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Embracing Uncertainty: How to Get Untangled & Make Constant Change Work for Your Org
- 1. Embracing Uncertainty How to Get Untangled & Put Constant Change to Work for Your Organization.
- 2. Gladly Confidential 2 “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” - Mike Tyson
- 3. Hi I’m Matt. Matt Powell Chief Technology Officer, FTD @mpowell /matthewpowell
- 4. FTD is a 113-year old flower & gifting marketplace. Serving 90% of American households Via a network of 10,000 small business florists Delivering 7 million orders a year Using our marketplace and SaaS tech stack
- 5. AUGUST 2019 APRIL 2020
- 6. Empowerment is the antidote to uncertainty. The more we can empower each person to respond flexibly and autonomously in the moment, with the least amount of direction, while ensuring actions ladder up to what we’re doing as an organization, the better the results and the more uncertainty transforms from a risk to an opportunity.
- 8. Empowerment starts with alignment OUR EMPOWERMENT FRAMEWORK
- 9. Gladly Confidential 9 “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower
- 10. Highly-aligned companies grow revenue +50% faster, are +70% more profitable and retain customers at 2x the rate of their competitors. LSA Global 3X Organizational Alignment Research
- 11. OUR EMPOWERMENT FRAMEWORK Tool for enablement to expand empowerment
- 12. TOOL FOR ENABLEMENT Enable teams to drive better and faster outcomes on their own ● Self-service access to data ● Self-service tools for frequent change ● Fluid processes that expect change ● “Combined arms” structures
- 13. CONSUMER ECOMMERCE CUSTOMER SERVICE
- 14. Psychological safety is a prerequisite. OUR FRAMEWORK FOR EMPOWERMENT
- 16. PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY How we foster psychological safety ● Radical transparency ● Blame how not who ● Leadership vulnerability
- 17. Empowerment is the antidote to uncertainty. Alignment Enablement Psychological Safety
- 18. Thank you.
Editor's Notes
- ANYTHING CAN CHANGE, AT ANY TIME PANDEMIC. INFLATION. INVASION OF UKRAINE. WEB3. GENERATIVE AI, HISTORIC INTEREST RATES HIKES. BANK COLLAPSES. MASS SHOOTINGS. SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTION. DROUGHTS. FLOODS. LAYOFFS. REMOTE WORK. RETURN TO WORK. SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CHANGE. RIGID ANNUAL CYCLES CHANGE HAPPENS BEFORE THE INK DRIES I DON’T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS HOPEFULLY A NUGGET OR TWO FROM FTD’S EXPERIENCE
- WHO IS TALKING AT YOU FOR NEXT 18 MATT POWELL, CTO @ FTD 215-PERSON TECH IN US & INDIA 75-PERSON CAPTIVE CONTACT CENTER IN US BPO IN PHILIPPINES
- 113-YEAR OLD FLOWER & GIFTING MARKETPLACE 90% FOR SAME DAY DELIVERY NETWORK OF NEARLY 10,000 SMALL BUSINESS FLORISTS PROCESS AND DELIVER 7-MILLION ORDERS A YEAR SMB FLORISTS SAAS FOR.. LOCAL ECOMMERCE -> LOCAL DELIVERY -> STORE OPERATIONS -> & POINT OF SALE -> TO EACH OTHER
- JOINED AFTER BANKRUPTCY WHICH FOLLOWED A MAJOR (INCOMPLETE) ACQUISITION OF 4 BRANDS AND NEW WAY OF DOING BIZ FIRST DAY APRIL 1ST 2020 7-DAYS AFTER LOCKDOWN HEADWIND & DOWN 30-50% TAILWIND & YACHT CHECKS HEADWIND & NEW NORMAL FTD IS THE LAND OF UNCERTAINTY
- WILL SHARE 3 WAYS FTD HAS RESPONDED ALL BOIL DOWN TO SAME IDEA EMPOWERMENT —> SEE SLIDE TOP-DOWN HAS… TOO MUCH INERTIA, TOO SLOW MISSES THE OPPORTUNITIES HIDDEN IN THE NUANCES TOO LITTLE THROUGHPUT DISCOURAGES BRAVERY, AUTONOMY AND PERSONAL OWNERSHIP. WATERS DOWN BOLD IDEAS WINNING IN DYNAMIC WORLD DEPENDS ON WAY OF WORKING THAT EMPOWERS
- STRUCTURE / LEADERSHIP CANNOT BE FOR APPROVAL & OVERSIGHT RATHER SYSTEMS FOR FOSTERING ALIGNMENT, ENABLING TEAMS / PEOPLE, & CREATING ENVIRONMENT WHERE HUMANS THRIVE OUR FRAMEWORK IS 3 THINGS: ALIGNMENT, ENABLEMENT, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY. LET’S TALK ABOUT HOW THAT LOOKS.
