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Will You Add? - Leading Change; Four Principles for Staying in Control
Building your brand into a brand leader isn’t easy. There are 2 areas that can really help you grow your brand, passion and consistency. Passion is incredibly important. You have to understand that even if you are a start up or a one-man operation, or are well on your way, you are still a brand. You have to care passionately about the way your brand is nurtured, developed and presented to your target audience. Everything that leaves your building, every impression that your staff and your company make, is lasting. Take advantage of this opportunity to get your customers and potential customers to remember you in the way that you want them too!Passion is something that you have to feel deep down inside; you have to be driven by the belief that your brand should be the #1 in its category. I can’t give you the passion, but I will ask you to think about this! For exam
How all, or one of these groups of people will react, is not ever really known until the change programme starts to play out as it is not just the change that causes reactions nor what people do, but importantly, what people say about the change and elements in it and how they say it.
Completing a risk analysis is moderately easy. Every change programme has its nay sayers. Utilise them and a good range of experienced, inexperienced, intellectual and practical people to determine what the risks are for the change programme. Developing a robust and actionable (in time) contingency plan for those risks which are considered to be high impact, whether high or low probability, is more difficult but must be done.
Knowing your risks, building co
Key Indicators allow you to track the health and growth of your business. By deciding what values are critical, then measuring them over time, you can determine exactly where you are in your progress towards your business development goals.Most business owners would argue that they have a ‘good feel’ for their businesses. This is probably true but it is not sufficient to be successful. The Key Indicators in your business need to be defined and a schedule established to track and measure your progress towards them over time.Key Indicators can be used to track both measurable and implied areas of your business.Measurable Key Indicators are values that you can actually calculate or determine by looking at the operations of your Business. Typical examples include: - Net Profit, Growth Rates, Sales Person Calls and Production Rates etc.Implied Key
The people you are leading will have a range of anxieties about the change which different individuals will feel to a different depth. The nature of the anxiety and the depth of the anxiety will change over time, sometimes precipitously.
The leader, however, must be seen to be in control. More than that, except for the odd private lapse of confidence which bedevils the best leaders, the leader of change must be in control.
My observations from being affected by and leading change are that there are a few guiding principles for maintaining control.
Principle One: Focus on the goal
Day-to-day, leaders will receive good news and bad about the activities which make up the programme of change. Some activities will be ahead of where you thought they should be, some will be falling behind, or under seemingly impossible challenge to actually be completed.
Getting excited about activities which are ahead of progress and getting despondent or activating a reactionary process about activities which are not going well is sure way of communicating a lack of control.
Celebrating progress in a change programme is an important part of a change programme communication strategy. However, the celebration should be for progress towards the goal. The progress should always be measured as a balance of good and poor progress against the goal, where we have come from and the challenges which lie ahead of us.
Keeping a calm focus on the goal whilst encouraging overall progress and providing specific resources and guidance to fix problematic activities will give the team involved in the change increased courage and determination.
Reacting positively to good news and negatively to bad news only increases anxiety.
Of course, this principle assumes that the goal is clear and well understood. If it is not, take urgent action to clarify the goal of the change, its delivery date and ensure it is communicated in the languages and styles that the recipients will be most comfortable with and the mediums they have easiest access to.
Principle Two: Understand the building blocks of the change
Any change will have some key building blocks without which the change will not be affected. Building blocks will include items, for example, such as changing the competence of people, building infrastructure, purchasing equipment, implementing software changes, changing processes, developing products or gaining market understanding.
As a leader, focus a heavier proportion of your time ensuring the key building blocks of change are given the resources and management thinking time necessary to make sure they are completed.
Ensure more effort is spent on planning the building blocks. Demand more rigorous understanding of the critical path to completing the building blocks on time. Be prepared to spend more budget to compete the elements when problems arise which require more resources. Insist on a detailed risk management strategy being developed and executed.
Leaders who do understand the building blocks of the change they initiated ensure not only that the organisation as a whole is seeing the wood for the trees, but will coach others to act similarly in their sphere of influence almost without knowing it.
Principle Three: Develop and execute a risk management strategy
If we all had a crystal ball that worked, we would not need to develop a risk management strategy. Unfortunately, for leaders of major change programmes, a working crystal ball has yet to be found. Further, change programmes, more so than any other project, are full of uncertainties and ambiguities.
The main reason for the uncertainty and ambiguity is that change programmes always involve or impact people. They impact one or more of customers, shareholders, employees including team leading the change, public servants, governments, suppliers and the general public.
How all, or one of these groups of people will react, is not ever really known until the change programme starts to play out as it is not just the change that causes reactions nor what people do, but importantly, what people say about the change and elements in it and how they say it.
Completing a risk analysis is moderately easy. Every change programme has its nay sayers. Utilise them and a good range of experienced, inexperienced, intellectual and practical people to determine what the risks are for the change programme. Developing a robust and actionable (in time) contingency plan for those risks which are considered to be high impact, whether high or low probability, is more difficult but must be done.
