Execution Premise #5 – “The Soft Stuff is the Hard Stuff”--Michael Hammer

This sounds trite, but it really is true. Large projects are not just technology projects. They are strategic business projects with a significant technology component and significant organizational change management.

As leaders you need to respect that the “soft stuff” can and will blindside you. You need to find ways to keep your finger on the pulse of your audience. You need a well orchestrated communications plan. You need clear training documents that train people how to perform business processes, not execute a software module. You need feedback mechanisms for your audience to raise issues. You will also need to be able to respond quickly when a mutiny occurs, because they are so common. The best leaders anticipate them occurring and take steps to prevent them from happening.
As leaders, find experts who can educate you in recognizing an impending mutiny before it occurs.

Conclusion

Daniel Burnham, the brilliant architect behind much of Chicago’s history said “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably will themselves not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will not die.”

As leaders, you need to think big. Once you get it done, then think bigger.
Real leaders are unfulfilled if they envision and execute the next big thing. And remember, a good friend and mentor says “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.”