Vol.26 "Along the Path"

Continuing the theme of perseverance from Vol.25, Here’s another true adventure to share that’s just as much about the joys of life as it is about Adoption & Change Management (ACM).

Introduction to Geocaching

I’ve been a rabid, yes rabid, Geocacher for over 15 years. For those that don’t know, Geocaching is an adventure activity that challenges and engages both the body and mind. In simplistic terms, it’s a quest to locate a “thing” that is hidden “somewhere” based deciphering puzzle clues, GPS coordinates, intuition, and unapologetic curiosity.

Setting Out on an Adventure

A few weekends ago, my wife and I set out on our favorite activity - grab the dog, jump into my off-road vehicle, point it towards the mountains, and drive off into the unknown (with no particular set destination). Our goal for the day was clear, unplug and enjoy being together, a pretty easy task because we actually like being together??.

Adoption & Change Management (ACM) Insights

Ok, this seems like a great place for some Adoption & Change Management (ACM) talk.

Goal setting doesn’t have to be difficult, and far too often, organizations and individuals unnecessarily complicate this crucial step. Case in point, introduce AI Copilot for 微软 365 into an organization, a pretty simple goal, right? Buy a license, roll it out, boom, goal achieved. But is it?

Copilot and AI can’t be the goal, it’s actually an outcome of intertwined activities and smaller goals.

The Geocaching Quest Begins

We turned down a small farm country road. I decided to check my trusty Geocaching App and discovered that one of the 3,000,000+ Geocaches hidden all around the world, and one was nearby (well, sort of). Time to go looking.

After a few quick turns and a short drive down a different connecting dirt road, if a mess of rock and mud could be called a road (fun!), we arrived at a locked gate. The land is owned by the State of Washington and access allowable for day use, just not vehicles.

Painting a mental picture for you - timber and logging country, vast expanses, pretty remote.

Preparation and Planning

After a few preparations, hiking shoes, small pepper spray (‘ya never know), pocketknife, leash, and 1 sharply pointed walking stick, we set off on foot, following a service road to the approximate GPS coordinates. Back to ACM, achieving an outcome takes careful preparation, while you don’t necessarily need every tool, preparation is still a requirement.

In terms of a technology project, where is the readiness plan? Communications plan? Enablement plan? Are the right people involved? What about file storage and data? Access controls? Security? Infrastructure?

The Journey Through the Forest

The first mile or so was pretty easy. The air temperature was a cool ~50 F (~10 C) with an overcast sky of various shades of gray (my absolute favorite). The “road” we were following was pretty rough, better described as a gently winding ribbon of rocks and dirt instead of a road with a slight incline. The lower elevations of the landscape were open, with obvious scars of mechanized activity everywhere, large tree stumps stretching to the edge of the hillside.

This area had been logged within the past 5-7 years. Even with destruction all around, life was finding a way since this is a sustainable forest.

An amazing scene of contrast, fallen giants mixed with saplings of new growth that were finding their way, reaching to the sky. A new generation of giants to take over the land where their ancestors once stood.

Embracing Uncertainty

There's something magical and beautiful about seeing new growth. We could see lush green rolling hills in the distance, open fields, the occasional Bald Eagle, and no people, we were absolutely on our own (and LOVING IT).

We had to deal with an interesting and unexpected obstacle, let me just say it this way, we had to tiptoe though some day-old reminders that horses went on the trail before us.

Another part of ACM is dealing with uncertainty, sometimes we must tiptoe through difficulties, setbacks, and obstacles, and the key is, keep going. Shoes can be washed, and people are generally more resilient than they give themselves credit for. Press on.

Navigating Challenges

The landscape suddenly changed; we found ourselves in a thick, lush, dark forest. I unleashed our doggo and we carried on, side by side. It was then that I realized the potential danger.

Evidence of fresh coyote activity and oh yeah, a reminder that this is bear country.

Good thing I left the bear spray in the car – oops.

Change management isn’t easy. Preparations and goals are not enough. Change takes commitment, strength, cooperation, planning, and perseverance.

The Fork in the Road

After another 30 minutes or so, we came across almost a cartoonish decision. Turn right, turn left, or turn back? Hrmmm. You see, like a cartoon, we were at a literal fork in the road with one side of blue sky and light clouds with open field and good road. I swear there were even birds and butterflies (perhaps only in my imagination), versus the other, dark, thorny, and barely any path to follow.

Well, you guessed it, we kept going, dark path it was! The foot path disappeared, and the only way forward was through sharp ankle grabbing blackberry vines and stinging nettle, and Scotch Broom (lots of it), also known as Cytisus Scoparius .

This invasive weed-tree typically grows to a height of 4 to 8 feet (1.2 to 2.4 meters). In some cases, it can reach up to 13 feet (4 meters). And this was the giant variety that was blocking the path in every direction. EVERY direction.

Pushing Through Obstacles

I set off into the thicket with my 4-legged buddy glued to my side, my wife flowed behind as I did my best to cut a somewhat safe path with my knife and walking stick.

It was pretty rough TBH, these weed-trees were barely 3ft. (1m) apart at the base. A machete would have been better. We quickly realized that we had to keep some distance between us because each time I moved forward, branches where whipping back.

After about 20 minutes of forward progress (and getting scratched up), we found ourselves in a bit of a clearing where we could at least stand together and take a break.

Decision time, we still had about another ? mile (~400m) to go, or turn back?

We decided to keep going.

The Final Stretch

Important note here, that “thing” we were searching for, according to the written logs, hadn’t been found in over 14 months and we weren’t even sure that it was still there. We removed several thorns from our clothing and continued forward.

