Written By: Curtis Weldon, Product Center of Excellence Manager, Onboarding
“You put your right foot in,
You put your right foot out,
You put your right foot in,
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey,
And you turn it all around,
That’s what it’s all about…….”
Now that I you have one of the most famous songs stuck in your head on repeat for the remainder of the day, I believe I have your full attention. Let’s face it! Software implementations are difficult. They bring in new processes, learning curves, expectations vs. functionality, and personalities. In a project we all have a role. Some of us are consultants, some of us are end users or even stake-holders and we all have responsibility in a project. But for all you project consultants out there, do you do the Hokey-Pokey? You should! And here’s why!
- You can’t possibly know everything so “you put your right foot in” and try something out. See if works.
- It didn’t work so “you take your right foot out” and you know you tried.
- So, you try something else and “you put your right foot in” again.
- It worked this time so “you shake it all about and you do the Hokey Pokey”.
- Just by trying and being persistent “you turn it all around” for your customer.
Whether, you are a new consultant or very seasoned it’s impossible for you to know everything. Each customer is a different experience and each customer has their own unique expectations for the software. My point it, that no matter what your level of knowledge is, there is always room to grow. If you are not trying out different approaches to problems then you are not only doing your customer a disservice but yourself as well. Teach yourself, teach your customers.
Are you going to watch everyone else do the hokey-pokey; or are you going to participate? Are you going to learn to do it to the best of your ability, or just kind of fake it? Are you going to teach someone else how to do it, or keep it to yourself? Are you going to encourage others to join in; or exclude them? THAT’S what it’s all about.
Here is the 1953 Ray Anthony original version with Jo Ann Greer on Vocals of The Hokey Pokey. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_P9PU5FcMQ