Knowing your risks, building co
Are you planning to start a new business? Or are you considering expanding your current business and require a bank loan or investment from outsiders?If you are going to look for an investment of capital it is quite likely that you will be required to have a business plan. If you are starting a business, despite the work involved, a business plan can prepare you for the obstacles ahead and help ensure your success.A business plan is something that many small businesses fail to create, however, many business owners are adamant that having a written business plan is one of the keys to their present success. Creating a business plan forces you to contemplate possible obstacles to your business and prepares you to find solutions that will help you to overcome them.To find investors or get a bank loan, they will want to see that you have the experience or
Getting excited about activities which are ahead of progress and getting despondent or activating a reactionary process about activities which are not going well is sure way of communicating a lack of control.
Celebrating progress in a change programme is an important part of a change programme communication strategy. However, the celebration should be for progress towards the goal. The progress should always be measured as a balance of good and poor progress against the goal, where we have come from and the challenges which lie ahead of us.
Keeping a calm focus on the goal whilst encouraging overall progress and providing specific resources and guidance to fix problematic activities will give the team involved in the change increased courage and determination.
Reacting positively to good news and negatively to bad news only increases anxiety.
Of course, this principle assumes that the goal is clear and well understood. If it is not, take urgent action to clarify the goal of the change, its delivery date and ensure it is communicated in the languages and styles that the recipients will be most comfortable with and the mediums they have easiest access to.
Principle Two: Understand the building blocks of the change
Any change will have some key building blocks without which the change will not be affected. Building blocks will include items, for example, such as changing the competence of people, building infrastructure, purchasing equipment, implementing software changes, changing processes, developing products or gaining market understanding.
As a leader, focus a heavier proportion of your time ensuring the key building blocks of change are given the resources and management thinking time necessary to make sure they are completed.
Ensure more effort is spent on planning the building blocks. Demand more rigorous understanding of the critical path to completing the building blocks on time. Be prepared to spend more budget to compete the elements when problems arise which require more resources. Insist on a detailed risk management strategy being developed and executed.
Leaders who do understand the building blocks of the change they initiated ensure not only that the organisation as a whole is seeing the wood for the trees, but will coach others to act similarly in their sphere of influence almost without knowing it.
Principle Three: Develop and execute a risk management strategy
If we all had a crystal ball that worked, we would not need to develop a risk management strategy. Unfortunately, for leaders of major change programmes, a working crystal ball has yet to be found. Further, change programmes, more so than any other project, are full of uncertainties and ambiguities.
The main reason for the uncertainty and ambiguity is that change programmes always involve or impact people. They impact one or more of customers, shareholders, employees including team leading the change, public servants, governments, suppliers and the general public.
How all, or one of these groups of people will react, is not ever really known until the change programme starts to play out as it is not just the change that causes reactions nor what people do, but importantly, what people say about the change and elements in it and how they say it.
Completing a risk analysis is moderately easy. Every change programme has its nay sayers. Utilise them and a good range of experienced, inexperienced, intellectual and practical people to determine what the risks are for the change programme. Developing a robust and actionable (in time) contingency plan for those risks which are considered to be high impact, whether high or low probability, is more difficult but must be done.
Knowing your risks, building co
Have you ever considered working from home? What it must feel like not to have to be somewhere at a certain time or be woken up by some irritating alarm chiming away?Many of us wish we did not have to be at someones beck and call from 9 till 5 and more often longer than that! There are many successful home business ideas out there in todays modern world but could we ever be sure we could earn enough money to cover the rent or mortgage if we jacked in our regular jobs?A successful home business does not require an individual to necessarily take a leap of faith when starting up. More often than not the budding entrepreneur can begin his or her enterprise at their own pace with minimal outlay and all from the comfort of their own home.We would all like to break away from the shackles of our every day lives and the drudgery of d
Principle Two: Understand the building blocks of the change
Any change will have some key building blocks without which the change will not be affected. Building blocks will include items, for example, such as changing the competence of people, building infrastructure, purchasing equipment, implementing software changes, changing processes, developing products or gaining market understanding.
As a leader, focus a heavier proportion of your time ensuring the key building blocks of change are given the resources and management thinking time necessary to make sure they are completed.
Ensure more effort is spent on planning the building blocks. Demand more rigorous understanding of the critical path to completing the building blocks on time. Be prepared to spend more budget to compete the elements when problems arise which require more resources. Insist on a detailed risk management strategy being developed and executed.
Leaders who do understand the building blocks of the change they initiated ensure not only that the organisation as a whole is seeing the wood for the trees, but will coach others to act similarly in their sphere of influence almost without knowing it.
Principle Three: Develop and execute a risk management strategy
If we all had a crystal ball that worked, we would not need to develop a risk management strategy. Unfortunately, for leaders of major change programmes, a working crystal ball has yet to be found. Further, change programmes, more so than any other project, are full of uncertainties and ambiguities.
