New Company, New Strategy: How to Adapt Your Automation Approach for Success

If you are a Head of Automation moving from one company to a new company to do the same thing, stop and read this.

I have been reflecting on some of the themes I have seen in the last few years and I realised there was something that popped up quite often. People who were successful in setting up or driving forward an automation programme in one organisation, moving into new roles and getting increasingly frustrated as their earlier success was not translated to the new place. This is not unique to automation programmes of course, but it’s an interesting phenomenon.  

So how do you make sure your previous success doesn’t just look like a fluke? Here are five approaches to consider (and yes most of them are pretty obvious).

1.      Listen and observe: Take the time to learn about the company culture, its people, and its processes. This will help you understand what is important to the company and its employees. In his book, Turn the Ship Around, David Marquet was forced to do this when he took command of the USS Santa Fe as it was a class of submarine he was unfamiliar with. This meant he approached the situation with an open mind, avoiding preconceptions and the "this is the way we do it" mentality that often undoes new bosses.

2.      Check your ego at the door and be open-minded: To truly listen and observe, it's important to set aside your ego and approach things with an open mind. Simply hearing what others have to say without being receptive to their ideas is pointless. Don't listen with the sole intention of showing off your own knowledge and insisting that your way is the best because it worked in a previous job. Instead, remain open-minded and be willing to learn something new. Remember that what worked for you in the past may not be applicable in your current workplace.

3.      Build relationships: Another obvious one is taking the initiative to meet and build relationships with your new colleagues. Ask questions and work to understand their motivations and their pain points so you can better integrate into the team and, importantly, understand their perspectives. By focusing on the details in the present rather than relying solely on past experiences, you can avoid the potential negative consequences of making assumptions. 

4.      Focus only on what moves the needle: Set a clear goal, focus on it and plan to make it happen. Make sure the goal you do focus on is the one this business needs, not the goal your last company needed. And of course be flexible in how you hit the objective, as Helmuth von Moltke wrote:

“No plan of operations extends with any certainty beyond the first encounter with the main enemy forces. Only the layman believes that in the course of a campaign he sees the consistent implementation of an original thought that has been considered in advance in every detail and retained to the end."

5.      Be patient: It takes time to adapt to a new workplace, so be patient with yourself and others. Sun Tzu emphasized the importance of patience in his teachings. He said, "To be near the goal while the way is still steep and difficult is not the mark of failure but rather of perseverance." Don't expect to know everything right away, and don't be too hard on yourself if things don't go smoothly at first. Assuming your way is the only way and smashing through changes without taking anyone along with you might be quicker, but it’s also like a broken pencil…pointless!

Every workplace is unique, and what works in one place may not work in another. By keeping an open mind, paying attention to the details, being adaptable, and working collaboratively with your colleagues, you can set yourself up for success in your new role. Don’t assume you know it all!

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

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