As soon as I heard this said by one of my favorite newscast personalities years ago, I latched onto it right away, not only from a personal standpoint but from a professional standpoint as well. It immediately changed my perspective for the better. The actual full statement is “I want to get it right, not be right.” Think for a moment about what that really means. It means that in either a personal or professional situation, I as a contributor to any conversation or effort need to:
- Focus on the solution, not the problem
- Check any ego I might have at the “front door”
- Trust in the process to build trust with others
This little motto has been a key to my professional growth as a Business System Analysis (BSA), and now,my secret is out!
A BSA’s role is to identify and accurately document the customer requirements and business needs to drive sustainable results as part of a solution. Keeping the “I want to get it right, not be right” motto top of mind will yield that exact result by serving our clients best interests, staying truly agnostic on delivering the best solution, and building strong relationships through a trusted process and honest approach.
Focus on the solution, not the problem
BSAs work collaboratively with client stakeholders to elicit requirements through discovery meetings. These discovery meetings are critical to the overall success of defining the solution. Often, during these meetings, issues with current systems, data, business processes, or organizational structure are exposed, making our client stakeholders vulnerable to comments. At this moment, it is easy to fall into highlighting issues, concerns or gaps and lose sight of the real goal of finding and building a solution. Remember this is not the time be “be right” but rather open the dialogue with client stakeholders in an effort to find the right approach to solve the identified challenges. Dig deep, ask more questions, brainstorm a variety of solution options, and identify pros and cons. Once this is completed, the team (BSA and stakeholders) can identify the right approach to take. Getting it right, not just being right will ensure a stronger client adoption of a proposed solution created collaboratively.
Check the ego at the front door
When working with clients, your experience provides a platform for insights, opinions, and consulting. This tenure, while valuable, should not be the only guiding force driving decisions for a client solution. Staying open minded, aware of new technologies, and focused on measurable outcomes that change or enhance the client’s business is the key to getting it right. Before you start any conversation with your client stakeholders, remember to stay humble, listen intently, and check any ego at the front door. Checking an ego at the end of the conversation diminishes trust and waists time and effort for everyone. Remember, egos are more about the individual and not about the collective team.
Trust in the process to build trust with others
When you combine trust with a strong process, you will yield positive results. I am not saying that you will not have lengthy discussions or possibly hit a temporary wall. I am saying that if you continue to focus on the solution, not the problem, leave any egos at the front door and follow this process together that a solution will eventually be identified. This will result in the right kind of “right” every time.
