Miss Insightful Advice For Finding Success with Digital Transformation
In the world of software consulting, it’s pretty common to hear horror stories from clients about failed ‘Digital Transformation’ efforts. What most people embark on is a really hard and not-so-simple endeavor. Sometimes, though, I get to hear some success stories.
My interview with Josh Haines from Rolls-Royce is the latter. He shared how he’s navigated this challenge and what he’s learned so far. Their journey isn’t over yet, but he shared that they’ve hit some great milestones. Here are 3 things I found helpful from our conversation.
Zac’s Episode Takeaways
#1. You MUST bring people along for the ride
Josh was pretty clear that you can’t just rely on your technical abilities. Part of digital transformation or organizational change is learning how to navigate your company’s unique culture and get the support you need from the people within your walls. Sure, it’s important to be able to back up your vision with proof it will work, but it’s almost more important to learn how to influence those folks who can help build momentum.
Listen to Takeaway #1
#2. Start small and build a value flywheel
As we think about building momentum, this doesn’t happen overnight. You really need to find small wins that you can stack on top of each other to have measurable progress toward your goals. Sometimes, this will require some extra effort or finding creative ways to work this into your existing job responsibilities. One of the most powerful ways to create this value flywheel is to have others promote your vision for you because they have benefitted greatly from the new ideas you’ve implemented. From there, it can create an opportunity and justification to spend more of your time working towards the change you feel is necessary.
Listen to Takeaway #2
#3. Lean into others who have gone before you
I would describe myself as a ‘big idea’ guy. However, I am fully aware that most of my ideas are really bad. I’m ok with that. I’ve found that when I lack some new or good ideas, I should try and learn from someone else. Maybe someone has solved a similar problem in another vertical or failed to solve a similar one (This is some of the best learnings I’ve found). Regardless of the learning, we live in an age where it’s pretty easy to take ideas that work well in a different situation and work to find ways of applying concepts to our situation. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel but I often ask myself, “How could I put a new spin on it?”
Listen to Takeaway #3
Get the Complete Episode
In our full conversation about Josh’s journey building the Software Factory at Rolls-Royce, we dive deeper into what he learned and his advice for others.
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