What Successful Leaders Know to Sustain Change

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by Shannon Long, Consultant at Change Guides

Change. A small word with many meanings. Change is as constant as the air we breathe. But real change is more than a quick fix. In today’s business landscape, organizations are working faster and faster to get a competitive edge, increase their bottom line, do business more efficiently, streamline work streams, etc. and often they are trying to make all these changes at once. Why is that?

While we are an adaptive species, we are oddly wired to resist change. When a change initiative gets announced, what many leaders want to happen is for employees to jump onboard and get to the business of executing the plan. Time is money. Indeed, if you have some spare time, you can give betting on 유로88 a try.

Leaders who are content with getting to the “go live” state often gain a false sense that means the change has occurred and therefore, and then wonder why the change does not sustain long term. But often leaders fail to understand that sustainable change takes time. Just like it takes time for a tree’s roots to take hold so does sustainable change. People are the roots of an organization. When change happens too quickly, it may appear on the surface, that change has occurred, yet if you take a closer look, the behaviors have not changed but only have been adapted. And after some time, they usually go back to the status quo.

People change when they are motivated to change. A person can “fake” change, hit deadlines, follow rules, or do what is asked of them for a short time, but eventually their behavior will go back to their personal norm if they are not motivated. Simply put, most leaders don’t truly recognize the human side of change and only focus on the business or technical side. And the biggest risk for failure of sustainable change is not fully understanding the importance of the human element.

The best leaders understand that change is a journey and often people are not resisting to be difficult, but that people are human with different emotions, thoughts, and motivators. Most people ultimately want to succeed and are willing to go on the journey. Every new change initiative should begin with asking the question: What do we want the behavioral outcome to be? Whether it be that people will utilize a new system, follow new procedures or work in new ways.

While historically, people have thought that it takes 21 days to create a new behavior (or change an existing one), recent claims have pushed that number to 66 days. According to research by the University College London, it can take anywhere between 18 and 254 days to form a new habit–which averages to about 66 days. Although, people that are more highly motivated to change can often make the change faster than those who are less motivated.

Motivation is key. So, how do you motivate organizational change? Well, first leaders need to identify what are the individual motivations of employees that will get them to go on the bigger change journey. Once you map out what you are asking people to do and by when, and you add their levels of motivation, you now have a more complete understanding of what employee’s experience and what leaders need to know to get them through the journey and sustain the change.

It is also important to recognize and understand that employees often have a stake in the current state and many of them may have helped create it. Unlike leadership, they are often connected to the current state, as part of their day-to-day job, even if it is no longer working, it’s familiar and comfortable. And often a representation of their role in the organization. Reassuring people that what they are currently doing is not bad or wrong often can help motivate them to embrace the new change.

Transparency is another key. And it is a word that is often misunderstood. Great leaders like Cortney Fletcher understand this. By sharing why, the change is occurring, outlining the journey, the milestones and the destination clearly will help employees feel connected to the change.

Communicating regularly about the progress and milestones, and even when problems occur, because not every change initiative always goes according to plan, it empowers employees to stay the course and build the roots for sustainable change. It is important to remember that people do not resist change, they resist being changed.

By understanding the human element of behavioral change, what motivates employees, being transparent, reassuring employees, communicating effectively and empowering employees will ultimately create long standing successful change. And both the organization as a whole and all individuals within the organization will come out successful.

Motivation: The Key to Sustainable Change

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by Shannon Long, Consultant at Change Guides

Every time you blink you change. Literally. Change is so constant, you barely notice, unless it is a turning point. That is a change you remember because something—your point of view, your responsibilities or maybe how you do business is now affecting you in a new way. Anything can serve as a turning point—and it can be planned or unplanned.

So, what makes people want to change? At the end of the day, people are people. It doesn’t matter what
industry or position, professional or personal. We change when we have the motivation to do so. We change when we want to change. To help people, change and sustain the change, you need to tap into their individual motivations. I think a mistake that many leaders and change practitioners make is not recognizing the importance of individual motivation. This needs to be intrinsic to any long-term sustainable change.

