Implementing change…What not to overlook

This maxim is both a general guideline and a warning. The general guideline is to make sure you don’t treat issues superficially, that you dig into the details to make sure you really understand the problem and that the solution makes sense. The reference to the “Devil” is the warning. Many otherwise brilliant solutions and strategies have been wrecked by details that surface in either the presentation of the solution or worse, during the implementation.

As you are successful in business you get promoted to higher levels in your organization. Each level takes you a step further away from the details of the issue. There is sometimes conflicting pressure to stay in the details but also delegate responsibility to others you manage. Getting into the details of an issue is hard work and it is tempting to take the easy road and stay at the bigger picture level. Also knowing which details are important, and when to dig into them is difficult and usually takes experience.

At Carpedia we find this maxim particularly important because we implement changes. Implementing change is like learning a golf swing. What looks relatively simple is actually extraordinarily complex in practice. If we don’t take account of the myriad details, we can find logical solutions simply aren’t effective when put in place. When solutions don’t work, it’s almost always some kind of important detail that has been overlooked.