Understanding the Challenges and Rewards of Change Management

Navigating change is a difficult journey, often faced with challenges. Based on my experiences, here are some vital lessons I would like to share: 1. Choose Your Battles Wisely: Ensure that the areas you target for change are essential. Unnecessary change attempts may look bad and lead to no value. 2. Form Your Change Team: Unite all stakeholders, from top to bottom, in alignment with your vision. Having the support of shareholders, top and middle management, and the entire affected team is crucial for success. 3. Secure Backing from Owners: In the toughest moments of the battle, having the support of owners is your stronghold. Without their backing, the journey becomes significantly more challenging. 4. Acknowledge Resistance: Expect resistance, even in the face of brilliant ideas and great support. Be prepared with a robust change management plan to navigate and mitigate resistance effectively. 5. Know When to Pivot: Recognize when the value of the change isn't resonating. It's not a personal defeat. Retain positive relationships, and if the change doesn't align, consider a strategic pivot. What insights do you have to share about navigating change? Share and enlighten💡✨

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗜𝘁? In the world of business, 'change' is more than just a buzzword – it's a battlefield. Many laud the digital era for its information abundance, but this very aspect makes staying ahead a relentless struggle. It's high time we face some uncomfortable truths about change management. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗳𝘂𝗹: Forget rapid transformations. Real change takes 3-5 years. Why? People. They need time to unlearn old habits and embrace new ones, and this often leads to grief. Yes, grief. It's the unspoken hurdle in your path to change. 𝗛𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝘆: The Silent Killer of Change: Our love for hierarchical structures, a remnant of industrial age thinking, is ironically our biggest enemy in change. These structures resist change, and leaders conditioned to avoid risks and maintain control are often the first to hinder progress. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝘀. 𝗗𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴: Change isn't just about learning; it's about doing. The 70-20-10 rule speaks volumes here. Only 10% of learning comes from traditional training. The rest? Relationships and hands-on experience. Are you willing to mentor, or will you stick to outdated training programs? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲: Not everyone is cut out for change. There are laggards and resistors. The former can be guided, but the latter? They're a lost cause. It's harsh, but true – sometimes, you need to cut the dead weight for the greater good of the organization. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Focus on people, not just processes. The best changes come from small, consistent interventions – casual talks, impromptu meetings. Understand the root of resistance before making rash decisions. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲: Without strong leadership from the top, your change initiatives are doomed. Hierarchical organizations need innovative leaders willing to take risks and foster open communication across all levels. Change management isn't for the faint of heart. It's a complex, often painful process that demands courage, patience, and a willingness to confront the hard truths. Are you up for the challenge? Or will you be left behind in the relentless march of progress? Share your views with me. Are these points unnecessarily harsh, or the critical truths that today's businesses need to embrace? #change #changeleadership #changemanagement #hope #hopeinaction

What challenges have you faced while managing change effectively? ✏️ Change is inevitable. Change is necessary. But change must be managed. And your approach to managing change will help decide if it's change for the good or the worse. The biggest challenge to change is when the change impacts people who aren't ready for the change. A good framework for helping people be ready for and accept change is the tell, sell, ask, or delegate. 1️⃣ Tell - these are changes which have to happen, and the people impacted don't have any say in the matter. Leaders have to explain what the change is, what the impact is, why it has to happen. They need to explain the change isn't negotiable, but still provide a forum for people to share their opinions or objections, to help refine the message of why the change is necessary. 2️⃣ Sell - these changes need to happen, but are more optional for the recipients. Leaders need to "sell" the team on the change, explain the benefits, and get their buy-in. 3️⃣ Ask - when a change is not optional but the details are to be determined, leaders may ask what the team thinks and use their input to build the change plan. This is more collaborative, and the change should be more accepted by the team. 4️⃣ Delegate - this is when change is desired, but not required. Leaders can explain why they believe change is necessary, but then leaves it up to the team to figure out how to implement the changes (and even whether to adopt them). Depending on the necessity of the change, each of these styles can be used. Each presents its own challenges, as those impacted by the change will have different levels of resentment versus buy-in. A great story of a change that was told was an IT system was upgraded so that it no longer had delays in its workflow. Users could advance through the data entry screens quickly and efficiently. Sounds great, right? But the problem was the users weren't consulted. They had optimized their process around the delays in the old system. While the old system churned, they would handle other tasks or prepare for later steps. The new system was too fast and broke the workflow the team had built around. The end result, change happened, but actually made the team less productive. What are some examples of change challenges you've seen? Did you use something like tell, sell, ask, and delegate? Or what works for you to manage change? Looking forward to the conversation... #EBSpoke #ChangeManagement #Leadership #Technology

