Introduction
As outlined in the article “Crafting Your Digital Transformation Story” it is important to craft your digital transformation story. That will help you, your colleagues, your clients, your suppliers, and your other important stakeholders understand the way you planned your digital transformation and implemented digital improvements.
Crafting and delivering stories helps people understand and remember what you have done and why you have done it. Stories improve understanding and if well told they can become the fabric of your business culture, bolstering morale and achievements.
This applies whether you have big stories to tell or only small stories, at this time. Small stories can lead to big stories.
Digital Transformation: Start with Questions and Stories that Bring Clarity
How will “digital transformation” add value to your business?
The first question – What does “digital transformation” mean? Do those words mean the same thing to you as they mean to the other people?
Here’s Salesforce’s definition
“Digital transformation is the process of using digital technologies to create new — or modify existing — business processes, culture, and customer experiences to meet changing business and market requirements. This reimagining of business in the digital age is digital transformation.”
When we boil it down, “digital transformation” is bringing value to your business by using computers to reduce people’s workload and improve performance of certain tasks.
Build stories around the answers to these questions –
- Do you want to add value to your people and your business?
- Do you believe increased use of computers can provide more value to your people and your business?
- What resources and money can you provide to bring value to your people and your business?
- How much of those resources and money do you want to dedicate to digital transformation?
- Which specific digital transformation initiatives will bring the best bang for your buck?
Make sure your digital transformation actions and the stories about those actions –
- Consider the impact of digital transformation on people and your business,
- Start with stories about small initiatives that your people will understand and embrace, and
- Follow a set of guidelines, for example, the guidelines presented by Chip Heath and Dan Heath in their book, ‘Made to Stick’.
The Heath brothers’ Six Principles of Sticky communications: SUCCESs
- Simple: Sticky messages contain a core message, which is shared with an audience in a compact package
- Unexpected: Sticky messages contain an unexpected element, which surprises the audience, makes them pay attention, holds their attention, and sustains their interest
- Concrete: Sticky messages contain concrete details, not abstract concepts. This helps the audience understand and remember the message. And it allows people to bridge the gaps between their thinking.
- Credible: Sticky messages cause people to agree and help people believe. Experts provide external credibility. Convincing details help the audience experience internal credibility.
- Emotional: Sticky messages make people care. They appeal to us as individuals: they appeal to self-interest and they appeal to sense of identity.
- Story: Sticky messages contain stories, which tell people how to act and give people the energy to act. Sticky messages inspire.
Clarity is a key to success in business and in story-telling
Business leaders should lead their organization’s quest for clarity.
With digital transformation being such a “hot topic”, regardless of your position in your organization, you can deliver clear and compelling stories about your company’s digital transformation.
When you clarify how digital transformation has added value throughout your organization you will:
- remove communication gaps,
- improve stakeholder interactions, and
- improve your profits.
As is often the case, good questions are a terrific way to explore topics, enhance communication, and ensure your digital transformation stories are delivered with clarity.
Include digital transformation on meeting agendas…celebrate your company’s, your department’s, and individuals’ successes by sharing ‘personal impact’ stories.
Two Key Ways to Energize Your People and Transform Your Organization
Promote creativity at your organization and observe how that builds employees’ positive energy. You will quickly see that creativity and positive energy transform your people’s attitudes and your organization’s performance. Include stories of people’s transformations when you talk about digital transformation. Digital transformation frees up people’s time…talk about how well your people have used that freed-up time.
Injecting Creativity to Transform Your Organization
Inject ‘digital advancements’ into your service and product offerings. Discover innovative ‘digital ways’ to position your products and enhance your customers’ experiences, enabling them to obtain more value. Sustained customer enablement will help you transform your organization.
When you become a “possibilitarian” leader, you and your people will be energized. When you are confident about your vision, mission, and the value you deliver to clients you will be willing to be adventuresome. You will breeze through temporary failures, and you will help your people march to success after success. These experiences should be shared in your digital transformation stories.
Curiosity is the starting point for invention, innovation, and creativity.
You can build these energizing words when you build your digital transformation stories.
Here’s the picture:
When your people’s curiosity results in creative ideas, actions, and digital efficiencies, your organization will deliver increased value to your clients. Your people and your organization will be transformed.