Change Management Workshops And Seminars

Last month, I was facilitating a workshop for a group of leaders on how to navigate and lead through change. At one point, someone posed an important question: “Where do you think leading change efforts usually go wrong?” It was asked with genuine curiosity and what was unique was that everyone in the room was a people leader, but just as importantly, they had all been on the receiving end of change themselves, as individual contributors, team members, and participants in past transformations, both good and bad. To harness all that insight, we ran a “pre-mortem” exercise asking: If this change were to fail, what would have caused it? What surfaced was a revealing list of frustrations and patterns ➡ ️ Formulaic Approaches That Ignore the Human Side: There was a general agreement that change frameworks and models can be useful, especially at scale and for organization. But when change becomes a checklist rather than a conversation, it feels mechanical. Because change is personal. People don’t experience it in uniform ways. If we don’t make space for the human reaction, we lose the heart of the effort. ➡️  The WIIFM Trap (“What’s In It for Me”)We’ve all been told to lead with benefits, but several leaders called out how this can backfire. When the “what’s in it for me” message is tacked on as an afterthought, or worse, spun in an obviously false way, it erodes trust. Authenticity matters. If the benefit isn’t real, or if it’s only framed from the organization’s perspective, people will feel it. ➡️ Compliance > Commitment: While it’s true that you can mandate behavior, you can’t mandate belief or commitment.  Many leaders described being in environments where the focus was solely on  compliance, mandates, policies, new systems rolled out with minimal dialogue.  The result? Surface-level adoption at best, quiet resistance at worst. Commitment takes longer, but it leads to energy, ownership, and sustained effort. ➡️The Say-Do Gap: This one came up a lot. When leaders say one thing but act differently, when behaviors, priorities, or incentives don’t align with the stated change,that sends a loud signal. People don’t just listen to what leaders say. They watch what they do. Have you experienced one of these failure points during a change effort? Or figured out a way to avoid them altogether? I’d love to hear what’s worked for you.

They were hemorrhaging money on digital tools their managers refused to use. The situation: A retail giant in the diamond industry with post-COVID digital sales tools sitting unused. Store managers resisting change. Market volatility crushing performance. Here's what every other company does: More training on features. Explaining benefits harder. Pushing adoption metrics. Here's what my client did instead: They ignored the technology completely. Instead, they trained 200+ managers on something nobody else was teaching; how to fall in love with change itself. For 8 months, we didn't focus on the digital tools once. We taught them Change Enthusiasm®, how to see disruption as opportunity, resistance as data, and overwhelm as information. We certified managers in emotional processing, not technical skills. The results were staggering: → 30% increase in digital adoption (without a single tech training session) →  2X ROI boost for those who embraced the mindset →  25% sales uplift in stores with certified managers →  96% of participants improved business outcomes Here's the breakthrough insight: People don't resist technology. They resist change. Fix the relationship with change, and adoption becomes automatic. While competitors were fighting symptoms, this company cured the disease. The secret wasn't better technology training, it was better humans. When managers learned to thrive through change, they stopped seeing digital tools as threats and started seeing them as allies. Most companies are solving the wrong problem. They're trying to make people adopt technology. We help people embrace transformation. The results speak for themselves. What would happen if you stopped training on tools and started training on change? ♻️ Share if you believe the future belongs to change-ready organizations 🔔 Follow for insights on making transformation inevitable, not optional

How do you take a resistant team and guide them through a successful transformation? I led a team that went from evaluating programs to developing them—a complete transformation. At first, there was a lot of pushback, but by understanding their concerns and using a thoughtful approach, we made the transition work.   ---Here’s what I learned--- 🔸Resistance isn’t about the change—it’s about fear of loss. Through candid one-on-one conversations, I discovered the team feared losing their expertise. 🔸Facts don’t inspire change. Stories do. Rather than overwhelm them with reasons for the shift, I shared stories. Emotional buy-in through storytelling sparked curiosity. 🔸Small behavioral nudges lead to lasting change. We didn’t push the team into full-scale program development right away. Instead, we used small steps that eased them into the transition. This made the change feel natural, not overwhelming. 🔸Your biggest resister can become your strongest advocate. I focused on the team’s informal leader—the person everyone trusted. Once he embraced the change, the rest followed. 🔸Embrace failure as a stepping stone to success. We reframed setbacks as learning opportunities. By openly discussing challenges and solutions, we created a culture where innovation thrived and fear of failure diminished. 🏡 Think of change like remodeling a house. Exciting, but full of unexpected snags. In business, it’s the same—something always comes up. Plan for it. Expect it. 💡 Key Lesson: Resistance isn’t a roadblock—it’s part of the process. Expect pushback and guide your team with strategic nudges. What unexpected challenges have you faced when leading change?