- EMPOWERING PEOPLE STARTS WITH ALIGNMENT. ALIGNED ORGANIZATIONS AGREE ON A BUSINESS STRATEGY, EXECUTION & SUCCESS METRICS. THE BEST USE SIMPLE, JARGON FREE, MEMORABLE LANGUAGE. EASY FOR PEOPLE UNDERSTAND, UNLIKELY FOR PEOPLE TO GET CONFUSED, AND PREVENTS UNHELPFUL DEBATE CELLULAR UNIT INTO A MICROCOSM OF THE WHOLE. EVERYONE CLEAR EXCITED ABOUT MISSION EVERYONE UNDERSTAND STRUCTURE & WHY EVERYONE CLEAR ON AND COMMITTED TO THE PROCESS EVERYONE CLEAR ON HOW WE MEASURE SUCCESS. SINGLE, SIMPLE, STANDARD, OBJECTIVE, BROADLY APPLICABLE. JUST AS WELL IN THIS AND THAT. IF WE CAN DO ALL THAT... ALIGNMENT ENABLES EMPOWERMENT
- THE ALLIED INVASION ON D-DAY AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF ALIGNED EMPOWERMENT. JUNE 6TH, 1944, JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING WENT WRONG 13,000 BOMBS DROPPED MISSED. NAVAL BOMBARDMENT FAILED ON POSITIONS ON BEACHHEADS. PARATROOPERS SEPARATED FROM THEIR UNITS AND MISSION OBJECTIVES. MEN ON BEACHES FAR FROM THEIR LANDING ZONES. AMERICA’S FLOATING TANKS SANK, IN SPITE, ALLIED SOLDIERS HAD A CRUCIAL ADVANTAGE: ALIGNMENT. THE GERMANS OUT OF ALIGNMENT AND UNDER-EMPOWERED. HITLER FELT COMMAND KNEW BETTER THAN ROMMEL ONLY HITLER COULD RELEASE RESERVE — 3PM. GERMANS DEFENDED BUT UNAWARE OF BIGGER PICTURE REDUCED ABILITY TO MOUNT AN EFFECTIVE DEFENSE. LOW LEVELS OF ALIGNMENT AND EMPOWERMENT DEGRADED EFFICACY. DUE TO HIGH-LEVELS OF ALIGNMENT AND EMPOWERMENT, EVEN IN CHAOS REIGNED, ALLIED DID JOBS. RAGTAG ORGANIZED INTO EFFECTIVE UNITS AND IMPROVISED ASSAULTS. ADHOC UNITS RE-INTERPRETED PLANS. NO ONE HAD TO WAIT FOR APPROVAL FROM COMMAND. ALIGNMENT WORKS. IT WORKED FOR EISENHOWER ON D-DAY.
- ALIGNMENT WORKS FOR COMPANIES → READ SLIDE AND ALIGNMENT HAS WORKED FOR FTD. ARRIVED TO AN FTD WHERE TECHNOLOGY HAD BEEN LARGELY AN AFTER-THOUGHT HAD A MOUNTAIN OF DECADES OLD OBSOLETE SYSTEMS & APPLICATIONS TO UNTANGLE AND THE PRESSURE OF PRIVATE EQUITY TIMELINES PUSHING FOR VALUE CREATION FAST THOUSANDS OF DECISIONS NEEDED TO BE MADE TO BUILD A ROADMAP WAY TOO MUCH FOR ONE PERSON TO DO QUICKLY WAY TOO MUCH FOR COMMITTEE DRIVEN DECISIONS TO SOLVE QUICKLY THE ONLY WAY FORWARD WAS TO ALIGN FOLKS TO THE BROAD VISION, TO A SET OF VALUES OR PRINCIPALS FOR MAKING DECISIONS, AND TO ORGANIZE THE TEAM INTO DE-COUPLED, DOMAIN-ALIGNED TEAMS WHO COULD WORK INDEPENDENTLY.
- AND THAT ALLOWED US TO BEGIN ADVANCING THE NEXT CRITICAL PILLAR OF EMPOWERMENT— ENABLEMENT. WE STARTED LOOKING AT WHERE WE NEEDED TO “TOOL UP” TO ENABLE TEAMS TO BE SELF-SUFFICIENT/ WHAT DATA, TECHNOLOGY, AND PROCESSES DID FOLKS NEED? WE DON’T WANT PEOPLE TO HAVE TO “PHONE A FRIEND” TO KNOW HOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS WORKING. OR NOT WORKING. WE DON’T WANT PEOPLE TO HAVE TO REQUEST SUPPORT FROM SPECIALISTS ON ANOTHER TEAM / PART OF COMPANY TO DELIVER THINGS IN THEIR AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY EMPOWERED AUTONOMY SHORTENS REACTION, LESS COORDINATION, AND HIGHER-QUALITY DATA AT DECISION POINT.
