A Fisherman's Tale: What My Grandfather's Block of Ice Taught Me About Business Transformation
I used to go fishing with my grandfather. Rather than buying his ice at the supermarket, he had at least 1 (sometimes 2) refrigerators in the shed with trays of ice that he would then later break up to spread for the fish he would catch and bring back. Growing up in the Depression -- ice was free, after all.
What lessons about business transformation can be learned from breaking a block of ice?
Breaking up a block of ice taught me something about business transformation, but I didn't know it then. If you are thirsty and want ice in your water, you better carve off a small part of the end. That is a huge payoff for a small amount of work.
How is your digital technology stack similar to a block of ice?
Your digital technology stack is the same way. You can't only cut the big block of ice in half, it doesn't deliver any value to anyone for quite some time. You also can't only just carve around the edges because it will take 3x as long and you won't have the right sized ice blocks for the ice chest itself.
What are the multiple goals in any transformation?
In any transformation, you have multiple goals. You must deliver immediate value (ice cubes for your drink immediately) so that you can sustain the team to keep working towards the bigger goal (medium-sized chunks for the ice chest full of fish).
Why is delivering immediate value important in a transformation?
The immediate value might be for a business objective, but it's just important from a political capital point of view.
What is the long-term value in a business transformation?
The long-term value is usually about survival. The "burning platform" is often - if we are doing things the same way in 5 years from now, we will not survive.
What provides the urgency to move in a transformation?
That provides the urgency to move. For us, we wanted to get out to fish! That was motivation enough.
How should you approach the beginning of your transformation journey?
But it can apply to you as well. Especially at the beginning of your transformation journey, don't think just about the big things you need to do. Think about big, small, and medium things. Think about who and why these chunks are important, and how they will help you sustain the project in the long-term.
Why is it important to have small and medium-sized victories?
And be sure to sprinkle in some small and medium-sized victories so that stakeholders can see progress, and get that adrenaline rush from your project. Keep in mind, what you think is a medium-sized project NOW always turns out to be large anyway ;-)
Just like the fish story you tell years later.
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