When your Service Management program faces opposition, credibility makes all the difference between success and failure.
So, here you have it; The blunt truth your mother didn’t tell you about success in the world of IT Service Management:
SFU
Yep – Shut the Freak Up. Best advice I ever got. Yeah, I know you’re suppose to have a communication strategy that targets stakeholder’s needs, bla bla bla. But, seriously, here’s the deal. People get tired of “ITIL says”. They get weary of hearing how Service Management is the answer to every problem. There’s a point beyond which saying anything further just drives people the opposite direction than desired. Time to just Shut the f………. Up.
Sometimes we overlook the fact that organizations face many problems, not all of which are resolved by ITIL implementation. Sorry, just how it is.
Definitely work your communications plan, but go back and include “SFU checkpoints”. How do you know when you’ve crossed to the other side? When do you stop talking? How do you know when are you driving your stakeholders in the opposite direction? The right balance builds credibility.
Build those checkpoints in, exercise the discipline to stay focused on the long term, and sometimes that means SFU. We have a tendency to do more of what we’ve been doing when things aren’t working. Sometimes, you need to do less. Just sayin’.
GSD
Get Stuff Done. I’ve never seen an organization that didn’t respect those who are able to get stuff done.
Seems everywhere I go, some pragmatic ITIL purist has been there before, and no matter what i say, the organization hears the words of the earlier ITIL blabbermouth who, I’m told, believed that All ITIL processes must be implemented exactly as in the ITIL books…. or else.
This is a no-win scenario, so don’t attack it head on. No amount of re-messaging is going to help. Instead, build credibility by getting stuff done. Understand what the organization needs, and make it happen. Become the guy who takes on the impossible things no one else wants to do, and get it done.
‘GSD’ is a real life Service Management strategy your ITIL exams won’t touch.
With this reputation, you’ll find no shortage of assignments, and every time you deliver, you increase your ability to influence how things are done. As your credibility grows, so does your sphere of influence.
Are you serious?
Yeah, very serious. Whether you’re a consultant, or employee, expert or practitioner, you’re paid to accomplish things. Do that.
No matter how well supported and funded your Service Management program is, SFU and GSD can radically increase your credibility and ability to transform.