Getting involved at the beginning, I was confident that I could prevent transformation failure from happening in the first place. That became my new focus.
I immediately took a 4-month sabbatical from client work and, inspired by my successes (and lessons learned), created a methodology that would assure the success of any business transformation from a business startup to organizational restructuring and large-scale digital transformation. And so, Transform Strategy to Action™ (or TS2A™) was born. TS2A™establishes the keys to success and ensures that businesses are ready before commencing on a transformational journey.
And will you succeed? Yes, you will indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)
~ Dr. Seuss, American author
TS2A™ focuses on four main categories which address the issues typically faced by organizations in their attempts to transform:
1. Strategic Intent
2. Business Definition and Design
3. Transformation Readiness
4. Transformation Plan and Roadmap
I have substantially mitigated the risks and issues my clients typically encounter and positioned them to embark on successful transformation journeys attaining real, measurable results. Positioning for success is accomplished by ensuring that leadership is fully committed, the right internal business resources are mobilized, the specialized subject matter experts are in place, and, by following the TS2A™ steps (shown in Table 1).
Proven Success
In recent years, my team and I have applied T2SA™ with proven success in a broad range of sectors: transportation, healthcare, consumer product, banking, and government.
For the 17th largest transit company in North America, we helped to conceive, plan and successfully execute an Enterprise Investment Initiative (EII) that far-and-away exceeded all client expectations. The COO told us that “because of your unique approach to identifying investments that deliver real value, our company spent a bit of money resolving our many business problems, instead of millions of dollars automating them.”
Our efforts helped his C-suite team to increase ridership; optimize the customer experience; reduce costs; repair strained partner and union relationships; increase employee satisfaction and fortify the financial sustainability of his company.
For the third largest provincial government in Canada, we developed an elaborate suite of business designs and process optimization strategies.
Our client was positioned to realize their goals to optimize road safety and increase access to timely and fair dispute resolution options for 4.6 million citizens, generate millions of dollars in avoided costs related to healthcare and policing and, enhance public trust and confidence in their government.
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.
~ Charles Darwin, English naturalist, geologist and biologist
1. IBM Global CEO Study (2008)
2. Cap Gemini and MIT Sloan Management Review
3. Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life: How to Unlock Your Full Potential , by Brian Tracy
4. Mejora Consulting Inc., All rights reserved
About Cheryl
Cheryl Wheeler is an inspiring and results-oriented business design and transformation specialist. Ensuring alignment and traceability of actions and investments to business strategies is her passion.
Cheryl grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Driven to get on with life, Cheryl married young and started out her adult life as a stay-at-home Mom. As with the typical challenges faced by marrying so young, a few years later, Cheryl found herself a single parent. Challenged to make ends meet, she quit her job as a file clerk, took out a student loan, and went back to school. She enrolled in the Accelerated Computers Systems Management program at Capilano University in Vancouver where she graduated with honors in 1990.
Armed with new knowledge and bursting with confidence, she took the information technology world by storm and quickly progressed from network support specialist in an engineering company to the Director of Outsourcing for CGI (Canada’s largest IT outsourcing firm), and Account Executive for Cap Gemini Consulting.
After expanding her breadth and depth of knowledge and expertise in management consulting, outsourcing, and business transformation, Cheryl’s goal was to create a reliable, economical alternative to the consulting firms who overwhelm and overbill with unnecessary complexity. A true entrepreneur by nature, Cheryl gave up the corporate world and, in 2006, founded Mejora Consulting Inc.
Under Cheryl’s thought leadership, Mejora has perfected practical approaches to strategic planning, business design and enterprise business architecture, business process optimization, and business transformation.
Cheryl spent a large part of her 25-year career rescuing failing projects and restoring client confidence through well-managed and well-executed engagements. Based on this experience, she created Transform Strategy to Action™, (or TS2A™). This robust methodology examines those areas of the business where there may be misalignment to strategic outcomes and targets – such as policy, organizational structure, people capability and capacity, business processes, infrastructure, and information systems and enabling technologies.
It is suggested that she is the first practitioner on the planet to crack the code on how to sensibly embrace, but not overly engineer the very best aspects of new Agile thinking by adapting TS2A™ to create TS2A - Agile Transformation™.
Over at Mejora, her team views Cheryl as being an impressive entrepreneur, a passionate perfectionist, and a truly authentic natural leader of people.
Cheryl is now focusing on taking Mejora to a new level in assisting clients to achieve long-term and sustainable success. Cheryl will continue to perfect and deliver world-class consulting and training services and is also in the process of providing TS2A™ online in the form of toolkits which include clear, step-by-step instructions, tips and tricks, templates, and instructional videos. Cheryl’s goal is for her clients to build internal business capability and workforce capacity, and avoid becoming ever-dependent on self-focused consultants.