The main reason for the uncertainty and ambiguity is that change programmes always involve or impact people. They impact one or more of customers, shareholders, employees including team leading the change, public servants, governments, suppliers and the general public.
How all, or one of these groups of people will react, is not ever really known until the change programme starts to play out as it is not just the change that causes reactions nor what people do, but importantly, what people say about the change and elements in it and how they say it.
Completing a risk analysis is moderately easy. Every change programme has its nay sayers. Utilise them and a good range of experienced, inexperienced, intellectual and practical people to determine what the risks are for the change programme. Developing a robust and actionable (in time) contingency plan for those risks which are considered to be high impact, whether high or low probability, is more difficult but must be done.
Knowing your risks, building co
If you remember the sonic boom of the early “faster-than-the-speed-of-sound” flights, then you may not be taken totally off-guard by the boom created across America during the “faster-than-you-can-say-hippie” employee shortages and knowledge loss expected to occur during the exodus of the baby boomers from the workforce. The start of what may be the largest demographic change to hit the American workforce began last year.The first of the Baby Boomer generation turned 60 years old, and every seven seconds for the next eighteen years another baby boomer will turn 60. With approximately 83 million workers set to retire in the next decade, many employment experts warn that there may not be enough younger American workers to replace those who will retire and that even the massive productivity gains made in the past decade may not be enough to ma
Leaders who do understand the building blocks of the change they initiated ensure not only that the organisation as a whole is seeing the wood for the trees, but will coach others to act similarly in their sphere of influence almost without knowing it.
Principle Three: Develop and execute a risk management strategy
If we all had a crystal ball that worked, we would not need to develop a risk management strategy. Unfortunately, for leaders of major change programmes, a working crystal ball has yet to be found. Further, change programmes, more so than any other project, are full of uncertainties and ambiguities.
The main reason for the uncertainty and ambiguity is that change programmes always involve or impact people. They impact one or more of customers, shareholders, employees including team leading the change, public servants, governments, suppliers and the general public.
How all, or one of these groups of people will react, is not ever really known until the change programme starts to play out as it is not just the change that causes reactions nor what people do, but importantly, what people say about the change and elements in it and how they say it.
Completing a risk analysis is moderately easy. Every change programme has its nay sayers. Utilise them and a good range of experienced, inexperienced, intellectual and practical people to determine what the risks are for the change programme. Developing a robust and actionable (in time) contingency plan for those risks which are considered to be high impact, whether high or low probability, is more difficult but must be done.
Knowing your risks, building co
Generally speaking, the IT industry is young compared to other disciplines such as medicine and law. Employers are often more concerned with work experience, enthusiasm, achievement, extra-curricular activities, and of course reliability rather than degree content. Aline Cumming, a consultant in IT and Education suggests that career changers need not worry about having a first degree in IT or Computer Science, citing that many employers provide training for new recruits in the specific technologies used within the work place and provide additional personnel tooling as newer technologies come on board. But there are also many ways in which you can ease your entry into the IT field while increasing your prospects to be successful at a career change. If you are seriously considering a new career path, try to broaden your experience and familiarity with what is hap
How all, or one of these groups of people will react, is not ever really known until the change programme starts to play out as it is not just the change that causes reactions nor what people do, but importantly, what people say about the change and elements in it and how they say it.
Completing a risk analysis is moderately easy. Every change programme has its nay sayers. Utilise them and a good range of experienced, inexperienced, intellectual and practical people to determine what the risks are for the change programme. Developing a robust and actionable (in time) contingency plan for those risks which are considered to be high impact, whether high or low probability, is more difficult but must be done.
Knowing your risks, building contingency plans and making those contingency plans part of the change programme is buying insurance for a leader's ability to stay in control.
Principle Four: Communicate early and often
The simplest way for a leader to lose control of a change programme is to allow the rumour mill to develop and then run. The leader and their team are inevitably caught up in reacting to rumours, reducing the time they can spend on the key building blocks of change. Additionally, and fatally if it is allowed to happen, the concentration of the leader, the change programme team and the organisation as a whole drops away from focusing on the goal to the minutiae of the day.
Leaders must develop a communication strategy that encompasses all stakeholders and what it is that they want communications with them to make them feel, think and do. The communication strategy must be built on what messages, through what mediums, at what frequency, delivered by which person, will help the stakeholders feel, think and do what will be helpful for the success of the change programme.
The communication strategy must take into account the different filters of experience, upbringing, emotional state and thinking styles that people in the organisation will apply to the receipt of communication. The filters will change over time.
Communications, therefore, need to be plural and frequent to allow people to assimilate the messages at their own speed.
If people are not told what is happening in a major change programme, their anxiety leads to them making their own conclusions based on past history, snippets of information heard in corridors, tea rooms and read in newspapers. The leaders of the change programme and their team then have to react to what is not real rather than what is real.
Staying in control and being seen to stay in control is a paramount behaviour for a leader of major change. It is what they are paid for. It is difficult at times. Staying true, however, to a few key principles makes it much easier than it otherwise would have been.
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