Suddenly, a pheasant took flight from just a few feet in front of us up to the nearest tree. We were all quite startled and experienced another reminder to look out for danger.

Oops, I stepped in more “evidence”, this time a reminder of coyote activity, eew.

We continued forward with only the sounds of our voices to keep us connected. We literally couldn’t see each other; sound was our only lifeline and connection to each other, and to safety.

Lessons in Change Management

Change Management is tough, setbacks happen no matter how much planning there is.

Communication and engaged dialogue are critical. We were on different parts of the same path, albeit at different stages. This is common occurrence when dealing with organizational change.

Different stakeholders are at different places, recognize it, deal with it, this must not be ignored. We finally arrived near the GPS coordinates, only to discover that the exact location, ground zero, was inaccessible and too dangerous from where we were.

We had to find a different way. We backtracked a bit, somehow, and found an opening. It was too dangerous for both of us to continue and decided that I would scout ahead.

Reaching the Goal

I located a new path and reached the location, well, sort of. The thing I was looking for was under a serpentine nest thicket of blackberry bramble and thorns, it was there, mocking me. I stood there and appreciated the moment, laughed it off, and found my way back to my wife.

Then the realization, we had to go back on the same path to get out. No matter the obstacles. we did find a way out. We had a plan, we pivoted where necessary, we communicated, made decisions, embraced the unknown and achieved our goal.

Reflecting on the Journey

This video of my dog leading the way was taken as we emerged from the worst part of the “trail’ onto a clear path. Please watch, the unedited ending looks like that last scene before something really bad happens, like a bear.

I assure you; the only thing that happened after was pure happiness and joy.

BTW, not joking or exaggerating that we literally couldn’t see 3 feet (1 meter) ahead, and couldn’t see each other, for most of the hike through the thickest parts.

I can only compare this to being lost on a cornfield with no way out. We were disoriented, sometimes confused, and put our trust in each other to find our way.

The Parallel with Change Projects (continued)

This story of persistence and perseverance is the exact same journey of any change project. Back to our goal, we achieved it and much more (even though we didn’t find the exact thing we were looking for).

In a change project like M365 Copilot and AI, planning, training, communication, adaptability, dexterity, experimentation, are all core elements of Change Management.

That said, goal definition is critical, as is stakeholder alignment, and of course – communication.

Defining Success

For some, installing/provisioning/configuring is the goal, for others security perhaps, maybe it’s about adoption metrics, driving value and ROI. Be clear of what it is that is the actual desired outcome. Be clear on what success looks like, and equally, be honest about what happens if it fails?

Traversing the unknown is difficult, moving forward through the difficult path is often the best and only option.

An Unexpected Interlude

Interesting interlude to this volume. I’m writing this on my laptop on an airplane from Dallas to Seattle after being a member of the “ask the expert’s panel” on “AI readiness” at Microsoft’s SMC conference.

The aircraft is experiencing “moderate” turbulence, the captain indicated that we are all required to buckle in, urgently. The flight crew is locked down and the plane is really rocking.

Staying Focused Amidst Turbulence

I’m still focused and banging away at my keyboard regardless of the conditions, focused on my story.

Without warning, there was just an announcement on the overhead,

“To the person in the lavatory, please stay inside, do not come out until it’s safe”

Another call just went out, another message,

“To the person in the lavatory, unless you are having an actual emergency, we will not be leaving out jump seats for the next 10-15 minutes until it is safe, please remain in the lavatory”

Moving Forward

See, sometimes the only option is to go forward. I’m personally enjoying typing on a moving keyboard, that said, I’m sure the person is not enjoying being stuck in the bathroom.

We are both on the same path, albeit in very different places, with distant vocal communication of the only connection, our experiences could not be more different.

Still, this too shall pass, this is only a moment in time. I’m confident that we will reach the desired outcome and goal, a safe landing.

Reflections

Traversing the forest, launching M365 Copilot, and safely landing a plane all take courage, planning, adaptability, focus, cooperation, determination, and trust. My quest to locate a “thing” in the forest didn’t fail, we learned and experienced new things, did some problem solving, made new memories, and appreciated the moment including our togetherness.

I also realized at the end of the trail, that I was lying in a hospital bed not too long before the start of this adventure, only able to dream of the day that once again, I would be able to emerge from my confined space.

I had a literal tear run down my cheek, realizing how far I’ve come in my health recovery was quite emotional in that moment.

So much more than a simple walk in the woods. So much beyond a simple goal.

Final Thoughts

Speaking of confined spaces, that person is still stuck in the bathroom, this will be a flight never to be forgotten. This is a great reminder that not everyone will reach the goal at the same time in the same way, and that’s not only ok, but it’s also expected.

The human element, people, must be a connected part of your Change Management outcomes. The introduction of AI and M365 Copilot can be so much more than simply bringing in a new technology to an organization.

Implemented properly, you just might discover new positive and transformative unintended consequences that can truly transform your organization. That said, outcomes are not guaranteed, not automatic, and require effort.

Looking Ahead

BTW, we survived the walk, cleaned our shoes, and hatched a new plan – we’ll be back. We didn’t fail, we succeeded.

Remember, success is a state of mind. Get out there, find your path.

Boldly go out into the unknown, mindset can be limiting or provide limitless opportunity.

The choice is yours. Software, Technology Services, Security, and Adoption & Change Management are simply locks to be opened in order to achieve your AI and Copilot potentials and outcomes. SoftwareOne has the keys. Let’s talk.

?~Kevin (aka "The Cloud Therapist")

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