How to make your Business Change as simple as you can

Identifying and understanding risks can be problematic...

Consider abseiling, or even building a swing…

When Abseiling, what you don’t do is fling an old rope around a rotten stump hanging over a vertical cliff, throw the loose end over the precipice and then follow it yourself – hand over hand down the cliff-face…

To protect yourself, you make sure it’s set up and managed by people who know what they’re doing – people who check the ropes for wear and tear, anchor the safety rope properly, set up the abseiling rope securely, check the harness is in good condition and is worn correctly, and check that the route down the cliff face has no dangerous hazards that you wouldn’t be able to cope with.

It’s the same when you want to make significant changes to your business – You make sure that you have experts on the risks involved, so that what you’re doing will be as safe as possible. After all, like I said, those risks could derail your business.

So, how do you identify risks..?

Begin by including your knowledge-base – the people who know your business.

Then use your Vision for the change – how you want the business to be once the change is in place…

It doesn’t matter whether your change is large or small, understanding how you want your business to function with the change in place means that you will be able to identify all the stepping stones to your Vision – the things that need to be in place for that Vision to exist.

This will effectively identify the areas of unknowns that you will need to resolve to achieve the ends you desire. These unknowns are your key risks – the threats that will derail your Vision.

There are different types of threats that you could encounter, some that you will identify easily, some that will be hidden by other activities, and some that will only appear after you’ve delved deeper a lot deeper into your delivery. Having a structured approach, with support from your key people, will make your life less stressful and the delivery of your change so much easier.

If you don’t have a team, find a trusted person who knows your business, someone you can use as a soundboard. Maybe get help from an expert.

Whichever you choose, be open to possibilities so that you see the whole picture, ensuring that you gain a clearer understanding of all the aspects surrounding your decision and the risks involved.

Good luck, and remember, help with your change is only a phone-call (or an email) away.