Skills and mindset assessment

In change initiatives, I have often seen leaders jump from aspiration blueprint (Step 1: Discover) to execution (Step 3: Pilot), which is a mistake. Albert Einstein famously said that we can’t solve today’s problems by using the same thinking we used when we created them. One of the most critical steps to understand an organization’s preparedness for transformation is assessing the skills and mindset required for the change. Skills are technical and hard in nature and are essential for achieving desired performance. For example, a company struggling with margin deterioration and capacity constraints due to maintenance issues needs mastery of TPM to achieve zero breakdowns in capital-intensive operations. So, the company needs to put TPM skills development as a key action on the transformation roadmap. On the other hand, mindset is soft in nature and are the shared beliefs and practices that drive organizational behavior. It acts as a subconscious of the organization, and every change decision goes through this filter. This is where new ideas and aspirations fail the test and go nowhere. For example, it’s difficult to innovate and take risks for new products in an organization with a deep-rooted compliance culture. So, a shift in mindset from “following the rules” to “improving and innovating” is needed to establish product leadership. Whether it’s improving margins in the short term, creating growth in the medium term, or developing innovative products in the long term, every stage of the aspiration blueprint requires a careful analysis of skills and mindset. It is always pointless to invest in technology, process, and system changes without planning for the right skills and mindset. Assessing skills and mindset follow a 3 step process: 1) Understand the skills and mindset of the future (requirements coming from aspiration blueprint) 2) Assess the current skill and mindset (assessment and analysis against the requirements) 3) Identify gaps and create an action plan to fill the gaps Any plans for transformation must be realistic and take account of the current state of skills and mindset. Without knowing where we are, we can’t plan for where we want to go. Connect with me or DM me for an operational assessment and 90-day productivity excellence program.

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