If someone asks, “How should we measure the success of this program?” Your answer should be: -> 1) What’s our goal? and 2) What kind of time/resources can we put into this? Begin with a business-level goal. Then, work your way down the Kirkpatrick model (Level 4 to Level 1). Here’s an example for an emerging leader program. 🟣 Level 0: Set your business-level goal. This is budget agnostic. Example: I want to promote at least 20 emerging leaders who graduate from my program by the end of next year. 🔵 Level 4: Business Impact Example: Measure the number of positions you successfully filled. Also, measure leadership readiness before and after using a 360 assessment and manager interview. Goal: To fill those 20 slots. To show preparedness to lead for more than 20. 🟢 Level 3: Behavior Change Example: In-depth self-assessment of critical behaviors (before and after the program). Have managers evaluate all the same items. Goal: To show you’re changing critical behaviors that make your emerging leaders promotable. 🟡 Level 2: Learning Retention Example: Create a digital badge awarded for 80% completion of all learning, exercises, and activities. Goal: To ensure enough learning and practice is happening to change behavior. 🔴 Level 1: Learner Reaction: Example: Measure participant net promoter score (NPS) and collect evaluations on program content and activities. Goal: To get feedback you can use to improve your content and delivery. *** The whole “measurement thing” gets much easier when you begin with the end. Start with your goals. Then lay out your metrics. #leadershipdevelopment P.S. You can use this diagram as a template for any program. Just: 1/ Fill in Level 0. 2/ Fill in your goals for each level of measurement. 3/ Find the option that suits your budget & resources. P.P.S - I just used the mid-budget, mid-resources examples in this text post. For examples of “low” and “high” budget/commitment, see the full diagram.

Today I was delivering Prosci’s "#AIAdoption: Bridging the Gap" workshop, and during the segment on evaluating and measuring #AI, the discussion moved to the delta between “adopting by logging on” and “transforming your work by integrating your AI Intern” - and the role #ChangeManagement has. During a small group breakout, I remembered how great it is to have an Expert AI Assistant (#Kaiya) in my back pocket. Here is the response and handout generated, before they returned to the main room to debrief. My prompt for Kaiya: How can SUP help with challenges related to AI measurement? An excerpt of Kaiya’s response: The SUP metrics—Speed of Adoption, Ultimate Utilization, and Proficiency—can significantly aid organizations in addressing challenges related to measuring the effectiveness of AI implementations. Here’s how each metric contributes to overcoming these challenges: 1. Speed of #Adoption - Organizations often struggle to gauge how quickly employees are embracing AI tools, which can hinder timely adjustments to implementation strategies. SUP Contribution: By tracking the Speed of Adoption, organizations can identify how quickly teams begin using AI tools to monitor the rate of adoption over time and implement targeted interventions. 2. Ultimate #Utilization - It can be difficult to determine whether employees are fully utilizing AI tools, which can lead to underperformance and missed opportunities. SUP Contribution: Measuring Ultimate Utilization provides insights into the percentage of employees actively using AI tools and opportunities for tailored improvement in tool usage. 3. #Proficiency - Organizations may face difficulties in assessing how well employees are using AI tools, which impacts the quality of outputs and overall effectiveness. SUP Contribution: Proficiency metrics help organizations evaluate the quality of work produced with AI tools and understand the skill level of employees in using AI. Overall Benefits of Using SUP Metrics Holistic Measurement: By integrating SUP into measurement frameworks, organizations can obtain a comprehensive view of AI implementation effectiveness, rather than relying solely on productivity metrics. Tailored Strategies: The insights gained from these metrics allow organizations to develop tailored change management strategies that address specific adoption barriers, ultimately leading to better AI outcomes. Continuous Improvement: Tracking these metrics over time creates a feedback loop that supports continuous improvement in both AI tool effectiveness and employee performance, fostering a culture of innovation and adaptability. In summary… For further insights… The attached PDF has the full response, including links to additional ready-to-use resources in the #ProsciPortal. Kaiya is the teammate / #AIIntern you need for in the moment, at the moment access to the world’s leading corpus of knowledge. 

