What if No One Follows?

I have a clear vision of what an operationally excellent organization looks and feels like.

My 30 years experience in the industrial sector learning leading practices in asset management have given me the ability to envision an integrated operational management system every organization needs to deliver value from their assets to meet the organization’s business goals.

Do organizations want this vision? Ah, that’s the question.

My fear is they do not.

When I was socializing the idea of starting my own business I consulted a few key trusted people around me. One gentleman, a career business development follow, upon hearing my idea asked me, “Are you building a better mousetrap?” I had to ask him what he meant. He said, “Is the market for what you’re offering already established and you’ll compete against the incumbents? Or, is what you’re offering new and novel and the market hasn’t yet been established?”

After some thought, I decided it was a bit of the former and most of the latter. “Well,” he said, “Not only do you have the traditional sales challenge, but you also have the additional challenge of educating your customers before they are willing to buy.”

I’ll admit, I was a bit shaken by his assertion, but not deterred. I started my business anyway, determined to make it work. I have a vision. I will find a way to bring it to life. It will take leadership.

I have made a commitment to establish myself, my company and our services and solutions as a leader in the emerging asset management discipline. This discipline is growing, particularly in the UK and Australia where governments and asset-owning stakeholders are beginning to demand organizations take on formal asset management. The movement has been much slower in North America where organizations aren’t being encouraged in the same way and seem to stubbornly resist change. We haven’t reached a tipping point yet, but I believe it will come and I’ll be driving it over the top.

Operational leaders are a tough group to influence and they are vastly underserved, in my observation.

The business pressures they face often force short-term action with little patience for critical thinking towards long-term goals and objectives. The market demands it, so they say. Many leaders rely primarily on their own experience to make decisions and aren’t interested in broadening their own competencies. These leaders will happily take the bird in hand over two in the bush because it’s faster and easier. Their decisions take deleterious risks that leave their organization mired in mediocrity.

I fear there is incredible resistance from these leaders. Most leaders will not want to do what is necessary to take on the leading practices to deliver what the organization needs, even if I can provide a framework that makes a very complex operation by its nature a lot less complicated.

Still, I have hope. There are some courageous leaders out there. Leaders who are brave enough to take on virtuous risks that add value. They are willing to make meaningful change by adopting the leading practices, investing in their people and first principles thinking for long term value. These leaders go for two birds because they know the leading performing organizations average one and a half birds.

I fear there is a very long and weary road ahead paved in blood, sweat and tears providing advocacy, education, training and coaching. And that’s just to get to the opportunity to showcase what I have to offer.

Will anyone follow me? Can I do it? I have a vision. I have sufficient time and energy. Do I have the grit, determination and fortitude to follow through? Can I make a difference? Can I make customers successful? Can I build a successful business? I fear I can’t.

My one saving grace is that I don’t have to convince everyone. I need to convince one progressive leader at a time to become my next customer. Then I can support their leadership in achieving a higher level of organizational success. This, in turn, supports my business towards success at the same time.

As a quote from Moneyball goes, “The first guy through the wall, he always gets bloody.”

Get the first aid kit. Here I come, fears.