Cheryl recently moved to a stunning ocean-front home in Victoria, British Columbia – proof that TS2A works. In addition to applying TS2A to Mejora’s transformation, Cheryl applied the same concepts to her personal transformation.
If you’d like to learn more, please do not hesitate to contact Cheryl at:
• [email protected]
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheryl-wheeler-18180316/
• 1-604-351-1077
• www.mejora.ca
• https://twitter.com/Mejora_TS2A
CHAPTER 8
HOW TO SET AND ACHIEVE GOALS WITH I.M.P.A.C.T.
BY ELLEN McNEILL, CMSC, CGSC, CMC, CSFC, CPC
A study conducted by Harvard indicates that 83% of the U.S. population do not have goals. I was one of them. That was until 1989.
I was listening to a motivational tape by Tony Robbins when it struck me. What was I doing with my life? I had friends, close family ties, a job, no financial worries, but I felt something was missing. It was a sense of accomplishment. That is when I decided to turn an idea to invent a product, and have it featured on Home Shopping Network (HSN), into an actionable goal.
I drew some sketches of a design for a “hanging” jewelry organizer and created several different prototypes until I found one I was happy with. (This was over thirty years ago, so hanging organizers weren’t yet commonplace).
A local mother-daughter team manufactured the organizer for me.
Now I needed packaging, so I hired a package design firm. Working closely with a designer, we created eye-catching packaging for the organizer.
Only one task remained – how to get the finished product in front of the HSN buyers. Getting appointments with them was almost impossible unless you were a household name. The only place my name was a household name was in my own househol
d.
I watched HSN and noticed a personal trainer who was very popular.
He was frequently on-air offering a variety of training products. I boldly called his office to determine if he would present the organizer to HSN
buyers on my behalf. We set up a meeting and he graciously said he would. I was ecstatic. I was sure the HSN buyers would love the organizer as much as I did and want to put it on-air.
The big presentation day came . . . and went. HSN decided not to accept my organizer.
At first blush this may seem to be a “goal failure” story. It isn’t. I learned early on that something is only a “failure” if you don’t gain knowledge and grow from it. I don’t regret my HSN adventure because I learned:
1. How to set goals and take directed and focused action.
2. That I could design a product from merely a thought, create a prototype and have it made into a product for mass market.
3. How to source a product’s components and find a manufacturer to produce it.
4. That I was creative.
5. That I could contribute to package design for a product.
6. How to write marketing copy for product packaging.
7. That I had the courage to contact a famous person and convince him to meet with me face-to-face.
8. That my organizer could get to the point where it would actually be shown to HSN buyers.
9. To do market research first to determine if there is a problem for which women are seeking a solution.
10. That I could write a design patent application and learn how to submit it for registration (I had an attorney review it).
11. That I could deal with a major disappointment and not merely GO
through it, but GROW through it.
12. That I didn’t know what I didn’t know.
Besides these 12 valuable, life-changing lessons, I did have a major accomplishment that I didn’t anticipate. I was issued three U.S. patents on my jewelry organizer designs.
Another valuable lesson? Having goals are essential to success in life.
WHY SET GOALS ANYWAY?
1. CHOICE VERSUS “COASTING”: Without goals to strive for, you’ll coast through life living at the result of whatever life brings your way. I was coasting before I set the goal to create a product and market it through HSN. I made a conscious decision to stop letting life HAPPEN TO ME and to start MAKING THINGS HAPPEN in my life instead.
2. FOCUS: Goals provide focus and forward direction. They unleash razor sharp “mind power” and can help you feel happier. Once you set a goal it becomes “top of mind”. You’ll automatically compare tasks on your TO-DO list to your goal to determine what to do next and what not to do.
3. CLARITY AND MEANING: Goals bring a sense of simplicity and purpose to life. Your path to a future long-term goal will become visible. Mental “fogginess” will disappear and be replaced with a richer sense of perspective.
4. STRUCTURE: Many of us lack any real structure in our lives. Our “structure” – the “BIG PICTURE” of our lives – can easily become distorted by myriad tasks, interruptions and “stuff” that loudly demands our attention. Having goals will enable you to get back to the “BIG PICTURE” quickly after an interruption or distraction.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE SETTING GOALS
1. WRITE YOUR GOALS DOWN! Avoid just THINKING about setting goals and not doing anything else about them. Writing your goals down, and sharing them with someone who has confidence in you, makes them more concrete and motivating. It’s important to actually WRITE your goals down rather than typing them or using a notetaking app. The mere act of writing your goals down increases the odds of you accomplishing your goals by 42%, according to a study done by Dr. Gail Matthew, psychology professor at Dominican University of Florida.
2. GOALS REQUIRE TIME, EFFORT AND RESOURCES TO ACCOMPLISH: Because we can imagine a goal – which makes it real to us – we can tend to gloss over the details and process that will be involved in accomplishing it. The pace of a high-tech society has led many of us to shift from expecting “instant gratification” to expecting “instant results.” We even get impatient when the driver in front of us takes an extra three seconds to hit the gas. Setting a goal doesn’t get you from “think to blink” where the achievement appears in the blink of an eye. Be prepared to invest a lot of time and put forth genuine effort. “Trying” isn’t going to cut it.