Moving from startup to growth is one of the most exciting transformations that any company can go through. But, if the change isn’t properly managed, it can wreak havoc on your organization and leave employees feeling like the rug was pulled out from underneath them. Many of the companies I work with often focus on the ‘growth’ part – metrics, milestones, new processes – and forget about the people part of change management. Often, this is because understanding how to navigate the people aspect of change can be fuzzy. So, instead of a robust change management effort, the resort to one-way information sharing. The instability and confusion this causes can disrupt even the best of teams, which, at best, leaves employees unhappy or unsettled, and, at worst, leads to drops in productivity, increased employee turnover, and service disruptions to the company. Once you get there, it’s a hard place to get out of. All of this can be avoided by engaging your employees more thoughtfully at the outset with a few tactics that make your employees feel valued and give them a sense of control – both of which are critical to effectively implement change. It boils down to 3 key things: 1. Identifying the messages that will most resonate with your employees’ day-to-day. 2. Articulating how things will change clearly and consistently. 3. Providing the necessary training and ongoing coaching to reinforce new ways of thinking or behaving. Knowing what you’re planning to transform isn’t enough to facilitate transformations to your business. Spending the time to win hearts and minds will pay dividends in avoiding the headaches related to resistance. Change must be actively marketed, promoted, and managed to win people’s hearts and minds – and, in winning hearts and minds, your employees will be motivated to make transformation successful. #startups #changemanagement #management #projectmanagement

On the surface, change management is not an exciting topic. Dig a little deeper, though, and suddenly, it gets much more interesting. Good change management is about slow, deliberate, careful change over time. Going more slowly ensures people have an opportunity to adjust to the change. And that will make it far more likely to succeed. People often find change painful, since we are all creatures of habit. So, it’s critical not to change everything all at once. Focus on changing the most important things first. Give people time to digest the process, and learn from their mistakes. This isn’t always easy, I know. We have a tendency to chase the appearance of progress; it feels steady, known, and satisfying. The reality of progress, in contrast, is messy, nonlinear, and frustratingly slow. To reap the true rewards, you must be willing to slog through the mess to get to the real results. Most of all, don’t skip to the end. If you do, you lose all the value of going through the very difficult, painful learning process. Trust me: the messy, slow, sometimes boring path is actually faster. It creates teams and companies that can work together seamlessly. It develops trust. And, it builds complex skills that can then be used for years. Maybe change management doesn’t seem that exciting when you first look at it. But when you think about all the possibilities it creates when done well, I’m sure you’ll agree: It’s actually one of the most exciting—and important—things out there.

