Change: Where’s the “Easy-Button”?
Change can be a tough thing. At times, to many of the associates in a company, a change may seem like another round in a Chinese fire drill. I would submit that some probably don’t look for answers, but I can’t solely rest blame elsewhere, when in point of fact, I am just as a guilty in maybe not communicating well enough.
While I may internally debate whether I have improved upon my communication skills to a point where changes make more sense, I ultimately still believe most individuals don’t care for any kind of change, and maybe not even positive change at times. Those that do embrace change are most likely reading this blog.
While this perspective may seem a bit, well glass-half-empty, it does offer opportunity to take a moment and reflect upon what I, as a manager, can offer to hopefully ease some of the stress in the change.
First, everything roots back to having the right people in the right seats on the bus - AND - getting the wrong people off the bus (as Jim Collins would say). If you have not done this, and know this to be true in your “gut”, do not pass “GO” and do not collect $200 - go directly to jail until you figure this part out.
Second, assuming you are redirecting a team of great individuals - my job is to not screw the good stuff up. This means I can’t just go in swingin’ and hope to hit something. I have to be able to take some measure of where the team is at in relation to objectives and customer perception.
You get this from listening: Listening to your team, listening to other teams, and listening to your customers. Part of listening comes in knowing when to put on the filter and when to hear the unabashed truth.
Once I know where I am at, I paint a vision. Once the team mostly understands this vision, I execute a phased approach. Remember, the team doesn’t get paid to fully embrace your vision. You get paid to teach them how to help you paint it - and sometimes it requires blind faith. This, incidentally, requires having the right people in the right seats on the bus - AND - getting the wrong people off the bus (did I say that already?).
Finally, I build for flexibility and consistent efficiency.
My team must understand change is the name of the game. Processes do help in offering some sanity, but will only succeed if we stay focused on why the process is used. We don’t want mindless robots following rules. We want thinking individuals making smart, customer-minded moves to secure the best outcome possible - in the most efficient manner possible.
In summary, here are the keys to managing change:
1. Have the right team.
2. Learn from the good stuff.
3. Listen
4. Paint a vision and refer to it often.
5. Build for flexibility and consistent efficiency.
In following these few steps, which aren’t easy at all to follow sometimes, you will succeed in building a high-quality, high-capacity team.
Ken Stewart’s blog, ChangeForge.com, focuses on the collision between the constantly changing worlds of business and technology. Ken is also the Director of Technology at Kearns Business Solutions.
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ChangeForge... a catalyst to affect the paradigm by Ken Stewart is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.changeforge.com. -
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