It’s not about snapshots.
It’s about constraints.
When you’re on vacation, you likely have your phone with you and use that to take selfies, family photos, the sunset, whatever catches your eye.
I started taking pictures before you could do that with a phone. I had a camera. First with film, then digital, but in all cases I was very aware of the camera’s limitations, or if I was caught up in the moment, I would later find out when I had the film developed!
With time and practice, I became a better photographer. I became proficient enough to think about composition, lighting, so important when you only have a built-in flash! I became the official family photographer. OK, maybe I told everyone I was!
As the years passed, and technology evolved, I favored the camera I always had in my pocket; my phone. But as convenient as it was, it didn’t always produce the photos I wanted. I couldn’t zoom in enough, it was too dark, too much movement, the colors were off.
So, to get rid of the problem, or so I thought, I bought a DSLR camera with interchangeable lenses. This would be awesome!
The feeling didn’t last. All I did was change the constraints: the camera was bulkier, slower to focus, I had to think about the lens, ISO, shutter speed, and I never seemed to have the right combination when I needed it most.
The frustration was building, and I needed help. While looking for online courses, I found David Duchemin’s work, and it immediately resonated with me. He spoke about the fact that photography is all about working with constraints. The camera equipment you have with you is but one. You can try and bring all possible options: lenses, camera bodies, and lighting, but even that may not work out.
Learn to make the most of what you have.
The same can be said for compliance. However, don’t start with compliance is “taking a snapshot” of my business processes. It’s not.
Think of it as: You’ve been asked to share a photograph of your team with senior leadership, but you don’t have one.
You need to take a picture of everyone from your team, and have them looking at the camera, with a smile. And the lights need to be bright enough so we can distinguish everyone!
How would you go about getting that perfect picture?
- Communicate to everyone a date, time, and location
- Provide context of what’s happening, and why you want everyone there
- Details on desired clothing, visible logo, colors, and so on
- How likely is it for you to have everyone there, on time, exactly as you expect it?
Everyone looking at the camera?
Smiling?
The same goes for compliance. Not everything always goes to plan, and that’s not the expectation. However, you do need to:
Have a plan
- Execute it, and
- Learn from the issues.
- More importantly, improve over time with trending metrics.
Like that group photo, your team will get better with practice.
