Starting a modernization journey is an exciting yet daunting experience. It will touch many people and could fail in many socio-technical ways. It may seem intuitive to begin by building a compelling vision and marketing the idea throughout the company, showing people the importance of modernization and your brilliant ideas for achieving it.
However, I recommend taking the opposite approach: start by listening; listen to a diverse group of people, from senior leaders to individual contributors, to understand what they’re trying to achieve and the challenges they face on their journeys.
Listening to people is a great way to build up a picture of the true value of modernization. It’s also an excellent opportunity to work on building relationships. Not only does listening to people’s needs lead to better business outcomes, but it also increases your chances of getting support and buy-in. It’s liberating in the sense that you can enjoy having conversations and not feel the pressure of needing to provide immediate solutions.