Managing change represents significant challenges for leaders due to the complex dynamics of organizational behavior, resistance, and the need for strategic planning and communication. During transitions, leadership must navigate the diverse reactions of team members, who may fear the unknown or worry about how changes will affect their roles and job security.   But here is a little-known secret: Disabled leaders excel at managing change. The way we, Disabled professionals, manage change is an untapped resource. And Non-disabled leaders could learn a great deal from Disabled leaders about managing change. To begin, having navigated numerous personal and professional challenges, Disabled leaders often have a profound understanding of resilience. Our ability to adapt to changing circumstances and overcome barriers can teach other leaders about the importance of flexibility, perseverance, and creativity in the face of change. Secondly, Disabled leaders are likely to prioritize inclusivity, recognizing the value of diverse perspectives in decision-making processes. This approach ensures that changes include the impact on various needs and backgrounds, leading to more comprehensive and effective solutions that benefit the entire organization. Next, Disabled leaders tend to adopt a strengths-based approach, recognizing and leveraging the unique strengths of each team member. This perspective can teach other leaders to focus on the assets and potential of their teams, rather than perceiving change from a deficit-based viewpoint. Finally, Disabled leaders are often skilled problem-solvers, finding innovative solutions to overcome daily challenges. This skill can be particularly useful in navigating the complexities of organizational change, offering fresh perspectives and strategies that others might overlook. The multifaceted nature of change management, combined with the inherent uncertainty of new directions, makes it a particularly challenging endeavor for leaders aiming to achieve successful and sustainable transformations. By observing and learning from the approaches of Disabled leaders, Non-disabled leaders can evolve and enhance their change management practices, fostering a more inclusive, adaptable, and resilient organizational culture. Looking for more ways to create AND sustain #DisabilityInclusion in the workplace? Hit the ‘follow’ button! I’m an openly Autistic #DEIB Facilitator and Speaker on a mission to close the disability leadership gap. Want to make your organization truly #inclusive? For Consulting, Speaking, Training & Workshops, email me at Becca@TrulyInclusiveLeadership.com or visit my website https://lnkd.in/ggFshWks Images description: a textured dark green background with a quote from text that reads "Non-disabled leaders could learn a great deal from Disabled leaders about managing change." #leadership #workplace #DEIleaders #TrulyInclusiveLeadership

I was recently reminded of the significant grounding power of Prosci's five tenets of #changemanagement and the associated plain language questions that can unlock obstacles and provide focus. When I am on stage to share the mindset that people are indeed on the critical path of #changesuccess with a group that may not know much about change management (i.e. executives and senior leaders), this is one of the frameworks I lean on regularly. Why? The first three tenets do not mention change management, but describe the nature of change and how it happens. Then, in the fourth tenet, change management is positioned as the solution to the realities of successful change (or as an antidote when change has been left to chance). Tenet five closes the loop by connecting adoption back to the project's purpose. Prosci's Five Tenets of Change Management + Plain Language Questions: Tenet 1: We change for a reason. Question 1:Why are we changing? T2: Organizational change requires individual change. Q2: Who has to do their job differently (and how)? T3: Organizational outcomes are the collective result of individual change. Q3: How much of our outcomes depend on adoption and usage? T4: Change management is an enabling framework for managing the people side of change. Q4: What will we do to support adoption and usage? T5: We apply change management to realize the benefits and desired outcomes of change. Q5: How will driving adoption and usage improve results? When I'm engaging senior leaders, I usually lead with the five question and only concluded with the connection back to the discipline of change management. How have you used the five tenets framework in your work?

SNIPPET OF LEADERSHIP #18 💡 Change management: Is it happening to you or is it happening for you? As a leader, let me tell you that it is totally up to you! Best Selling Author Brian Tracy MBA said it the best: “You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.” Organizational change can be incredibly challenging for leaders due to a variety of reasons. Firstly, change disrupts the status quo, which can create resistance and pushback from team members who are comfortable with the existing systems and processes. People are naturally resistant to change because it introduces uncertainty and potential risks. You will be faced with resistance, skepticism and often times hostility from the team, making very difficult to implement change smoothly. We can't control what happens, but we can control our response! I strongly believe that the higher you are in the leadership organizational chart, the more involved you are REQUIRED to be in the implementation of change, because it requires strong leadership skills, effective communication, and the ability to inspire and motivate others. You are expected to clearly articulate the vision for the change, address concerns and fears. It can be a complex and time-consuming process that demands significant emotional intelligence and resilience. To embrace change as a leader when it is unavoidable, it is crucial to adopt a growth mindset and remain open to new ideas and possibilities. As a leader, you must seek to understand the reasons behind the change, communicate its importance to your team, and one of the most important (if not the most) role is to provide support and resources to facilitate the transition. By demonstrating adaptability, resilience, and positive attitude, leaders can inspire their teams to embrace change, overcome challenges, and essentially seize new opportunity for growth and success. #truefacts : If you are not open to the unavoidable change, find it difficult to believe in or it challenges your existing beliefs, then do yourself a favor and seek for a new opportunity that you feel connected to so you can get to a healthy mind-space for yourself. I was reminded recently a powerful message: The least you can do is to give a chance to change! be open-minded! Old ways don't open new doors! Awaken the untapped potential. #leadershipdevelopment #leadingchange #openmindedness

