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Do you need to lead a change? These 5 tips will help

My family and I recently moved into a new home. It’s a significant upgrade. A fantastic neighborhood. It’s beautiful and much larger with lots of extras. We feel very blessed and happy. Except…

…when we look at the boxes still to be unpacked. And when we can’t find that thing that we need right now. And the general clutter as things are being sorted. And all of the fixes and little remodeling projects that are being discovered.

It’s a lot of work.

In the middle of all the work, it’s very easy to forget how nice the house is.

Everyone “moves” or goes through change

Leaders often travel a similar journey when they move from one place to another organizationally.

I don’t mean physically moving, although it could include that.

I mean a change process. Common changes that I encounter are:

• Strongly entrepreneurial organizations, accustomed to “flying by the seat of their pants” who are learning to adapt to structure
• Fast growth organizations that are trying to keep up with their own growth
• New executive leadership
• Organizational culture change and alignment
• Organizations preparing for succession or the exit of an owner or founder
• Mergers or acquisitions

There are, of course, many other kinds of changes that your organization will move through.

In the beginning, it’s fun

Many leadership teams go through this experience:

• First feeling excited and anticipating the vision of what is to come[1].
• Then feeling overwhelmed at the seemingly unending amount of work.

Unfortunately, some choose to quit at this point.

They get tired, discouraged or distracted. They begin to believe that the effort of change is the entire experience of change. They no longer have the vision.

And they quit.

That would be the same as if I decided that it was taking too much effort, time and cost to move and just gave up. Yes, we’d still be in a new house. But we’d be surrounded by boxes, partially completed projects and rooms that still need to be set up and furnished.

It’s clearly not the time to quit.

It’s not yet what it could be with just a little more effort.

[1] OK, I know that the opposite is also true. There are some leaders who never get excited about the vision and only see the work. And there are other leaders who only get excited about the vision and refuse to see the work. The truth is, both of those leaders, if they enjoy any kind of success, only do so because they have a team pulling them forward in spite of themselves. Different topic for a different article.

Leaders need to persevere

Leaders quit leading change for a variety of reasons:

• It takes time: Often more time than anticipated. Sometimes a consuming amount of time – for a while.
• Not enough persistence: At first, there may not be momentum. You may have to keep pushing and working. Or fighting hard to maintain a chosen direction.
• Having to address what you’ve avoided: We all avoid some decisions or projects for a reason. And now we have to face them. We can, again, choose to avoid them. But here they are, up in our faces, insisting on another decision.
• Having to address what others have avoided: We realize we are stuck dealing with elements of other people’s messes or incomplete projects. Doesn’t seem right. Doesn’t seem fair.
• “Now” feels like “forever”: Emotionally, it feels like “now” will never end. In a bad way. It confuses our perspective. It exhausts us.
• It’s stressful: It physically stresses the brain because change requires new patterns of thinking. It can stress relationships. It can stress time, projects and much more.

Change is an opportunity

Change creates a unique dynamic. It sparks a new perspective and energy. It allows us to see and pursue opportunities. Sometimes, we are able to see and address challenges.

It’s not just about pursuing the change. The dynamic that change creates is valuable. It may not be comfortable for everyone, but it is valuable.

The 5 most important secrets for leading change

1. Plan your vision: It’s easier to organize a kitchen or garage when you have a vision for using the space and a plan to get there. If you just randomly throw things on shelves or in cupboards, it may feel easier, but will probably be harder to use and will require more effort.

More often than you’d expect, people wander into change processes in their organizations. They have some ideas. But not a clear vision. They rarely have a plan. This makes things harder to do and requires more effort.

Having a clear vision with a plan provides focus and direction for yourself and your team. It helps you track progress. It helps you keep perspective in terms of pacing.

Ultimately, it helps you be more effective with less effort.

2. Work in chunks / Finish a chunk: Everything doesn’t need to be done at once.

“Get this house organized,” is far too big of a project to tackle. “Get the garage organized,” is still too big of a project for one afternoon or even a day. However, I can organize all the camping gear. Or set up my workbench.

One chunk at a time allows for focus and a small win.

When you are leading a change process, think in terms of “mini-sprints.” Many people get so overwhelmed by everything that needs to get done that they are unable to start. Instead, identify one chunk of work to do and complete it. Then move on to the next.

3. 1% change: Along with working in chunks – steady, consistent changes add up. Every time I walk in a room, I can pick something up or put something away. The impact isn’t immediately noticeable. But it adds up over time.

Steadily working on small changes in an organization is the same experience. Small efforts may not seem like they contribute much. But done over and over again, over time, they add up.

Every meeting can be designed to ensure that at least some progress is made. Every day (or week) can be planned around gaining some ground.

4. Accept persistence: I’m confident that the single largest difference between successful leaders and unsuccessful leaders is persistence. Most people just quit. They stop trying. They decide that their vision is no longer worth it. The effort is too much. Or will take too long.

When leading change, many leaders quit before they ever experience the benefits of that change. It’s sad.

Some organizations start and then quit change so often – that they actually deeply believe that change (growth, getting organized, addressing chronic issues, etc) isn’t even possible.

It is possible. It just takes effort. Sustained and focused effort. For sometimes longer than you’d prefer.

But then you finally get there.

Don’t quit.

5. Review and celebrate progress: It’s easy for my wife and me to work all day on organizing the house. Then we look back with satisfaction on all the progress and realize…you can’t really see the progress. That’s discouraging.

But there was still progress.

It’s still important to support the others on our teams and take time to recognize what has been accomplished. Even if they still only look like small successes. Planning helps with this because it creates a road map. Defining process indicators is an exercise that I’ve noticed many clients seem to dislike. Mostly because it takes effort. And it really forces them to get specific.

But they sure become valuable in those times where it’s not easy to see if you are moving forward.

Most big successes won’t and can’t happen all at once. It’s important to be able to recognize and enjoy progress along the way.

Only five secrets?

There are whole books you can read and even degrees you can get on leading change. It’s a big topic and can wander all over the place.

I lead change for a living. It’s what I do for every client. Whether it’s executive coaching, helping owners increase the value of their businesses before a sale, or working with a government agency that’s trying to better achieve its mission.

There are tons of tools, principles, and techniques that I use. There are even more that I’ve probably forgotten.

These five secrets are, I believe, the most important. They apply to every situation and any size of change. They’ll carry you a long way.

It’s mostly about knowing where you are going and continuing to take steps in that direction for long enough to finally get there.

You can do it.

I hope these 5 secrets serve you well.

And remember… don’t quit.

Take good care,

Christian

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More Opportunities

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