Gaining Change Skills: Who Moved My Cheese?
Part Two
Speaker Image
J.T. Knudsen
Red Tree Leadership & Development
“75% of corporate change initiatives fail.”
– Harvard Business Review
Typical Manager’s Reaction When Things Aren’t Working
They hit the MORE button:
- More time
- More money
- More resources
- Until finally you hit the panic button
The button that should be pressed is the HOW (or question) button.
Ask Better Questions
- What can we do about this?
- What do you think?
- What is stopping us right now?
- Do we have a clear vision of what we are aiming for?
Simple is Better
The more easily you can explain change to someone, the better
When is Change a Good Idea?
When it is your idea
How Do You Get Your Idea to Be Their Idea?
Ask questions
What does “on-board” really mean?
- What they want lines up with what the company needs
- They are engaged and spending their time on things that matter
- They communicate positively with each other about their work and the desired outcome
Every company has a strategy, but nearly every strategy requires change
Critical Questions to Ask:
- How important is making this change to the organization?
- What would those in positions “above you” say about the priority of the change?
- How actively are people in the organization working to make the change happen?
- What is the size of this change for the organization?
Big Idea #1
Most Results Require Change
Most Companies Think They Are Good at Change:
- “We hire people who are skilled at change”
- “We deal with change all the time. It is not a problem”
- “Change is what we do”
Employees who understand why the company is changing
46%
54%
Yes
No
Employees who think the change requires them to do something differently
32%
68%
Yes
No
Employees who think the change will make things better or worse for the company
28%
72%
Better
Worse
Employees who think the change will make things better or worse for themselves
12%
88%
Better
Worse
Companies don’t change, people do.
One Approach
- Elaborate planning
- Detailed timelines
- Memos, emails, meetings
- Wait to see improvement
- More meetings to figure out what’s wrong
A Different Approach
- Do people understand what’s changing and why?
- Do people know how they fit in?
- Do people imagine gaining or losing?
- Is progress of the change being measured and how?
Understanding What’s Changing and Why
- First, make a case for the change (moving from > moving to)
- Cascade message down in the correct manner (otherwise the telephone effect happens)
Moving From > Moving To
Our organization is moving from this to this.
Talking Back
- Give people the opportunity to discuss it, evaluate it, and weigh in
- Although most change is dictated, buy-in is 100% conditional on the individual
- Ownership is everything