Most leadership teams look aligned. But looks can be deceiving 😳 Most teams will tell you that they are dialed in: ✅ Same vision. ✅ Same goals. ✅ Same strategy. But scratch beneath the surface and you’ll find a different reality: ⛔️ Agreement, but without shared understanding. I call this the "Tower of Babel Problem" — a nod to Genesis, where shared language made great building possible. Once it was scrambled, everything fell apart. In modern teams, this happens when smart, well-intentioned leaders use the same words — strategy, goals, KPIs — but attach slightly different definitions to each. The result? 🚫 Communication drifts 🚫 Coordination stalls 🚫 Execution slows Alignment isn't about the words on a slide. It's about the meaning behind them. Fix this, and you remove one of the quietest, costliest barriers to growth. High-performing teams don't gamble on shared understanding. They engineer it. Here's how: ✅ Define key terms precisely. ↳ Use plain language. No jargon. ✅ Teach and test. ↳ Train people on what words mean in practice. ↳ Verify, don’t assume. ✅ Revisit regularly. ↳ Language is a tool. Keep it sharp. Make sense? If so, here are the first 6 terms to start with: 🧭 "Strategy" The set of assumptions about how you'll move from where you are to where you want to be. 🔭 "Vision" A vivid, motivating picture of the impact you aim to create in three years. Three years sharpens focus and urgency. 💎 "Values" Your core principles — the non-negotiables that shape decisions and actions. They guardrail your strategy. 📊 "KPIs" A small set of metrics that best define team health and performance. How do we measure what matters? 🎯 "Goals" Concrete milestones, attached to KPIs, that chart your path to the vision. What must happen by when? 🎲 "Strategic Bets" Focused, high-impact efforts to accelerate results in the near term. Where do we want to double down? 👉 Pro tip: At your next offsite, have each leader define these 6 terms out loud. → Compare notes. You’ll be amazed at what aligns — and what doesn’t. 🔥 Shared language is a force multiplier. When people know exactly what words like "goal" or "priority" mean in practice, they stop second-guessing and get sh*t done. 💬 How aligned is your team’s vocabulary? Drop a comment 👇 — or DM me if you’d like help designing this as an offsite session. It’s one of my favorite ways to unlock real alignment. __ ♻️ Repost to help reduce frustration and misunderstanding. 📍 Follow me (Ben Sands) for more like this.

Your management team says they’re aligned. Think again. You launch a change initiative. But instead of driving it forward, your managers are clashing. Suddenly, valuable energy is consumed. The organization goes in different directions. And failure becomes almost certain. Why does this happen? Because the change process was launched before securing full buy-in and alignment from the management team. Here’s the reality: 🔴 If managers aren’t aligned, nothing will change. So, what do you do? 🔵 Go back to step one of the change process: Fine-tune the Change Strategy Organize a workshop with the management team to: ➨ Clarify the vision, objectives, and strategy ➨ Learn how to communicate the strategy ➨ Build commitment to the change effort I once ran a workshop with a top team to create their change strategy. I budgeted six hours to align on the change objectives. The VP told me, “We’re already aligned, a 15-minute review will be enough.” Six hours later, they reached real alignment. Getting alignment is a long and challenging process. The most common cause of misalignment: top leaders overestimate alignment of their team. But here’s a critical point: this workshop shouldn’t be led by the top leader. Otherwise, you risk creating a false sense of agreement, with managers nodding in the room while holding back their real concerns. And you’ll end up back where you began back to where you were before the workshop. False alignment is the silent killer of change initiatives. To succeed, every disagreement needs to surface and be debated until genuine agreement is reached. This is best done with an external expert. I have seen management teams argue over a single word for two hours. That is what real alignment looks like. Plan to take between six hours and a long day to get there. Because only when managers are fully aligned and committed can the transformation succeed. Any other strategy will fail. How much time did you spend creating your change strategy? _____________   🔔 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 Jacques Fischer for strategies to  ↳ Manage change  ↳ Evolve the culture  ↳ Improve leadership  ↳ Develop high-performance organizations 𝑴𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝑺𝒖𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 #humanresources #culturechange #changemanagement