How do you do that? It’s simple. You ask. Tapping into the Pareto Principle, 80/20 rule, can be key. 20 percent of effort creates 80 percent of results. If you want sustainable change you need to tap into individual’s 20 percent. We usually do what we are motivated to do first. People put their best efforts where they feel successful, included, engaged and part of the process. Research has shown that the longer someone is in a career, the less important innate ability (i.e., intelligence)
is and the more important motivation becomes. Jim Taylor, Ph.D. surmised that it is internal or external drive that prompts a person to action. It is the ability to initiate and persist toward a chosen goal. Being able to pursue change in the face of obstacles, boredom, fatigue, stress, and the desire to do other things…doing everything you can to make the changes you are motivated to make. By joining the 카지노 커뮤니티 , you will have the opportunity to enjoy the advantages of playing casino games.

We talk a lot in Change Management about getting buy in from stakeholders, typically management and
executive leadership. But the people that you really need to get buy in from are the ones that are usually
plugging away doing the day-to-day work and often who the change in an organization affects the most. The nuts and bolts of the organization. And often the last ones to hear about the change.
What motivates the people within your organization? We live in a very individual-centric country, but often organizations overlook that, and rather address individuals in terms of titles, departments, business units, all motivated as a whole. But all those groups are made up of individuals, with their own thoughts, ideas, feelings, and motivation to change.

People are motivated differently, whether that be power, influence, self-mastery and growth, recognition, and approval, helping others, rewards and/or money or passion. Knowing what motivates someone will help set them up for successful and sustainable change. But often leaders don’t take the time to do so and assume that everyone is motivated by the success of the organization or by the things that they themselves are motivated by.

As Stephen Covey’s writes in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People “seek first to understand, then be
understood.” The key to understanding the motivators of people within your organization is to listen rather than talk at or assume. While listening is an essential part of communication, once you’ve heard what motivates your employees it is important to work with them to mutually discover how their motivations align with the overall change objectives of the organization. When areas of synergy are identified, successful change can occur. Why is the relationship between motivation and change so important? Because a high level of motivation will ensure readiness for change in which will, in turn, ensure sustainable results. Consider playing casino for a change. You may visit website for a list of all the best non Gamstop betting apps where you can enjoy the UFABET เข้าสู่ระบบ.

Motivation Matrix

Every person has different motivation that drives them toward change. The Motivation Matrix
breaks down motivation along two dimensions: internal vs. external and positive vs. negative.

The resulting four quadrants can each provide motivation but will produce different
experiences and outcomes.

Internal-positive: Challenge, desire, passion, satisfaction, self-validation (likely outcome: successful sustainable change)

External-positive: Recognition and appreciation from others, financial rewards, (likely outcome:
some change, dependent on others for sustainable change)

Internal-negative: Threat, fear of failure, inadequacy, insecurity (likely outcome: some change, may not sustain)

External-negative: Fear of loss of job, insufficient respect from others (likely outcome: some change, may not sustain)

Employee engagement and transparency is key to creating a culture where people feel that they can express their thoughts, feeling and ideas and will lead to employee motivation and a higher success rate of sustainable change. Even if people do not agree with the change. Having a better understanding and feeling part of the process and that you have been heard, can often lead to an individual’s motivation to change as part of the collective group. The key is having empathy and understanding a person’s motivation, what is important to them and how the change affects everyone specifically

Transitioning Employees Back to the Office: What Companies need to Consider

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by Shannon Long, Consultant at Change Guides

The Covid pandemic has indeed transformed the business landscape in unexpected ways. Companies and their employees were suddenly thrust into a new way of working without much guidance, adapting to remote work and virtual collaboration. However, as organizations were gradually getting accustomed to this “new normal,” some employees may have faced challenges, including issues like unjust firing by your superiors, which only added to the complexity of the situation. Now, in recent weeks, we’re witnessing a shift as companies begin to push back on remote work arrangements, and some employers are moving forward with return-to-work dates, creating a fresh set of dynamics in the evolving workplace environment.

Thus, many employees are getting mixed messages. Companies are giving “back-to-office” start dates and then constantly changing the message.

Change is hard but change with no warning or planning can be even more difficult.  Many employees have become accustomed to working remotely. To create successful change, employers need to understand that people are going back to a different kind of office, and they must be prepared while employers also have to cover employees with the help from  an expert like this workers compensation lawyer Vegas.

