LET US EXPLAIN…
Squeezed budgets? Limited resource? More for less – of a higher quality & quicker?
At Stronger Humans we hear you & feel the sometimes- opposing magnetic forces at play when you need to deliver a solution but are conflicted about how best to do it with the resources available. That is why we created our simple but effective P.E.O.P.L.E. process as a means of helping you decide… & if you work with us, helping you deliver.
PROBLEM
P – Sounds easy but by spending time defining the PROBLEM you are trying to solve, in our view is everything. Get this right & you are halfway there, everything else will flow. Get it wrong or don’t invest enough time in ‘cleaning’ up what the real issue is & invariably both you & your customers (both internal & external) will just end up confused. Once you have defined the PROBLEM in one simple sentence – then we move on…
EVIDENCE
E – is all about gathering EVIDENCE. Why is this a problem? Who says so? What data points do you have that support this assertion? Why choose to solve it & why now?
By the end of this stage, you now have a clean problem & multiple reasons to suggest it is indeed a ‘thing’ that needs some work. If you don’t, then now is the time to go back to ‘P’ or better still back to those who started the conversation with you in the first place!
OUTCOME
O – we now need to decide on what OUTCOME you want as a result of completing this work. It might be an improvement in quality or service, a technical competence or a particular behaviour. Whatever it is, define it & decide how you are going to measure it. Quick tip – multiple outcomes & metrics look great on a slide but focussing on 1-2 of each in our opinion helps keep things simple & focused for all involved.
At this point you are then well placed to decide whether you can create the solution in-house, go external or do a bit of both through some well-placed collaboration.
PERSON
P – where the P.E.O.P.L.E. model meets the PERSON. This stage is all about viewing the PROBLEM from the different perspectives of those who are involved. Some timely, short conversations with the key business stakeholders to understand their perspectives & most importantly some time (ahead of time) with those who will be on the receiving end of whatever solution you create. Three questions are all it takes…. (l) What is going on in their world at this time? (2) What knowledge do they already have of the PROBLEM? (3) If you could help them with one thing right now, what would it be?
LOGIC
L – now for some LOGIC or creating the necessary conditions for solving the PROBLEM. All that has been learnt so far now informs the solution. How long? Where? How many? What tools? How should it be delivered & who is best placed to deliver it? Often seen as the hard bit, but we love this part as doing a good job to this point really helps inform the LOGIC you go on to apply.
EXCHANGE
E – finally we EXCHANGE & evaluate. EXCHANGE can be ‘training the trainers,’ it can be delivering on your behalf or partnering with you. Whatever you decide we’ll be there to support, guide & cheer vigorously from on the pitch or the touchline! Then when we’re done (or inflight if you’d prefer) we can evaluate what has worked or is working & adjust accordingly.
So there you have it – a simple tool to help guide you & one that we use to guide us. If at this point you are thinking “How long does this all take?”. We have delivered projects for two different companies (both with over 8000 employees) in the past 6 months, one for 278 senior leaders & one for 33 commercial experts & we have gone from brief to delivery on both in less than 4 weeks. If you want to talk about how we can help youthen contact Rupert at rupert@strongerhumans.com and we can talk some more.
