Happy Friday,

Last week it was 90 degrees, and this week it's in the 70s with brisk mornings. Almost like someone flipped a switch and said it's Fall now.

A quick update on my beekeeping season—I harvested 10 medium frames of honey which was approximately 2.5 gallons that I packaged into 34, 8 oz jars that I'll be giving away and selling. One hive lost its queen and was unable to recover, so I combined both hives using a newspaper.

My client work has been focused on product and product strategy lately, which I've enjoyed, but it isn't what I'm truly excellent at. Sometimes I worry about if my knowledge and skill will atrophy, and that leads me to this morning's email.

I want to talk about change. More specifically, a technique or approach that is super simple yet very effective.

Whenever my clients want change, my approach involves several things and one of them is to lighten the load of the people I'll be influencing.

So let's say my client wants me to cut development time and improve quality (My sweet spot). I will go to the team and ask everyone, "What can I do for you that will take a little off your plate?" I'm looking for their chores. I want their annoyances that take up room in their hearts and minds. I will then do that chore for them.

That's the whole technique!

By taking that load off their plate, they have more space to think, consider, and engage with the rest of the change I might be encouraging. I also develop trust faster with them as we quickly form a relationship over the chores. Last, I get better insight into the reality of their work instead of sitting comfortably on the outside.

All too often, people try to push change onto people who don't have the capacity to deal with it. Sort of like someone throwing more food on their plate while saying, "You have to eat it all." One way or another, something will fall off that plate because they can only eat so much. And the only person who decides what falls off the plate is the person eating.

So I take something off their plate first before I present something new.

Again though, I'm not trying to solve for this chore or anything like that. I just make it not their problem. I'll do the work by hand if I need to. Even though it might seem like a chore that could be automated. Asking them to adapt to automation is a change, and without actually taking something off their plate first, I would have added even more to it. I would have added the need to change their work process.

Now, I could take that same thing off their plates, then while I'm handling it, automate it and bring it back to them. Then I'm offering something smaller on a plate that has room.

I hope this makes sense because it is one of the best ways to bring about change for a group rapidly that I know. Even if I could snap my fingers and make everything better, they'd try to stop me if they were too overwhelmed.

So there you have it. A simple, powerful technique to spur along change quickly. Ask, "What can I do for you," and do it.

By the way, I'm accepting new clients. If your group would benefit from my services or can provide an introduction to someone who can, please give me a call.

Here's my weekly update for September 23rd, 2022...

🗒️ So You Want To Launch a Product

Everyone loves thinking about all the features their new software product will have, but many other elements need that same level of attention.

I am guilty of missing some of these myself or at least putting them off too long.

Here is an incomplete list of the “other stuff” you may need to deal with if you want to launch a product.

Click here to read more

Enjoy,

Ryan Latta