SIX STEPS TO LEADING A MAJOR CHANGE INITIATIVE

Align behind your company's master brand (north star)

A shared vision of the preferred future is present in successful change initiatives.  People need to know the link between your “master brand” and proposed changes.  For example, Nike’s JUST DO IT might be the north star used to align people. Preparation must happen before the actual planning begins.  Following are six foundation building steps that will dramatically increse the odds of a successful intervention:

by LSI publisher Art McNeil

1. Be ABSOLUTELY clear about where you want to take people and why. Work at developing clarity by interacting with trusted others – before you engage the organization as a whole. Preliminary dialogue will also generate ENERGY that will be apparent once you start asking people to support your change initiative.
2.  Reflect on your organization’s history in terms of what has fit and what has not— before you try to communicate what needs to change .
3.  Know where your organization currently is. Are you in a survival, hold, or growth mode? What makes you think that? Where’s the evidence to support your conclusion? A distillation of your perspective is essential. Followers will expect you to make a consistent and solid case every time.
4.  Advise people that getting from ‘here to there’ using the same tools, frameworks, and strategies your organization has always used won’t work. To cast out the debilitating ghosts of industrial-age habits, you may require something akin to a corporate exorcism. To grow, people must first let go.
5.  Directing a change initiative is no place for the faint of heart. To break through the status quo you must take the reins. It’s your job to help others understand why the current culture or operating methods are no longer acceptable.
6.  Plan for how you will approach the tough issues that are sure to occur:  What challenges do you anticipate? How will you engage others in problem solving? What will the consequences be for people who are unwilling to support the change?

This post is sponsored by Art McNeil workshops