People, digitalization, transformation
Business and training
In winter sports regions, hospitals are full of people who thought they could hit the slopes without ski exercises. After all, they recently got fit by cycling – unfortunately, that doesn’t require the same muscles, tendons, and reactions as skiing.
Mountain rescuers can also tell a story about those who set out climbing without or with inadequate training. Even years later, professionals in particular check every time to ensure that their holds, strength, flexibility, and equipment are safe.
In short: professionals are characterized by training, not by simply relying on their own strength.
Especially in companies, many believe they can manage without regular training. “We’ll manage – it would be a laugh!”, “You definitely don’t have to take it that seriously,” and “learning by doing” are easily perceived as confident or even courageous. Yet this behavior is similar to those who head out onto the slopes or into the mountains without any preparation. There are simply only young, overconfident climbers, not old, overconfident climbers.
Just get started!?
How many projects have been broken because they simply started? How many projects have failed because no one took the time to implement them systematically and consistently? The consequences are demotivation, conflict, mistrust, and, last but not least, wasted money and lost time.
One can be happy if the undesigned transformation only brings these “injuries”; it can—and in some cases will—be worse.
Because transformation happens, whether intended or not. It forces itself upon those who haven’t sought it out on their own. Socrates already described this situation with the phrase: “He who goes with fate, it leads him. He who resists fate, it drags him along.”
Training plan
My series CORPORATE FITNESS FOR THE FUTURE here on the Riverstate blog is about targeted training for the challenges ahead. In the first three episodes, we’ll focus on the three “muscles” whose training is a fundamental part of every company’s constitution. Because one thing is clear: nothing will be gained by the Beckenbauer-esque “let’s see what happens” approach.
To stay with the metaphor: the slopes are becoming icier and the mountain walls steeper. At the same time, new equipment and new ways of moving are being developed at breathtaking speed. So it’s time to check out what’s already there, upgrade some of it, and train some other muscles.
After all, we already have the muscles!
This, in turn, is good news for everyone who wants to achieve the best possible results with and within their companies. Together with others who understand:
Without fitness there is no future.
So let’s get fit!
Outlook
The “training tips” will appear every 1 to 2 weeks.
Let’s start with Part 1: “Digital Culture Fitness: People as the key to successful digitalization.”
Dr. Anette Fintz
Leadership and Transformation Consultant
The author
Clients describe Anette as “competent, serious, analytical—creative, open, pragmatic.” The coach, who holds a doctorate in philosophy, focuses on combining knowledge and experience with targeted implementation for the future.
To achieve this, she founded the Institute for Meaning-Oriented Consulting (ISOB) ( www.isob.de ) in 1998. Based in Radolfzell and Zurich, Anette coaches, gives lectures, and has been writing specialist books and individual articles on leadership, transformation, digitalization, and communication since 2006. Her clients are primarily executives of technology-driven companies (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland). Further training after her studies includes: Business Coach, Logotherapist, CAS Digital Ethics, Structogram, and LEGO® Serious Play Facilitator.
