I have had a wonderful run with the new book these last few months. I have had the opportunity to speak at four events and countless webinars. I have learned many things, but a big lesson that I have learned is that change in the US is difficult. I don’t know why this is, and I must confess that I am also resistant to change.
So, like any person that prides himself on data, research and wise counsel (and only has 20 minutes to write a blog)… I went to the internet to do the thinking for me. I typed in “why do people hate change” and Yahoo suggested that I search for “why do people hate change so much” – so, I ran with it. Here are the answers that were given:
- Because I’m lazy and I like routine. It’s so easy when you have a pattern and just stick to it and you know exactly what’s going down all the time.
- I think it boils down to a fear of the unknown. If you change something, you never know beforehand how it will turn out and so you’re afraid of all the “what ifs”.
- Having a routine can sometimes be hard to change once you’re used to something.
- ‘Cuz it takes up space in their pockets, and makes that annoying jingly sound when they run.
I like the last one… I think it fits the seriousness of the topic well. (Ok – hang on) because change for change sake is no good, however change for the sake of saving money is great! (Even more research on the internet) I read a story of a man whose grandmother collected change year round and used it to buy all of her Christmas presents (hundreds of dollars worth) and another who took their jars of change to Vegas to insure no overspending… that one is not too smart – I am sure they lost it all. My wife takes the change we collect and sends it through one of those counters at the grocery store and gets bills, and then promptly goes to Tuesday Morning and lets my youngest buy whatever she wants. My youngest is Ada, she is 3 – by the way, she woke up one morning and asked if I could take her to Tuesday Morning – it’s one of those classier “whatever fell of the truck” kind of stores – I said, “Maybe”. Then she said, “Ok, if we don’t go to Tuesday Morning, then I want to go to Disneyland”. We had a good time at Tuesday Morning that day… excellent negotiation, don’t you think?
I came up with the title “Everything is going terrible so don’t rock the boat”, because folks without a plan to automate don’t really care how great the outcome can be (and, if done right, will be) because of that fear of the unknown. That fear is a real driver in automation decisions. I have dedicated the Argument to Automate – How Innovation Can INSPIRE Not Fire to the idea that once you have found your ROI, or for this blog… your loose change, a plan (not just a plan, but a good plan) is needed to capture that ROI and change your company for the better.
Buy the book – The Argument to Automate – How Innovation Can INSPIRE Not Fire – click here to buy
(Also) To get your copy of The 8 Pitfalls of Accounts Payable Automation – click here to buy
For more information go to www.costperinvoice.com
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