Remember what your mother taught you: don’t judge a book by its cover. This book is far more than just a list of phrases. It is a management primer on communicating change based on our 40 combined years of experience leading change and consulting to others leading change in a myriad of organization sizes and industries on 4 continents.
Get a handbook with practical methods for handling a wide range of change situations: We have compiled an… Read the full article >
This checklist can be used while creating a change message. It is intended to help leaders ensure they create the highest impact message possible.
What kind of change is it?
*New Structure (i.e. Reorganizations, Layoffs, Outsourcing, Merger, New Teams) *New Project (i.e. ERP/ Software Rollouts, Process Improvement, Innovation) *New Leader (i.e. Succession, Merger/Acquisition, New Team Members) *New Strategy (i.e. New Markets, New Positioning, New Products/Services)
What is the nature of the message?
*Announcing Change *Identify what is changing and what is not *Get clear on why the change is important to the business/team/customer/employees … Read the full article >
While there are no magic words that fit every situation, there are some best practices we have discovered over the years.
1. Build trust before change. The time to start building trusting relationships is before you need them! In times of change, the trust between you and your people is critical. If you don’t have trust, it may be too late to have real communication. Employees who trust you will hear the perfect phrases as you intend them. This will create meaningful dialogue. However, if your relationship with them is damaged from past errors, employees may hear any phrase… Read the full article >
Today’s organizational changes involve employees spread around regions, countries, and continents. Virtual tools like GoToWebinar, Skype, blogs, and Facebook offer a terrific amount of added flexibility to communicate with people. Yet, there are also many limitations and challenges when communicating change in this new digital world.
In principal, all the rules of communicating change apply in virtual situations. In fact, they are amplified because when you are not face-to-face, it is more critical to follow all of the guidelines…. Read the full article >
We have seen leaders fail in communicating change in three basic ways: not telling enough, not listening enough, and not telling the truth enough.
Not Telling Enough
Leaders are usually ahead of the people they are leading. They usually know information before employees and have thought through situations before employees even know what is going on. This can lead them to forget that employees do not know what they know. The result is many leaders do not communicate enough…. Read the full article >
Within any change message, there are three distinct parts: the information or data to be shared, the emotion of the conversation, and the action that needs to be taken. These parts need to be carefully balanced to successfully support a change initiative.
Information
People need information during change–the hard, cold facts. This information might include the details of the new procedures, processes, and plans as well as who will be doing what and when. These pieces… Read the full article >
Now that the hard work of launching the change has occurred, the execution must begin.
The execution phase is the longest and most challenging. It is filled not only with hard work but also with resistance. The main work of the execution phase involves performance management, motivation, and teamwork. Each of these areas has its own special needs. Below are our suggestions for handling each.
After all the hard work of deliberating and designing changes, the time for unveiling them to the organization has arrived. This usually begins with someone higher in the organization than you announcing what is being done. Maybe it is a downsizing or merger announced through the media. Perhaps an e-mail from the CEO or a division head informs you about a reorganization. An electronic town hall may be created with all employees in your division around the world… Read the full article >
We’ve taught thousands of leaders on 5 continents on how to implement change which includes how to deliver bad or uncomfortable news – while creating acceptance, positive feelings and even excitement.
The key?
Capturing “The Why.”
Every leader needs to know how to give the ‘one minute change speech’. The number one reason leaders fail to implement change is that employees don’t have enough urgency to move through the problems of change. In other words, people do not have a good enough answer to… Read the full article >
It is a little known fact that the best wine grapes grow in the worst, most inhospitable soil conditions.
How is that possible? Stress. The grapes are under pressure to survive. They are forced to seek nutrients deep in the soil for sustenance and to direct what little water there is for the grapes as opposed to the rest of the plant. Interestingly, surviving through this crucible of sorts helps to shape them into best-of-breed varietals.
