PIVOT OR PERISH: How to (Maturely) Manage A Change in Client Direction
The dreaded pivot. We’ve all been there as consultants. You’re asked to do “x,” and suddenly, without warning, your client changes their mind on the direction of the project.
“Let’s do y instead.”
After you’ve already spent weeks on a strategy in support of x! How can we better prepare ourselves for this inevitability?
Pivots happen. Leaders get nervous. New technology constraints emerge. There are a multitude of internal and external pressures our partners face we may not be privy to. We must be agile and flexible if we’re to react and respond to these pivots in a constructive healthy way (after we’ve done our fair share of grumbling to sympathetic colleagues, of course). And it’s never more important than with a training and development project, where the pivots are more frequent and the technology variables always shifting.
Here are a few things to remember when you’re kicking off a project:
1. Trust your Storyboard
Remember those? We’ve moved as a creative learning industry away from storyboards and course outlines and towards a more agile approach, which is great. Except I’d argue that taking the time to produce a storyboard makes us more pivot friendly. If you have a course or lesson plan written down on paper before starting down the development path in an e-Learning platform, you can pivot to the classroom more easily than if you’re stuck with an interactive draft and need to suddenly think about facilitation.
2. Keep it Sustainable
The best solutions for our clients are ones that empower them to take the reigns when we leave. Does the team you’re supporting have someone capable of developing (or at least maintaining) the interaction solution you’re suggesting? If not, build that into the timeline with some train-the-trainer activities. Or consider a sustainability plan to mitigate the challenges with updates and yearly review cycles. The more time you spend on the legwork necessary to create a truly sustainable solution, the less money or energy your client will spend in the future. And those savings will translate to a healthier business relationship in the long run.
3. Just Say Yes
It stings when your client changes their mind, and the strategy you’ve been hard at work on suddenly seems like wasted hours. We get it. You want to fight for what you believe in and make them understand why your solution is right for the company long-term. And you may be 100% correct! As consultants, we’re not often the decision-makers and are expected to execute our client leaders’ vision, however often it changes direction. Things will ultimately turn out better if you accept the new direction and focus your energies on making it work rather than fighting for a different point of view. That age-old idiom “the customer is always right” has stuck around for a reason.
Hopefully these simple actions will make your next pivot a little less painful. Pivot or perish!
About the Author: KEVIN HOLLO | CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Despite the title, Kevin is more than just a creative face. With roots in academia and a passion for learning and development, he’s responsible for leading all training engagements and manages a talented team of designers and developers. He’s particularly excited about building performance management programs for brands like At Home and guiding clients like Essence through the rocky waters of the cannabis industry. When it comes to how Change 4 Growth looks & feels, Kevin is capably steering the ship via marketing efforts, brand collateral, and sales presentations. Join him at the Buckeye Strength Lab in Grandview for a killer workout!