Should I change my ways?

Should I change it or not, that seems to be the question. Let’s say for example, that you have been doing business for several years and you have your ways. Over time you discover problems with your business and you bring in a consultant. That consultant will of course come up with a new way for you to do business. The question is, should you change or are your ways so set that it will be very difficult to change. The odds are good that the new way is better.

This is a common concern. If you keep doing it the old way you will reach a limit in the number of cases you can handle, so you should consider the new idea. Part of that consideration has to be what it would take to really surrender to it. The other part of this would be the strength of your belief that the new way is actually better. I believe that it is fair to bring both of these topics into the discussion. If you are leaning to trying the new way of doing business you need a solid transition plan. You probably will not be able to implement every new idea instantly, so plan how you will introduce the ideas.

There is always a temptation to fall back on the old ways, so plan on not doing that. Figure out a way to prevent sliding back into old habits. I have seen many well thought out strategic plans (and very expensive plans) get thrown in the trash can as the old ways are reinstated. There is no easy way to stop the business while you introduce the new ideas. For a period of time the old ways are fresh in your mind and the new ways are foreign to you. When the big push comes it is easy to take the path of least resistance and fall back on the old ways.
So far I have made the assumption that the new idea is a better idea. That is not always true; it could be that it is just an idea to do it in a different way. Frequently I have found that there is more than one way to do something and both ways are just as good. So don’t just accept every idea that is presented without looking closely at it. Getting into the technical aspects of this, we are talking about looking at the return on investment. The investment can me something other than money, it could be time or talent. Look at all aspects of the new idea. Will it take a new skill, some kind of new support, or even more space to implement? All of that must be factored into the return on investment formula.