How many times have you put off doing something that you should do because there was no sense of urgency, and you thought you’d just get to it later? If you’re like me, it happens all the time. If we take a deeper look into why we don’t take action on those things, it’s because they’re not a priority for us. They don’t carry the immediate value than other options might, and thus, we make the trade-off decisions to do one and not the other.
For me, one of those trade-off decisions has been taking a CPR class. I’ve always known I should do it, but I haven’t gotten around to it. While I totally understand the value in being CPR trained, even certified, it’s practicality for me just hasn’t been there. Until recently.
A good friend of mine (Paul) was on a training run during a group workout about six weeks ago. All of a sudden, Paul, who was in great shape, simply collapsed. His heart quit working, and for six minutes, he had no oxygen being pumped through his body, including to his brain. Paul was super fortunate that another runner was right behind him, saw the whole thing, and quickly began administering CPR. This CPR saved his life, and I’m happy to report that Paul is on his way towards a full recovery.
Now there’s value. Now I know the “why” on why I should go to a CPR class as soon as I possibly can. I’m bought in. Completely.
For many of our projects, the desired results may not be as dramatic as saving someone’s life. However, the goal of end-user buy-in is completely the same. As a Change Management practitioner, if I can get someone to understand why we’re doing the project, what’s in it for them (why they should care) and ultimately buy-in to the solution we’re implementing, then much of the adoption battle has already been won. Those individuals who buy-in to the concepts are much more likely to read the emails the project team sends, attend information demos, actively participate in training, and because they’re interested, will retain the concepts, knowledge and capabilities we’re conveying that will make the project and everyone involved with it successful. That success will drive the project’s Return on Investment (ROI), and that is value.
one built in assumption in the definition of “should” is that you will have to do “it” eventually at some point. in boy scouts we stress first aide and be prepared because someone WILL get hurt. maybe not this trip but it WILL happen. same with projects. you WILL face change, you WILL be challenged, you WILL face the client or the boss. By doing “it” now WILL make you standout and shine later. If you want to put it off, just don’t put it off too long. I’m a procrastinator, but the thought of someone saying “it’s a little too late now don’t ya think” gets to me.