THE BUSINESS OF DAIRY Every Game is an Away Game Lessons on understanding resistance to change BY JOHN TAPLEY
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ave you ever found yourself isolated as a leader of a cross-functional team and sensing that many of the gatekeepers around you have different perspectives and are not onboard with your ideas? Ever developed and led a new business idea that involves cultural change and an entirely new business model against the grain of the existing business? And, what about the daunting task of unseating the incumbent in a large, multi-site account who has been with your competitor for years? For me, I can count all the above and the many lessons on navigating though the barriers and inertia of change to drive a new business model, idea or win a large account. It can be overwhelming, but anything worth doing is never easy. This all came to me while in a prior role and in a moment after a big update presentation didn’t go so well. One of my co-workers, who had been through the same experience, made the comment, “It feels like every game is an away game.” We connected on that point instantly. There are a number of reasons why it may seem that many around you are running contrary to your point of view: 36 • Northeast Dairy Foods Association, Inc.
• Different motives around resistance to change and legacy business investments are hard to breakup. • They, in fact, do understand the business model better than you, and you haven’t figured that out yet. • Internal competition within a cross-functional organization • Not really a disagreement with your position but just a misread on your part. • You’ve yet to establish yourself as a credible influencer. For whatever the reason, it’s on you to move the chains. And, quite frankly, the experience builds character (don’t you love that) and elevates you into a more complete team player. If you approach it the right way, with eyes and mind wide open, the lessons are invaluable. And there should be checks and balances beyond what you’ve considered in your limited perspective. So, going forward, here are a few key lessons I’ve gained over the years that have helped me understand what it takes to bring the visitors crowd over to your side:
CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO, BUT KNOW YOUR BOUNDARIES.
• Understand the degree of assertiveness to apply based on who is impacted and strength of your reputation. • Have solutions that support opinions contrary to the status quo, don’t just challenge without offering ideas to improve.
FULLY UNDERSTAND YOUR CHALLENGE
• Don’t try to be an expert at all functions, but do try to understand how it all fits together. • When systems and processes are a roadblock, study and find ways you could navigate around or through it. But again, be careful not to infringe on someone else’s responsibility, be respectful.
MAKE FRIENDS AND NETWORK CONSTANTLY
• Spread out beyond your organizational boundaries. If this past year has taught us anything, we can connect much easier and work together virtually in order to
