Sometimes working in an Enablement role is frustrating, because even if it is in their best interest, people don't want to change. However, when people feel that a change is being forced upon them, they are even more resistant. Often, they feel that someone is coming in and changing their job, but as an employee, they have failed to see the problem with their position - it isn't theirs at all - it is owned by the company.
The company is paying someone to do a set of tasks.
And, that set of tasks can change, depending on a whole range of factors, like market conditions, or organizational restructuring. These types of events can not only move the tasks of specific roles, but also mean that the tool stack can change and employees will need to learn new processes and behaviors. This is life as an employee, and while most will complain about it, in general, there is less work involved than in the life as an owner.
Far less risk too.
My colleagues were talking about market conditions and how unlike some similar companies laying off people en masse, the company we work for isn't. Yes, there are structural changes internally to cope with shifting market conditions, but there is very little pressure to let people go - why?
Because of a change made a few years ago that many people complained about, because it changed their processes.
The shift was a transition from a perpetual license model over to a SaaS model, which completely changed the way the entire organization functioned, with a lot of pullback in some areas, expansion in others and, a lot of disruption in total. While far from perfect, it was handled relatively smoothly over the space of years, though people complained about having all of these unnecessary changes when things were going well as it was.
But, that change meant that now that markets are far less certain and B2B sales more difficult due to businesses suffering themselves, there is still subscription income coming in (Annual Recurring Revenue - ARR), which means that the company needn't be aggressively reactive and can instead ride out the rough patches. This doesn't mean nothing gets done or new sales stops, which is why there is organizational changes that should facilitate improving the product and set the company up for success in the eventual economic flip to the positive.
But, it is always interesting to note how against change people can be, without understanding the longer implications of those changes. As I was saying to a colleague at lunch, most people are narrowly focused and therefore don't see the meta of the landscape, even though they are heavily affected by it. This narrowness also means that they don't have the web of knowledge that can be used to feel the movement in the meta and position for it.
Just imagine if these types were making the decisions for a company!
While companies themselves have the goal to maximize shareholder wealth, the people within can actually perform quite well and above board, doing the best they can for all involved. Of course, this depends on the culture of the company, but a healthy corporate culture is one that helps and supports people to succeed, to set them up to be their best. But, as you can imagine from the entry paragraph, even with best intentions, the support isn't always welcome.
In some way though, I have noticed that it is a lot like a romantic relationship, as while all have challenges to face, the healthiest ones are those who speak openly and adjust quickly, before things get so bad there is no reconciliation possible. This means that discussion is needed and in general, compromises need to be made on both sides. Let it go too far though, and no matter how much one side is willing to compromise later, there is no chance of recovery.
While it might not seem the case to employees, at least decent companies are making compromises too, or at least, thinking through the cost of not compromising. For instance, while a more tenured employee might complain about a new process change, someone coming in fresh to the company would learn the new process without a fuss, because they won't know different - it is just the way it has always been for them. A company will generally try to support their employee base through changes (with various degrees of success), knowing that for some at least, they will not adapt well. And like a relationship, one or the other side tends to walk away.
In an enablement role, it is my responsibility to help people to employee the behaviors that will help them succeed or, need to be changed for whatever organizational reason. This isn't always easy, because people look short and tend to react to their emotional response of negativity, because they are being forced to change. Often though, it doesn't even matter if they know it is in their own best interest to change,
they don't want to.
It is really only when they get the results of change that they accept it, which sets up potential a catch-22 situation - Change is needed to benefit, but people won't change until they are benefiting. But, when they have let it go so far that they are failing, they will then demand support to help them succeed, but it might be too late, the opportunity has passed, the marker for course correction far behind.
Personally, I want what is best for people, but it doesn't mean that people should get what they want, because often, they don't know what is best for themselves. My friend was saying how strange it is that upon some recent reflection, he has a lot of trouble knowing what he wants in life, which has also made him question if he really knows what he needs to be his best. Our intuition tells us something, but that is based on our experience, which means it is going to favor what we know, not what we need. He is a colleague of mine and I work with his part of the organization, and now he is far more open to introducing some new processes.
Open to compromise.
It is in his best interest to do so.
But when change is forced upon us, unless we have the awareness to understand the implications and potential for those changes, we are going to likely resist them and be slow to uptake - even though they might be the best thing for us, to help us be our best.
And being our best, is good for any role in life we have. Paid or not.
Some people can help us.
Some people can't help it.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
