Another ITIL
The end of the financial year is fast approaching. If you are thinking that you should be putting some improvements in place ready for the new financial year then you have probably missed the boat. But all is not lost, because there is something you can do that will improve your business without incurring the cost of training, or new software, or some other CAPEX expenditure.
What I'm talking about is so sublime, so simple, so easily implemented, that it is ignored by professionals as not being "serious enough" and yet it brings astounding results.
It's called ITIL, and no, I'm not talking about the Information Technology Infrastructure Library that is the basis for ITSM used by thousands of technology companies around the world. I'm talking about something entirely different.
I'm talking about implementing the "I Touched It Last" rule into your business.
"I touched it last" is the attitude that makes me responsible for something until either it is completed, or I have handed it over properly to someone else. Handing something over properly does not allow me to leave it for someone else to finish. ITIL means I own the task, and I own the result.
It means I take responsibility for not only finishing something, but full accountability for what happens if I don't finish the task properly.
I have seen this one simple little change in attitude towards work transform a business culture from one of confusion, duplication, and omission (actually in one case it was utter bedlam!) to one of certainty, ownership, pride and calm. Think for a minute about the words I have chosen here. A busy business does not have to be chaotic. It does not have to be confused. It does not have to be chasing its tail. A busy business can be organised. It can be consistent. It needs to be calm.
When ITIL is embraced in an organisation it also shows up where people are under-worked or over-worked. People taking pride in their outcomes will communicate when circumstances effect their ability to perform. People who have experienced the benefits of ITIL and find themselves with time on their hands are more eager to look for new challenges. Think about the outcome of having employees fully connected with their job responsibilities.
ITIL introduces certainty for workers. People become proud of what they are doing. Initially it may be because they don't want to wear the wrath of their boss when they forget about something. It may be because they don't want to fail their work colleagues. Soon though, it will be because they have a pride in what they are doing, or how well they have done it. Soon, they will be sure of their accomplishments and will be able to answer or provide details with certainty. Soon enough, they will become known for that certainty, that sureness, that positive force in the workplace. Eventually, they will be known as someone who can be depended on, someone who is an expert about their work.
And you will reap the benefits.
Posted by
Mark Chimes