Change is inevitable, and it’s accelerating, so business leaders have to implement changes within their organizations in order to remain competitive and relevant. But according to Change Management Expert Marianne Carlson, major change initiatives are often met with so much resistance that the initiatives are at risk, even before they begin. So she recommends that business leaders employ a few quirky tips that can ease the resistance and create better buy-in from day one.
1. Queen for a Day. Often, a business leader knows exactly which member of his team will be the most resistant to the proposed changes. Before she digs her heels in, spend some time addressing some of her individual concerns. Make her feel like the queen of the organization, and ask her for her input and her concerns. Ask her advice about how to improve her piece of the organization. Include topics that may be unrelated to the change initiative. Once she has had an opportunity to voice her opinions and concerns, she’ll be more open to implementing changes that might address some of those concerns. Often, the greatest resistance comes from those individuals who perceive themselves as powerless in the organization. Granting them some power, and being genuine about hearing their concerns, can release a lot of the tension that causes resistance to change.
2. Start with Stop. Sometimes the success of a change initiative hinges upon how it is first presented to the team. In most change initiatives, the CEO begins with an announcement that the organization will be taking a new direction, and then follows that announcement with the logical justification for the change. “I often suggest we postpone the announcement,” says Carlson, “and start the conversation with a discussion of the problems we [the leadership team] hope to correct.” When the conversation begins with that listing of the negatives – the things we want to stop – people are naturally more open to finding solutions. Once they get to that open-minded state, that’s when they are ready to accept the proposed solutions and the ensuing changes.
3. Set Impossible Goals. In this era of incessant change, it’s important that change initiatives be bold and far-reaching. Modest goals don’t excite a workforce, and they don’t rocket an organization past the competition. The goals that will direct the winners of the future will be those goals that are completely impossible, given the current state of the organization. Impossible goals force everyone to think outside the business-as-usual box, and think creatively for ways to make those impossible goals possible.
About Marianna Carlson:
Marianne is a leader in helping businesses and professionals strategically plan and implement change and transcend difficult corporate transitions. She the author of “Winning the Future: Successful Leadership in the Era of Change”, (scheduled for release later this summer) and is also an accomplished speaker and corporate trainer. When change presents problems, Marianne presents solutions. Find out more at http://emcie.com/mariannecarlson/, or go to www.wooeb.com/emciemedia.
