Successful organizational change can be a challenge for leaders.
Even when leaders see the need and benefits of changing a process or a platform, the entire team must ultimately buy-in and make a commitment to adapt if the changes are to have a lasting and positive impact on productivity and results.
According to Gartner, 46% of CIOs feel that culture is the most significant barrier to the success of their change plans… and it is the gap in understanding between C-suite and entry-level employees that contributes to lack of their commitment to changed behaviors.
That resistance to change is often the result of people who have become un-coachable.
People who aren’t coachable simply don’t want to change.
They resist and complain… because when we feel pushed in a direction – without being given proper understanding of why – we often push back.
And it is that push-back… that lack of willingness to modify our beliefs and behaviors… that is often the reason for failed change initiatives.
And while Staying Coachable is about wanting to be BETTER, you must also be WILLING to change.
That willingness is seldom inspired by command-and-control management.
Instead, people are moved to modify their behaviors when they are introduced to a series of powerful questions that can lead them to WANT TO CHANGE.
Curiosity is far more effective than commands when it comes to gaining buy-in and moving your people from complacency to commitment. But even after you have had those important conversations and inspired a sense of enthusiasm and commitment from your team, there is more to do…
When leadership begins a change initiative or undergoes a merger, there are seven critical things that are required to ensure sustained success:
1 Need a champion who supports the vision of what could be
(Who will own responsibility for the initiative and provide examples to stakeholders of what the goal ultimately looks like for the team?)
2 Need communication about the need or issue prompting the change
(How will you ensure that everyone learns what issues have led to this being necessary, and what is the desired impact of the changes in 3-6 months? )
3 Need key stakeholders to take ownership and become “what if” ambassadors
(Who are the key 20% of the team you can reach out to and recruit as supporters of the change that can help to spread excitement about the positive impact the changes will have?)
4 Need to build competence and new skills with engaging and relevant training
(How will you ensure a comfort level with the new platform or processes and provide training and support for the skills that this change requires?)
5 Need a commitment by leadership to implement and support it as an ongoing priority
(What evidence of resources is there for the team to believe that this is a lasting and meaningful implementation that they should not shrug off and ignore?)
6 Need clarity of a metric to measure the progress and results
(What numbers can you anticipate using as evidence of meaningful milestones for the project to create early wins and sustain momentum?)
7 Need to reward and encourage doing the right work to ensure adoption and habits
(How will you celebrate progress along the way and reward examples of behaviors that contribute to the successful implementation of the changes?)
These seven critical needs are a vital part of ensuring a successful and sustained change in your organization.
If you plan to implement change is some form throughout your organization, these seven important questions must be answered clearly for your team if you want to lead change effectively.
And if you are undergoing a change now, and you have had any issues at all with resistance or lack of commitment from your people, it is because you have not answered these seven questions adequately in the minds of those who are slow to accept the changes that you feel are necessary.
The quality of your leadership – regardless of your title – that will determine how well your teammates take ownership of the change to make it work.
Want to learn how to help your people become more willing to change?
The questions that inspire someone to Stay Coachable are relevant and useful regardless of industry or circumstance.
Being intentional is the key to effective leadership.
Whether it is a workplace culture teamwork keynote or corporate team building event, it is my passion to help leaders build and sustain a more positive and profitable culture.
If complacency has become a concern for some of your people, using the right questions is the key to inspiring their willingness to change.
