Leaders are expected to improve results through change, but their teams often resist. Change requires movement, away from what is known. Change can be tumultuous, causing disorientation that elevates anxiety and vulnerability; fear of the unknown can be paralyzing. Change is also a constant condition in business and in life. There are 3 benefits to change that can improve a team’s engagement. The antidote for the fear of change is to appreciate its benefits and to …
Leaders are hired to improve results. It’s expected that they will change the status quo to accomplish this objective. But leaders can’t change things by themselves; they succeed by inspiring and influencing others to get it done. When driving a change initiative, be aware of two issues that influence how motivation for the change is perceived. Impact and imperfection drive change by clarifying the reasons for it and by accelerating it. People need to understand …
Why do people walk or ride for miles to raise money for a worthy cause? Why do they volunteer to help others rebuild after a disaster? Why do some invest hours in support of a political campaign? For a change initiative to succeed, what is the first step? What inspires change? The common answer to all of the first three questions is that these people believe in that cause, that purpose. They want their efforts …
If you’re an experienced leader, then you’re already aware of this reality. You’ve learned how it feels to be squeezed between grand expectations and constraints you cannot overcome. Sometimes, despite your best intentions and efforts, you don’t succeed. But failure is a better teacher than success, and when you stumble as a leader, there’s one most important lesson to recall. Negative experiences are humbling. Failure resets your attitude, opening your mind to change and to …
These words were the first I heard when I began to help my dad with projects around our home. Every time I begin a new initiative, they come back to me. When an organization is transforming their selling strategy to one focused on customer-partnering, the implementation is more successful if the new process is “piloted” prior to full scale launch. Successful sales people will resist a change away from a selling process that has worked …
Change is inevitable. Organizations are always adapting to meet shifting market conditions, to enable their growth, etc. Resistance to change is also inevitable. It takes more than a memo containing a few bullet points to overcome this resistance. What seems crystal clear to you regarding a pending change initiative is often less straightforward for those impacted by the change. Expect it to take much longer than you imagined to implement a major change. Plan your …
Crisis creates change…change requires movement…away from what we know. The crisis may be occurring now or you see it coming, but you recognize that you need to move in a new direction. Are you afraid to move? Have you ever relocated? If so, then you know that change can be tumultuous. New place to live, new surroundings, new stores, new people – by moving away from what you knew you become disoriented. The disassociation makes …