Leading Change - Getting People on Board

Leading change is a tough assignment. People are much more comfortable with the status quo than with disrupting their working lives. It's nothing personal about you, the change leader; it's a problem of personal change. The first thing to understand is that there is no such think as organizational change, it is all personal. Organizations are groups of people organized to complete a particular block of work.

So what's a change leader to do? First understand what I just outlined … that all change is personal. Second, you have to create in your leadership a safe place for your followers. By that I mean they must feel safe talking with you and bringing their true feelings up in an appropriate manner. You must do this in the early stages of your change effort. They must know that they can trust you.

Once you have a personal foundation of your own based on understanding the needs of your followers and you represent a safe place to them, its time to move on with the changes. That starts with a clear reason for the change. There are two questions you must know the answer to before you start convincing others of the merits of your change journey. Here they are …

1. What problem are you trying to solve? That means with the initiative you are leading what problem will the work you're about to do solve? Too many times large change projects are started without a clear understanding of this question, let alone the answer. Before you begin to engage people, any number of people from one on up, know the answer to this question.

2. What will success look like when you do? That means when you have the answer to question one you paint a detailed vivid picture of that answer. With the problem you are going to solve identified this is the step where you outline, before you or anyone else embarks on the change journey, the end result when all the dust settles.

So why do you answer these two questions before you even start? Because if you don't you will not be able to effectively engage people in the solution of the problem. If you piled your family in the car and excitedly said, "We're going to do something different this year for vacation!" and didn't tell them they were headed for Disneyland they just may not be too happy on the long drive. Now if you told them and shared some brochures along the way and painted a picture your ten hour drive would be a lot more pleasant.

Too many leaders simply think that because they are the leader that everyone else should willingly climb on the change bus and live happily ever after. Well, that's not going to happen in this life or the next. It is up to you to paint a picture of the end result you desire. You need to be doing this from a personal point of view, from a position of trust and do it with clarity.

Now there will be those who don't get on the bus regardless of how well you paint the picture. These are the resisters. You work with them with respect in the beginning; consider their points of view and progress from dealing with their questions in a group to talking to them about their concerns privately. But in the end, the bus is leaving and they need to know it.

For the lone stragglers, the proverbial ten percent, you must again make it personal. They need to understand that the bus is leaving; you hope they'll be on it, but indeed it is leaving and will arrive at the change destination with or without them. This needs to be done with the support of your boss and with respect for the individual. But it must be done. These folks need to know that you are either part of the solution or part of the problem – the choice is theirs.

To lead change you must engage the people as individuals, honestly and truthfully. You do it by using the steps above, communicating regularly and making the change personal.