Decided to become a transformation leader?
Congratulations. Potential "death" awaits you at every turn and in between.
If you are already experienced and able to avoid mistakes in the spirit of “now we will change everything”, then perhaps all you need is the trust of management.
Just do not flatter yourself in advance, at some stages trust will closely border on faith. And occasionally even with hope.
Quiet whirlpool.
The first time trust will be needed when 3-4 months are spent on preparation and the result is not expected. You know that the main thing is not to cause harm, to master the legacy, to comprehend the corporate culture, to develop approaches to transformation. And for management, it's time to close the probationary period or sum up the work of contractors.
Pride and insignificance.
The second time trust will come in handy is when the next 3 months will be spent working on the back-end, processes and documentation. No matter how huge your own work “under the hood” may seem to you, the result will not look presentable even on a corporate template. And it will only lead to changes in the facial expressions of the financial director.
A crisis.
The third stage is overcome only by the strong in spirit. Trust will be critical when launching new processes, features and approaches. The long-awaited result will immediately disappear under an avalanche of dissatisfied users who have flown out of their comfort zone, as if from a hot frying pan. And incidentally found defects. And the smarter ones will open the black market at all on your decision and will have time to cash in pretty well by the end of the crisis. Be that as it may, it will be questioned, criticized, resisted. And rumors about your incompetence will seep into the management offices, asking: “Is it necessary at such a price?”.
Inflation.
Trust will also not become superfluous when all defects are eliminated. Because by that time everyone will forget how dull their past was before implementation. A steadily growing cumulative result will be addictive and will be taken for granted. No references to your merits. And the management will think again - where is the result?
Industrial Revolution.
If you still live to see the moment when everything is settled, you will have about 2-3 months to enjoy and let go. Because soon the management or the client will decide that this work can be done by less qualified personnel.