Leadership isn’t just about shining in good times; it’s about providing strong support through every challenge. Change management, often underestimated, becomes the linchpin. It keeps teams united during transitions and guides them safely through uncharted territory. If there was one skill to master, it should be change management. Here is how I approach it: 🤔Understand the ‘Why’: Clearly communicate why change is necessary. People are more likely to embrace it when they understand the reasons behind it. 🗓️Create a Plan: Develop a comprehensive change management plan, outlining roles, responsibilities, ownership and timelines. 🗣️Engage and Communicate: Involve your team in the process and communicate openly. Address concerns and provide regular updates. Transparency is the key! 🧗♂️Lead by Example: Show your commitment to the change by being a role model. Your actions speak louder than words. 🤝Provide Support: Offer training and resources to help your team adapt to the changes. Ensure they feel supported throughout the process. 📊Monitor Progress: Continuously assess how the changes are progressing. Be ready to adjust your approach as needed. Inspect what’s expected 😇. 🥳Celebrate Milestones: Acknowledge and celebrate small wins along the way. It boosts morale and reinforces the positive aspects of change. #impactrealization is the key! 👩🏽🏫👩🏽💻Learn and Adapt: After each change initiative, conduct a thorough review. What worked? What didn’t? Use this knowledge to improve future change efforts. Remember, mastering change management isn’t just about making it through turbulent times; it’s about guiding your team to a more resilient, adaptable, and ultimately successful future. What other change management strategies are you adapting? Comment below and share your thoughts 💭

How will we know we've been successful? Too often, in organizational transformation efforts, the answer to that question is in the eye of the beholder. Rather than arguing about who's perspective is "right", however, it can be useful to think about organizational change success as multi-dimensional. Change is complex, after all. Our measures of it should reflect that reality, without being overly complicated. For me, the three buckets of achievement, completion, and acceptability fit that bill. These come directly from the work of Susan Miller on implementing strategic decisions - please see the comments for a link. ➡ Achievement: Gauge how close you've come to creating meaningful results from the change you are implementing. This helps to ensure you don't mistake activity for outcomes. That said, Rome wasn't built in a day, so it's wise to look for signs of learning first before evaluating performance. ➡ Acceptability: Get feedback on stakeholder satisfaction regarding the change solution and process. People's current experience with change can shape their view of future changes. So, getting better here can bring both short and long-term dividends. ➡ Completion: Assess how well you execute. Bringing about change in organizations can be an intensive and expensive undertaking. Managing schedule, scope, and budget effectively is a critical. Additionally, some research indicates that people's perspectives of a given change are influenced by their belief in the organization's ability to manage it competently. Using defined success dimensions such as these can build shared understanding of different perspectives and enable more robust conversations about the definition of success for any given change. Importantly, developing relevant measures and tracking progress on multiple dimensions can also support more nuanced learning about what aspects of change you are doing well and the best areas to target if you want to improve your organization's approach to change. If change is truly the only constant in organizations today, surely that's something worth knowing. #changemanagement #transformation #transformationalchange #organizationalchange #changeleadership