There is a lot written about organisational design and change and how businesses move through these change transitions. We have all heard about the Change curve and the stages of change. Most of this revolves around planning, financial governance and strategic execution and managing to a tight timeframe and budget.
The people aspects of transitioning are really the game-changer. Most change managers will start pulling out their PROSCI and ADKAR templates and commence a process of moving the organisations people through these change methodologies. Whilst this is a necessary ingredient to the transition, the behaviours of the key people inside the organisation are what really matters. In a lot of cases these are assumed to exist… but are they prevalent and how can we help our teams to behave in a manner that allows change to be successful?
As we all know – most of us don’t like to change we are all creatures of habit.
What are the key behaviours?
So, before we commence the eye roll, lets agree that this is the essential piece of any change or transition. Without the biggest asset, the people, being accepting of the change, there is an absolute guarantee that it will probably fail.
The 10 essential behaviours that underpin this are really these:
Lead and Develop others. Coach and let go and build high levels of engagement, and encouragement; achieve by investing in others. I guarantee that you will need an army of soldiers – not all generals.
Be Authentic. Understand and know what is important to ourselves and our teams. Make sure that the leaders display integrity, self-awareness and a focus on the development of their teams.
Be Open to new ideas and feedback. Embrace new opportunities and ideas that can add value, and that there are no “sacred cows” – this is difficult as we all want to control the outcome, but if there is no buy in then there is no ownership of the change and possibly a mediocre outcome, if one at all. This is all about creating a positive environment around the change or transition.
Trust People. This is a bit of a no-brainer, but let’s state the obvious; Trust the judgement of others and their ability to achieve. You may be the leader, but you are not necessarily the subject matter expert.
Seek to understand before being understood. This is one of my favourites. How do you expect people to listen to you if you don’t listen to them and their concerns? Build effective relationships, be empathetic and listen to what the people are saying. This allows everyone to develop a deep understanding of what may be real issues; even if they are not, it fosters trust and ultimately an environment that will lead to value adding solutions.
Disciplined thought and disciplined actions. Focus on doing the right thing at the right time – plan for the change and execute it. It will not be to everyone’s liking but take a big picture of what is needed and ensure sustainability for the long term.
Make sound decisions and act swiftly. Take responsibility for following through on the actions to make things happen and mitigate low avoidance or dodging what needs to be done. The only bad decision is no decision. Indecisiveness’ will lead to failure as the momentum and trust will drain from the organisation.
Keep promises. So, this might generate some angst. Do what you say you will do and LEAD and take responsibility. Set goals for yourself and stick to them; Its ok if we move the deadline or goal, but make sure that everyone is informed and that it doesn’t become a habit.
Share what we know and think. Create an environment where people can speak freely and are able to generate ideas. Be honest in your communication and allow people the courage to speak up. Careful here, the loudest person is not always the most effective.
Do the right thing for the long term. This is not always easy. Organisations are often tempted to take the shortcut so that they can save time, resources and money; It will work in the short term but in the longer term, it is doomed. It also means that the next change or transition will be viewed as sceptical by most of the stakeholder groups.
It is almost a guarantee that we will not have leaders or people that are fully equipped with the 10 behaviours listed. That is not the point. The point is to know what is required and start a process of working through these behaviours to improve the self-awareness of what is required to be successful inside the organisation.
The more you talk about it, and embed it, the more likely it is to become part of the DNA of the Organisation.
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