During IDS®, our leadership team has a habit of proposing software purchases and external consultants as the solution to every issue. How do we steer them toward process, accountability, and behavior changes instead of spending money?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a leadership team defaults to buying software or hiring consultants to solve operational issues, they are avoiding the hard work of accountability and process design. Technology and external help are amplifiers, not cures. If you apply technology to a broken process, you just get a faster broken process. To break this expensive habit during IDS®, the facilitator must implement a hard filter: you are not allowed to propose spending money until you have fully explored the human and process options. Start by asking if the issue is a GWC™ failure. Is the person in the seat incapable of running the process? If the person is right, look at the process. Is the process clearly documented and followed by all? If the process is followed but still failing, can we simplify the workflow or reallocate resources on the Accountability Chart? Only when you have verified that the right people are in the right seats and following a simple, clear process should you discuss technology as an accelerator. This discipline keeps your overhead low, forces your team to take ownership, and builds a highly profitable, scalable business that is ready for an exit.