Time is moving faster, and your business has to move one step ahead to keep growing. In fact, most Fortune 500 businesses only have a lifespan of about 15 years old. Why? It’s all about how much consumers and their needs change, and how you can continue to please it.
In the digital era, things change in a matter of a couple of years. Think about Airbnb, Uber, and how their worth is in the billions—and barely even ten years old! Facebook wasn’t even around in the year 2000 and it’s one of the most powerful companies in the world.
WHY DO YOU NEED TO KEEP UP WITH THE DIGITAL ERA?
If you don’t, you’ll get left behind. It’s no longer about just growing the company, it’s about surviving too.
Transitioning your company to the digital era is more human than anything else. It’s all about company culture. How open are your employees? Can they accept and learn new tools to succeed in today’s market?
The biggest key to your company culture is this: can it accept change?
If your culture can’t handle change, then that’s the first thing you need to work on. Find ways to make change fun and exciting instead of nerve-wracking. How do I do that? Keep reading for some great practical tips!
Culture leads to adoption.
Once you can create a healthy culture, you can focus on transitioning to a digital era. Leadership expert, John Maxwell, has a great way to explain how you can effectively train and build the confidence of your team:
A Leader…
• Knows the way
• Goes the way
• Shows the way
First, you have to understand the change. Then you can try it yourself. Finally, you are able to show it to your team. During your presentation, you can tell them how to do it, do it yourself to show it, do it together, and then have them do it on your own. Using these tools will make learning practical and effective.
I have the culture right. I have the method to teach them right. How do I actually get them to use digital tools to their full potential on their own?
GET THEM IN THE CONVERSATION EARLY
Try not to drag out meeting with your leadership. After a couple of big-picture emails, have your team join the conversation early on. You can simply say “we are planning on implementing ___. What are your thoughts?” When you have them involved, they are more likely to take ownership of the change.
COLLABORATE WITH YOUR TEAM
If you really want an employee to not only own the change but even help you lead it, have them collaborate. They will surprise you with insight during digital changes. In many ways, they may be more equipped than you are if it’s something they do day-to-day. Don’t underestimate your employees.
COLLECT IDEAS. EVERYWHERE.
Don’t be afraid to ask around. Ask for favorite tools, ways to use an app or software, or opinions. Try to ask places and people you might skip over. Promote the idea process and give your employees encouragement and recognition for it.
COMMUNICATE WHERE IT MAKES SENSE
The days of just emails are over. With tools now like Slack, or even messaging apps like WhatsApp, there are great ways to use them for their unique purposes. Slack is amazing for collaboration! When you use communication tools effectively, your team will see its value and adopt other apps when the time comes.
SHARE YOUR VISION
Let your team in on the big picture. For example, when LinkedIn just started, it could have easily been just a “virtual business card.” But we know LinkedIn connects us our entire network with just one click. That’s big. Who wouldn’t want to adopt that?
Developing a culture for the digital era is all about change. Work on the culture of your team to adopt things quickly and you’ll continue to grow.