I led a $350M org through a strategic planning session - after just 2 hrs the CEO called it a "walk-off home run". Here's my exact framework for creating rapid alignment and vision: 1. The Trust Foundation (20 mins) First, let the room breathe. Watch. Listen. Then, ask each leader to share one childhood challenge they overcame. Why? Because vulnerability creates humanity, and humanity creates trust. When someone shares about their parents' divorce or getting cut from a team, defenses drop naturally. 2. The Vision Journey (30 mins) Create space for deep thinking: - Dim the lights - Play soft instrumental music (I use Dwell on Spotify) - Guide them through a day-in-the-life meditation set 5 years in the future Pro tip: Most leadership teams spend 95% of their time in the daily battle. Few step back to truly envision the future. At $350M scale, this vision gap costs millions. 3. Personal Expression (60 mins) Transform thoughts into tangible vision: - Silent journaling period - Create visual representations on flip charts - Share personal stories of their envisioned future 4. Collective Alignment (10 mins) Bring it home: - Synthesize individual visions - Craft collective bullet points - Write a unified vision paragraph - - - By the end, the team didn’t just have a vision. They had their vision, one that was personal, connected, and inspiring. For the first time, the company’s future wasn’t just a business strategy. It was a shared journey everyone felt deeply invested in. 🔑 The Magic Ingredient: It's not just about the business vision. By connecting personal futures with company direction, you create authentic alignment that drives real change. 💡 Key Learning: Most strategic planning fails because it jumps straight to strategy. But vision without trust is just words on a page. Trust without vision is just a nice conversation. Magic happens when you build both!

"You can’t manage what you don’t measure." Yet, when it comes to change management, most leaders focus on what was implemented rather than what actually changed. Early in my career, I rolled out a company-wide process improvement initiative. On paper, everything looked great - we met deadlines, trained employees, and ticked every box. But six months later, nothing had actually changed. The old ways crept back, employees reverted to previous habits, and leadership questioned why results didn’t match expectations. The problem? We measured completion, not adoption. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻: Many organizations struggle to gauge whether change efforts truly make an impact because they rely on surface-level indicators: → Completion rates instead of adoption rates → Project timelines instead of performance improvements → Implementation checklists instead of employee sentiment This approach creates a dangerous illusion of progress while real behaviors remain unchanged. 𝗖𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲: Why does this happen? Because leaders focus on execution instead of outcomes. Common pitfalls include: → Lack of accountability – No one tracks whether new processes are being followed. → Insufficient feedback loops – Employees don’t have a voice in measuring what works. → Over-reliance on compliance – Just because something is mandatory doesn’t mean it’s effective. If we want real, measurable change, we need to rethink what success looks like. 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲: The solution? Focus on three key change management success metrics: → 𝗔𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗲 – How many employees are actively using the new system or process? → 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 – How has efficiency, quality, or productivity changed? → 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 – Do employees feel the change has made their work easier or harder? By shifting from "Did we implement the change?" to "Is the change delivering results?", we turn short-term projects into long-term transformation. 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀: Organizations that measure change effectively see: → Higher engagement – Employees feel heard, leading to stronger buy-in. → Stronger accountability – Leaders track impact, not just completion. → Sustained improvement – Change becomes embedded in the culture, not just a temporary initiative. "Change isn’t a box to check—it’s a shift to sustain. Measure adoption, not just action, and you’ll see the impact last." How does your organization measure the success of change initiatives? If you’ve used adoption rate, performance impact, or user satisfaction, which one made the biggest difference for you? Wishing you a productive, insightful, and rewarding Tuesday! Chris Clevenger #ChangeManagement #Leadership #ContinuousImprovement #Innovation #Accountability