How to foster a willingness to change
By WhyNot Partnering
Constant evolution is the key to survival and growth for organisations, no matter what industry or sector they operate in, but it can be very difficult indeed to accept the need for change… and even harder to implement it once it’s clear that a new approach is necessary.
The backbone of any successful change management strategy is, of course, effective and robust leadership, with change happening from the top down but involving one and all simultaneously to ensure that initiatives have the favourable outcomes desired.
In terms of skills and attributes that change leaders should aim to equip themselves with, communication is at the very top. Your people need to understand why transformations are afoot, what their personal responsibilities are and how they can contribute if they’re to feel fully empowered and inspired to participate for the good of the organisation as a whole.
If you focus solely on what’s involved, rather than considering the why as well, you’re almost certainly setting yourself up for a fall.
Communication is not just about direction and telling, its about humble inquiry, asking great questions and having the humility to admit that you don’t have all of the answers.
Communicating both what’s happening and why it’s taking place, connecting the changes to your organisation’s values and objectives with a strong emphasis on the benefits to be reaped, will help to deliver a sense of urgency and ensure that your people are fully committed to the cause.
Once communication is firmly entrenched as one of your core business values, you’re sure to see a definite uptick in collaboration across the board… something else you’ll really need to have in abundance to ensure your change processes come to fruition.
People want to feel included, they want to feel part of something – and this is impossible to achieve if you simply forge ahead on your own, telling them what’s happening and expecting them to just be on board with it all simply because you’ve hired them to do a job.
Break down barriers in the workplace and remove boundaries between employer and employee, and you’ll surely see your people become more invested in the outcomes of your organisation.
Include them in decision-making processes from start to finish, encourage them to provide feedback and ideas of their own and the end result will be a fully engaged workforce that is not only committed to making changes, but excited about making them as well.
ensure that you’re leading by example, with passion, with all actions and decisions aligned with and in full support of the changes and vision that you’re trying to deliver.
But, of course, none of the above will be achievable if those in leadership positions aren’t fully committed as well.
You’ll need resilience and persistence, determination and motivation, laser focus and a growth mindset, with the ability to look at the bigger picture at all times, keeping the end goals in sight.
Change is hard, there can be no denying this… but you don’t have to go it alone. If you feel as though you need a bit of additional guidance and support, the WhyNot Partnering team are on hand to help.
Get in touch with us today to see what we can achieve together.
