Leaping into change - lessons learned
Most of us have been to change management workshops and got a lot of tips on how to lead change. Leaders are typically the “leapers” - enthusiastic and ready to go. And the leader’s job is to “get everyone on board”, right? You’ve probably seen the slide about how people react differently to change; a good change management workshop wouldn’t be complete without a decent discussion about “resistance to change”.
I remember running into Jon in the break room after one of these sessions. “Those consultants” he said “they come in and make these fancy presentations on change management and everyone thinks they have prepared us for the human aspect of change”. “Well, they couldn’t be more wrong”, he growled. Jon had been with the company for over 20 years and had seen a lot of changes. He told me that he felt like one of those “resistors” they had on the slides. This clearly upset him. I suggested that we grab a coffee and talk this through. I understood how he felt and I suddenly remembered giving a similar presentation a few years back myself. In that moment, I realized how I had in effect “pathologized” the resistors; made them the bad guys. And I could feel the embarrassment rise up inside me. It was time to fix this. Jon and I had an honest conversation about how he felt and what could be done. We worked out a plan to use his experience and insights to really benefit the project. He left that meeting feeling valued and more committed.
People have three basic response styles to change:
Leapers- these are the early adopters
Bridge Builders- the second/third wave
Tradition Holders- the final wave
Each response style has its own strengths and challenges but all are necessary for a successful implementation. Jon was a Tradition Holder. See how positive that is? He held a ton of knowledge, both technical and cultural, that was necessary for this project to be successful. He raised the red flags we had discussed but the leapers leapt anyway. A few months later, when the holes in the new process became obvious, they realized that Jon was right. Fortunately for everyone, Jon was able to step in and build out what was needed. Who did they rely on? The Bridge Builders of course. While Jon knew all the booby traps, members of his team knew how to make it right and operationalize the fix. Imagine what could have been possible if everyone could have contributed their strengths from the outset?
Well….it might not be too late for you! Check out the half-day workshop described below that you can bring to your organization or team.
Leapers, Bridge Builders and Tradition Holders
This workshop is designed to give participants a brief and engaging model for working with change so they feel better equipped to work with it. It is suitable for a broad organizational audience including upper and middle management as well as line staff. It can be used with a mixed group or with an intact team; to build general capability for working through change or as part of a specific change process. It typically runs for a half-day and can be customized to meet your needs.
Designed by the people at CRR Global - renowned experts in organizational and relationship systems - and delivered by i2icoaching.
For more information, please contact me at brendan@i2icoaching.com