Walking Away from Immediate Gratification to Take Your Company into the 22nd Century
Immediate gratification, aka a “quick fix,” is something so many of us (from the most disciplined to the more laid back) gravitate towards for the simplest reason. The reward is immediate; the momentary urge we have is satisfied.
Whether it’s eating an extra cookie, buying the newest gadget or getting a great deal, the pleasure center in our brain goes off and we deal with any consequences later. But immediate gratification or a “quick fix” isn’t something we just seek in our personal lives. It’s something we also seek professionally because when we go to work we take our whole self, not just a part of us.
However, plugging a hole in the dam for that “quick fix” is not what is oftentimes needed; rather, rebuilding the whole dam is what is required.
A key example of this was highlighted during a discussion with one of my friends. His client had a legacy program in which a good number of their customers participated. Unfortunately, the program, as it was structured, was not a good fit for the organization. There were pain points in many areas behind the scenes that ultimately came to the forefront and were experienced by the customers. Overall, comparing the pros and cons, it was really an under-performing program which required an inordinate amount of resources (staff time, funding resources, etc) for the ROI.
His client approached him with a key goal: turn around the legacy program so that it uses fewer resources, breaks even and delivers a high-quality program for customers. My friend was given the timeline of one year. It was a big request so he got started right away. As he began to peel back layers of this legacy program, it became clear early on that the REAL problem was NOT the inordinate amount of staff time, high expenses or low revenue. The REAL problem was that the program didn’t align with the major tenets of the company’s strategy, and so much time was being spent on the program that there wasn’t staff time to enhance other offerings and develop more innovative products. By focusing so much attention on this one program, staff was missing the opportunity to engage their audience and provide a richer, more positive overall, customer experience.
The program didn’t need to be turned around. The program needed to be cut.
Through bated breath my friend delivered this message to his client. This was not the message the client wanted to hear, nor was it the deliverable that he had been given. However, my friend had years’ worth of data, case studies and evidence to show a sound business case to cut the program.
As executives, we are often faced with making tough decisions and sometimes the answer to our REAL problem might actually cause a lot of short term work, problem solving and crisis management. However, taking a long-term approach to solving complex problems, especially when customers don’t want to see change, requires vision, stamina and commitment. Immediate gratification is like plugging a hole in the dam.
When the focus and energy is spent tearing down, redesigning and rebuilding the entire dam, that is actually transforming an organization into an innovator in the 21st century and one that will forge ahead into the 22nd century.
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