Mama and Nana's Crock Pot Wisdom: Just Let it Cook

I don't know about you, but thinking back to anything my Nana (my maternal grandmother) ever cooked in a crockpot gets my stomach rumbling like a Dodge Ram 3500 diesel reaching down into its throat to pull a trailer up a steep hill. The sheer anticipation of that slow-cooked goodness was almost as satisfying as the meal itself. But I learned the hard way that there are certain things about that style of cooking that cannot be changed: it's going to take time. Period. Full stop.

When I was a young man in my first house, I remember putting a pork butt in the slow cooker and trying to replicate Nana's BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. Well, four hours into waiting, I checked on the pork butt and it had shrunk into a tight ball with the tenderness of a work boot. I was certain I'd screwed up the simplest form of cooking. "Set it and forget it" from even before Ron Popeil came along with his rotisserie oven!

Bottom line: I called my mama to ask for advice and her answer was, "Peanut, you just have to give it time and let it cook." Just let it cook. That's it.

How many of us feel that way a few weeks or even months into a sales or recruiting process we've created? We don't have microwave results....what's going on? We've invested time, resources, and energy, and we expect to see immediate, tangible changes. But often, just like my impatient younger self with that roast, we pull the plug too soon, convinced that the process is a failure.

As business owners and leaders, we're driven by a desire for efficiency and rapid growth. We implement new CRM systems, revamp our sales strategies, or overhaul our hiring procedures, and we understandably want to see a quick return on our investment. We track our KPIs, analyze the data, and if those numbers don't jump dramatically in the first few weeks, panic can set in.

We start tinkering, tweaking, and sometimes completely abandoning the new process, often throwing the baby out with the bathwater. We revert to old habits, convinced that "what we were doing before" was somehow better, even if it wasn't truly working in the long run.

But the truth is, implementing change within an organization is rarely an instantaneous transformation. It's more akin to low-and-slow-cooking. Think about it:

• The Ingredients: A new process involves various "ingredients" – your team, your technology, your workflows, your communication strategies. These need time to meld together, to adjust to the new "recipe."

• The Heat: The "heat" represents the consistent effort and energy you put into implementing and reinforcing the process. It's the training, the follow-up, the encouragement, the problem-solving.

• The Time: This is the crucial element that we often underestimate. It's the time it takes for people to learn new skills, for systems to integrate, for habits to change, and for the results to become apparent.

Just like the best BBQ needs hours to break down and become tender and flavorful, a new business process needs time to work its magic. Here's why:

• Learning Curve: People need time to learn and adapt to new ways of doing things. There will be initial resistance, mistakes, and a dip in productivity as everyone gets up to speed.

• System Integration: New systems need time to be fully integrated with existing workflows and technology. There will be glitches, bugs, and unforeseen challenges that require patience and fine-tuning.

• Cultural Shift: Changing ingrained habits and behaviors takes time and consistent reinforcement. You're not just implementing a process; you're often shifting the company culture.

• Data Accumulation: Meaningful data that reflects the true effectiveness of a process takes time to accumulate. You need a sufficient sample size to identify trends and draw accurate conclusions.

So, what's the takeaway?

• Be Patient: Give your new processes the time they need to "cook." Don't expect instant results.

• Monitor and Adjust: Regularly monitor progress, but focus on long-term trends rather than short-term fluctuations. Be prepared to make minor adjustments along the way.

• Communicate Clearly: Keep your team informed about the progress of the implementation and the reasons for any delays or setbacks.

• Celebrate Small Wins: Acknowledge and celebrate small improvements and milestones to keep your team motivated.

In the end, just like Nana's BBQ pork, the reward for your patience and persistence will be well worth the wait. You'll have a robust, effective process that drives long-term success.