Inefficient Installations – We Can’t Say Here!

In 1916, Ernest Shackelton, Frank Worsley, and Tom Crean hiked across the mountains on the island of South Georgia. They had almost reached their destination—a whaling station. Their ship, the Endurance, had sunk months earlier after being trapped in an ice flow while crossing the Antarctic. The expedition’s 27 survivors (most of them now marooned on Elephant Island) were counting on these three men to make the thirty-two-mile trek to the whaling station where a rescue ship could be summoned.

After ascending 3,000 feet, the three men could finally see Possession Bay, but they realized they needed to make a rapid descent to sea level before nightfall. Suddenly, a dreadful fog rolled up the mountain and temperatures plummeted. They couldn’t see their hands in front of their face, but there was no time to inch their way down the icy mountain. Unless they moved fast, they’d certainly freeze to death.

Realizing their situation, Shackelton suggested the unthinkable—that they lock their legs around one another’s waists (like kids on a toboggan) and blindly slide down the icy mountainside. Agreeing that this was their only chance to survive, his two companions complied and off they slid.

Here’s a quote by Worsley, describing the experience: “We seemed to shoot into space. For a moment my hair stood on end. Then quite suddenly I felt a glow and knew that I was grinning. I was actually enjoying it. It was most exhilarating. We were shooting down the side of an almost precipitous mountain at nearly a mile a minute. I yelled with excitement and found that Shackleton and Crean were yelling too. It seemed ridiculously safe. To hell with the rocks!”

Why am I recounting this story? Well, I started writing this blog by asking AI (Copilot) why people hate change so much. Here are the reasons I received:

Fear of the unknown
Fear of failure
Resistance to control
Comfort with the status quo
Lack of incentive
Lack of support
Threat to self-image

Then Copilot suggested a few articles on the topic. One of the articles discussed a research project where humans were compared with monkeys in our ability to embrace faster ways of doing things (efficiency initiatives). According to the study, the monkeys came out on top. So that was a bit discouraging…

Another article, being more optimistic toward humans, suggested that people can and will embrace change, but only when 3 conditions are met:

They understand the negative consequences of not
They see a positive outcome associated with the suggested course of action.
They have concrete action steps to go from the present state to the future state.

These three criteria got me thinking about that crazy Antarctic adventure. In my mind, when I tried recreating their conversation on that icy mountaintop, I couldn’t imagine Shackelton not touching all three bases:

Making crystal clear the consequences of not acting: “Gentlemen, if we don’t get down this mountain FAST, we’re dead.”
Painting a positive outcome for his followers: “If we can survive this brutally efficient route, we’ll not only save our 27 buddies, but we’ll make it home to our families.”
Officiating the first couple of steps: “Worsley, wrap your leg around my waist. Crean, wrap your legs around Worsley’s waist. Now, let’s push off, and may God go with us!”

How does this relate to sign installations? Well, we build a bucket truck that offers significant efficiencies over a two-man bucket for installing signs weighing less than 200 lbs. (which covers a large percentage of today’s signs). But we often hear sign company owners (or installation managers) tell us that their installers won’t go for it, even though it’s more efficient. Why? Their reasons are all over the board. Here’s a few that coincide with why people hate change:

A threat to self-image – Maybe a veteran installer has spent years honing his/her craft (which now rivals a great magician on stage)—holding the sign while running the bucket controls while operating his power tools while whistling. But now he hears there are accessories making it possible for a rookie to perform the same trick. That news can threaten an installer’s perceived value to the company.
Fear of failure – Maybe an installer has always been paired with a more experienced technician. He’s the second person in the bucket, holding the sign or handing tools to his counterpart. He hasn’t really had to prove himself. What does a one-man bucket mean for him? Will he be required to go up by himself? Does he have what it takes to fly solo, if necessary?
Lack of incentive – Maybe an installer won’t get onboard until he understands what’s in it for him. Maybe he’s not all that interested in being more efficient because being faster only carries more expectations, a bigger workload. From what he can see, this change benefits the company, but how will it make his life better, or easier, or safer?

When I place myself in the shoes of an installer, these fears and concerns are understandable. But there’s something a business owner knows instinctively: Inefficient companies don’t survive long—not with today’s competition—and that’s a threat to everyone in the organization. Like Shackleton, the leader must communicate an urgent message to the team, “We cannot stay here! We won’t survive long if we don’t find a more efficient route.” I imagine with Shackelton’s guys, it took a minute for this sobering truth to sink in, but it did. Once the leader has shared this message, it’s time to address each person’s fears and concerns, one by one, putting them to rest.

Now, the path is paved to implement step 2: Paint a favorable picture of the future. This requires a leader to place himself/herself in the shoes of each member of the team and step into the imagined new world. How will life be better? Team members need to see it in their mind’s eye.

That leads to step 3: Establish the first concrete actions to go from the present state to your future state. We’ve had sign company owners call and say: “I think a Van Ladder is our best choice, but I’m not the guy putting up the signs. What can we do to get my installer(s) onboard?”

Here are some ways to turn skeptics into believers:

Watch and discuss our customer testimonials on our website.
Ask us for references from businesses similar to yours.
Watch our How-To videos to see how our accessories simplify the installation process.
Maybe we need to fly an installer to our factory to hop in the bucket and see how everything works.
Maybe we need to bring the truck to your place so your installer can put up a sign.

If you’ve done your research and believe that Van Ladder is your most efficient option for your next truck, we have resources to help you convince your team. A sign installer’s job is difficult. They just want to be convinced that a Van Ladder will make their job easier. That’s a fun challenge for us. Let us prove it.

Sources:

Beckhard, Richard, Organizational Development; Strategies and Models. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1969

https://nzaht.org/encourage/inspiring-explorers.crossing-south-georgia/