3. A “STRAIGHT LINE GOAL PATH” IS AN ILLUSION: When we set a goal, we expect that the path to achievement will be straightforward, going directly from “A” to “B”. The reality is that the road to accomplishment is more like a winding road with many curves. The road will curve right, left, lead to other roads and change into yet another road. Accept that the “Straight Line Goal Path” does not exist. If you don’t, you will experience disappointment and frustration when a setback occurs or an obstacle appears.
4. CHANGE IS GOING TO COME: Answer the following question before you set a goal, “Am I willing to do things differently, totally change habits and routines, and make sacrifices and tradeoffs in order to accomplish my goal?” Anything new that you move forward on in life or business, including setting goals, will require that changes be made somewhere. A common response to change is “resistance.” You may experience this as well even if YOU set the goal that caused the change. That’s because the world will change around you as you change. Keep moving forward and be prepared for unanticipated and surprising changes. Carl Jung, founder of analytical psychology, brilliantly said, “What you resist persists.”
THE I.M.P.A.C.T. GOAL SETTING APPROACH
Looking back on my first goal setting adventure – creating a product and getting it in front of HSN buyers – I realized that I was unknowingly following certain steps to set, and get, my goal.
Analyzing those steps led to development of the I.M.P.A.C.T. approach to goal setting. These six steps will help you set and get your goals while encouraging and motivating you at the same time. I.M.P.A.C.T. represents:
1. I NTENTION
2. M EASURABLE
3. P OWERFUL
4. A CTIONABLE
5. C OMPELLING
6. T IMED
The steps overlap and work together to provide a success-oriented framework for setting and achieving goals. Here they are:
1. INTENTION
An INTENTION is your overarching, broad statement of a vision, dream or idea. For a business, it is a “rough target” or “aim” a company considers such as increasing annual revenue.
THINKING ABOUT >>>> DECISION >>>> TAKING ACTION
>____________________________________>
INTENTION >> TRANSFORM >> GOAL
Making the decision to shape your INTENTION into a goal, puts the vision, dream or idea into “action mode”. There is now an opportunity to transform your INTENTION into a reality.
When setting a goal, do not use non-powerful words like “WANT” or be vague or general. Thinking – “We want to increase our business income over the next three years.” – is not a goal. It’s merely a statement and a wish.
A goal must be positive, well-defined and stated clearly with as much precision as possible. Here’s the “thought” above worded perfectly as a precise goal that can be easily communicated and understood:
“The Company’s goal is that we WILL increase our current annual sales as of (current date) by 50%, by the end of the 36th month from (current date).”
The goal now includes all of the information requested throughout the six steps of the I.M.P.A.C.T. method. It provides direction for the company and its team members, is not vague or general, and states “WILL” versus
“WANT”.
2. MEASURABLE
Awareness of whether or not you are making headway on your goal is critical. Tracking and measuring progress will provide that information.
It’s also a form of accountability for yourself and your team members.
Begin the measuring process by asking, “How w
ill I measure progress on my goal?” The measuring criterion should be objective, meaningful and quantifiable.
Progress on the three-year sales goal cited above can be easily measured in dollars and percentages based on how the goal is worded.
Reports on advancement of the goal should be reviewed frequently to determine if:
a. The Company is meeting its target numbers.
b. Something has occurred to impede progress.
c. The goal is in a “holding pattern.”
d. Something unexpected has happened.
You can track progress annually, monthly or weekly because the goal as stated breaks down to a rounded percentage increase of:
> 17% annually
> 1.40% monthly
> 0.35% weekly
If you are not satisfied with progress at any given point, identify what is affecting the results. This will enable you to fix the problem before it becomes unmanageable. Without progress reports, a problem can balloon out of control and derail accomplishment of the goal.
3. POWERFUL
To set a POWERFUL goal the first thing you need to change is your belief in yourself and your team.
Many goal setting models suggest setting goals that are “realistic” and “attainable” so you will not be disappointed if you don’t achieve them.
Who is to say what is “realistic” or “attainable” for you? No one but you can know what you or your company are capable of when you all have focus and direction.
“Uplevel” a previous goal you have set. Set a goal that pushes your limits. A POWERFUL goal forces you to increase your knowledge and sometimes take quantum leaps. You may not be sure exactly HOW the goal will be accomplished. You just know that it will.
We each have skills and know-hows that come naturally to us or that we have learned and developed over the years. We don’t necessarily use all of them every day so we are not consciously aware of all of them until they appear. Determine what skills and competencies you and your team may need to acquire to accomplish your goal and get training that will move the goal forward.
Ready, Set, Go! (Special Edition) Page 7