- WHAT DATA DOES THIS PERSON OR TEAM OR DEPARTMENT NEED TO MAKE HIGH QUALITY DECISIONS? HOW FREQUENTLY DO THEY NEED IT? HOW FRESH DOES IT NEED TO BE? AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, HOW CAN WE MAKE IT AVAILABLE SELF-SERVE? FROM EMAILED REPORTS TO LIVE DASHBOARDS WHAT WORK DOES THIS PERSON OR TEAM OR DEPARTMENT NEED TO DO FREQUENTLY? CAN THEY DO IT WITHOUT ASSISTANCE? WHERE IS THE HIGH VOLUME, HIGH CHURN STUFF THAT SHOULD BE WAY EASIER? AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, HOW CAN WE DESIGN SOLUTIONS TO REDUCE FRICTION IN THOSE AREAS WITH TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGY? BAD PROCESS IS RIGID, PREVENTS ADAPTATION, AND LIMITS EMPOWERMENT. WHERE IS PROCESS IN THE WAY? PROCESS SHOULD ENABLE EMPOWERMENT. PROCESS AT BEST FREES ORGANIZATIONS FROM WASTING TIME ON THE REPETITIVE GOOD PROCESS DESIGNED FOR “FIELD” REALITY, NOT THE CONTROLLED CONDITIONS OF THE LAB. WHERE CAN PROCESSES BE REFACTORED TO EXPECT CHANGE? WHERE CAN THEY BE TUNED TO MAKE PIVOTING EASIER? IS THE TEAM COMPOSITION DESIGNED FOR MAXIMUM INDEPENDENCE AND CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COLLABORATION? AT FTD, DETAILED QUARTERLY PLANS PAIRED WITH FLEXIBLE ANNUAL PLANS. AND A COLLABORATIVE CROSS-FUNCTIONAL, TEAM-LED PROCESS FOR DECIDING ON PRIORITIES. SO MANY EXAMPLES OF TOOLING FOR UNCERTAINTY I’LL SHARE 2.
- CALYX LESS THAN 5% OF CONTENT IN CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS — SPECIALIZED RESOURCE & PRIORITIZATION & RELEASE P&L OWNERS NOT EMPOWERED TO TAKE DIRECT ACTION — EVERYTHING TOOK TOO LONG. TODAY, ALL VIA THE CMS + PAGE LAYOUT + MOST FRONT-END A/B TESTS IN CMS. EXPANSION IN CAPABILITY EMPOWERED CONSUMER TO DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE CVR & AOV — WHILE FREEING TECHNICAL RESOURCES A ONE-TWO PUNCH RIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES OF UNCERTAINTY. === HAD A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE IN CS. BEFORE GLADLY, HAD TO USE SPECIALIZED SFDC DEVS TO CHANGE IN WORKFLOW OR SERVICING. LIMITED ACCESS TO DATA + RELY ON FINANCE TO SEE WHAT DOES AND DOES NOT WORK. STALE DATA WITH GLADLY, THAT CHANGED. ACCESS TO REAL-TIME DATA TOOLS TO MAKE SELF SERVICE ADJUSTMENTS TO WORKFLOW AND SERVICING APPROACHES. JUST LAST WEEK, GLADLY’S CHAT PARTNER JUST THE BEGINNING. EMPOWER INDIVIDUAL AGENTS TO MAKE MORE DECISIONS AND TAKE MORE ACTIONS.
- BUTTRESSES AGAINST UNCERTAINTY IS PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY FOR ALL. TO THRIVE IN A DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT, THEY HAVE TO FEEL SAFE. SAFE TO…FAIL SAFE TO SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER SAFE TO ASK ANY QUESTION SAFE TO MAKE A CALL
- FEAR, STRESS, AND ANXIETY, RECENT STUDIES SHOW LITERALLY SHRINK BRAINS TEMPORAL LOBE, INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE AMYGDALA WHICH PROCESSES FEAR DECREASE THE SIZE OF THE HIPPOCAMPUS — ONLY LONG-TERM MEMORY ALSO IN CREATIVITY AND IMAGINATION. THE LAST THING WE NEED IS TO DOUBLE DOWN ON OUR ANXIETY RESPONSE UNCERTAINTY REQUIRES CREATIVITY AND IMAGINATION. HOW TO CULTIVATING PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY?
- TREAT EMPLOYEES LIKE VESTED PARTNERS WE LET THEM IN WHEN THINGS ARE GOING BADLY. WE LET THEM ASK ANONYMOUS QUESTIONS ANSWER WHATEVER THEY ASK EVEN WHEN IT MAKES US WINCE. WHEN WE DON’T KNOW, WE SAY IT. BLAH BLAH BUILDS TRUST AND ALSO CREATES OPPORTUNITIES FOR INCREASING ALIGNMENT. BLAME THE HOW NOT THE WHO —> HOW DO WE MAKE PROCESS STRONGER THAN X SITUATION PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY IS FINAL PIECE IN EMPOWERMENT PUZZLE FOSTERS A CULTURE WHERE FEEL LIKE VESTED OWNERS AND NOT EMPLOYEES. DRAWS OUT THE BEST IDEAS AND FREES PEOPLE TO ACT
- SO THAT’S IT, Y’ALL. IF YOU AND YOUR TEAMS WANT TO EAT UNCERTAINTY FOR BREAKFAST IT ALL COMES DOWN TO EMPOWERMENT AND EMPOWERMENT REALLY BOILS DOWN TO 3 THINGS: ALIGNMENT. ENABLEMENT. AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY. THANKS A BUNCH FOR SPENDING 20-MINUTES WITH ME. I HOPE YOU FOUND IT VALUABLE. ENJOY THE REST OF THE CONFERENCE.