<!-- Google tag (gtag.js) --> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-Q2MC6HHGTH"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-Q2MC6HHGTH'); </script><script id="Cookiebot" src="https://consent.cookiebot.com/uc.js" data-cbid="9a575506-32c3-4ed2-8123-3527a9a1f3a7" type="text/javascript" async></script> ![[Pasted image 20250111010655.png]] I have a thing for organization, which is more than evident by the title of my blog. However, one thing that is a little disconcerting for me is when someone says that I need to not get distracted by what Steven Covey would have referred to as “the whirlwind.”  I have been around a while (half a century now) and enjoy the whirlwind almost as much as getting things done. This is not to be dismissive of the fact that things need to get accomplished, and that organization is a key to this. However, completing projects does not always mean doing things in order. Let me take you on a little journey. Imagine you walk into an organization that is predominantly server-based with no real “cloud” presence (don’t worry, I am not going to bog you down with nerdy details….although I could). You come in and you are tasked with modernizing the technology infrastructure. Your plan includes the following: -  Office 365 Trial – 60 days, including SharePoint and Microsoft Teams - Managed Service Provider Evaluation – 90 days, evaluating the ability to support the potential migration. - Onboarding institution for cloud transition – 180 days. Now, imagine that a global pandemic disrupts these plans, and you now have 30 days to accomplish most of the above tasks, while protecting the health, safety, and well-being of employees and customers. This is not a hypothetical situation but what happened during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. What would you do? How would you handle it? The truth is that there is no easy answer. This situation requires a level of nimbleness that is not taught but learned over time. It requires being available and adaptive all at the same time. You must be able to plan out the proper steps (migrating to the cloud), while still acknowledging that people (employees, stakeholders, and the public) need you to be “in the moment.” Here are some of the fallacies that we can fall into: - **Create Negative Space** – This is a true enough maxim when it comes to not taking on so much that you are overwhelmed, but we should never see it as an immovable object. What does it hurt to take a moment and reply to a quick email that may provide peace of mind? -  **Everything is on the List** – This is perhaps the biggest delimiter. It is not quite the same as creating negative space, which means giving yourself time to think, reflect, and adapt. Instead, this is being focused and disciplined enough to get things done. While I think this is necessary for success, if you do not build in time to address the “surprises,” you are dooming yourself to failure. So, let’s go back to our cloud migration scenario. What did we do? For clarification, I say “we” because there are no scenarios where one person is completely responsible for change. Regardless of what you may read or hear, different people bring strengths and weaknesses to a change effort. One person can play a larger role, but the truth is that change fails if there is not a clear vision and objective. Okay, back to the scenario, we: - **Created a Small Working Group** – The team included someone from every department (Communication, Administrative, Public Services). - **Piloted Changes** – Worked with the group to test the environment and called on expertise to identify and mitigate challenges. - **Roll out Changes** – Identify one person as the primary point of contact, with others listed as support for overflow. I was privileged to be the point person on the rollout. Yes, this meant a tremendous number of hours on my part and for the entire team. However, the result was that as each person completed the onboarding process, regardless of whether it was at 2:00 PM or 1:00 AM, they received the same dancing version of Snoopy.  The point is that if we went strictly “by the book,” or list, we would have missed out on the opportunity to create real change. Going off script can be just as useful, if not more so, than checking off a to-do list. One last note, I am sure there are a few of you reading this who may be thinking: “Well of course you had buy-in, it was a pandemic.” While there was a definite sense of urgency to do something, there were a whole lot of “potential somethings” out there. We could have thought just in the moment and solved the immediate problem. However, what we did was think about other potential challenges down the road and solved those by using this momentum. **| [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdofOksT0V35qf1-zqsIXUQ/) | [Patreon](https://patreon.com/OrganizingforChange?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink) | [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/edward.w.finn/) | [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/changeagent1820/) | [Threads](https://www.threads.net/@changeagent1820) | [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/change1820.bsky.social) | [X](https://x.com/EdFinnIII) | | [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/6Tvle14n3fjG8mn0DGfO1G?si=k4B3ocohTI2EuNoFWos1GA) | [iHeart Radio](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-change-chat-274015995/) | [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/change-chat/id1812220268) |**