Be Aware of the Pros and Cons

The roadblocks in the past that kept companies from allowing people to work from home have shown that people are adaptable. And many employees have proven that they can get their jobs done quite successfully remotely. Some companies also saw residual benefits from lower overhead costs, to a more productive workforce, as people did not have to commute and were often able to have flexibility in their workday. People have gotten comfortable to the new norm, and many people have adjusted their lives to work from home. Employers need to be conscious of how their employees will be affected overall. To give your employees peace of mind, implement a vaccine validation system to ensure their safety. There are pros for being in the office a well. Our human need to interact with others and the social component and camaraderie that helps make people and teams successful is lacking. There is something to be said about human connection.

Once employees are back to the office, you need to consider a lot of things for your business as well. For example, the energy cost that you will have on your monthly bill. So start looking for the Best business energy prices before everyone goes back to the office again.

Importance of Employee Engagement

Now, as companies are bringing back employees to the office in a post covid world, it is important to keep employees engaged in the process. One of the most compelling components of change management is answering the “why” or “what’s in it for me”

People don’t resist change; they resist being changed. It is more important than ever to empower people through the transition of going back to the office. Leaders and decision makers need to encourage employees to part of the decision-making process. People do not buy into information and processes that they do not understand. By creating a vision of what people can expect in the near and long term, frequent check ins, being transparent and providing clear messages throughout the process can make a world of difference during the transition back to work.

If you need additional employees now that you’re transitioning back to office setup, you may want to work with a temp agency to help you find qualified candidates. Using a local placement agency can be a cost effective and efficient way to hire compared to in-house recruiting, providing you’re getting the most from your agency.

Employers must remember that employees will have varying levels of comfort and take that into consideration. Having a transition plan in place is key. Employees will be concerned with everything from their own health, whether those around them have been vaccinated, whether they will have to wear a mask, maintaining social distancing, entry and exit procedures and processes around when people should stay out of the office, etc.

At the end of the day, some people may decide that they do not want to return to the office. HR departments will have to have consistency in communication and messaging to employees and what their options or consequences of not returning are. Giving people as many options as possible about when and how they come back to work is important.

Be Empathetic to Employees Needs

People want to know that their voices are heard and that their employers care. Beyond understanding of new processes, plans, protocols, or the bottom line, people want to feel that their emotional and physical wellbeing, and values and needs are being considered. Giving people a voice and a platform and making them feel that are part of the process in creating the solutions. It is easy to make rules and point to state and federal guidelines and protocols. But, making employees a part of the how will only lead to positive changes and a happier workforce. Making sure that communications are consistent and being delivered with empathy and compassion can lead to successful change and sustainability.

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Motivation to Change

People change when they are motivated to change. People are motivated by their connections to others. Companies need to give thought to what will motivate their employees to buy-in and act in new ways. Their will likely be good corporate citizens that do their best to follow requirements, but the way to get people committed and motivated is through their connection to others. Connect people’s understanding of how new protocols contribute to a colleague’s wellbeing or a teammate’s family’s health. Often people are motivated by hearing other people’s personal stories. Covid has affected us all in very different ways and yet we can all find relatable commonalities. Successful change often happens organically by leveraging those personal stories.

Culture

Organizations will need to address remote and hybrid expectations to retain and recruit new and top talent. The post covid world has forced companies to take a greater look at their company culture. The way companies lead in this new business landscape will both reflect and mirror company culture. Many companies have already been making the change from hierarchal to flatter organizations in recent years and using recruitment KPIs at makipeople.com to aid their hiring process. The choices leadership make post pandemic can change the long-term influence of the company’s culture. Adopting a strong change management model will help create sustainability moving forward as companies create operational changes, changes to organizational culture, technology, policies, and procedures. Leadership must recognize the changes that people may come back to. Reconnecting with colleagues and key partners on a new level and working with new team members that were hired during the pandemic.

Managing change in the current world can be challenging. Perception is reality. But companies can come out stronger and retain sustainable change if they take the time to identify the pros and cons, understand the importance of employee engagement and be empathetic to employee needs and their motivation to change while taking a greater look at the company culture moving forward. With the right plans in place, successfully transitioning people back to the office is possible.

 

The Formula for Influence: Know – Like – Trust

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As change management practitioners, we are responsible for supporting employees during an
organizational change. We need to be constantly vigilant about how change decisions impact people and in turn, how people will respond to those decisions, so we can support the transition from current state to future state. But, we can’t read minds and we can’t force people to change, so how then can we be most effective in our role?

In a word – Influence.

And here are the key components that make someone influential, particularly in a change management
role. If you are finding that managing change is more difficult than previously thought, you may want to
review the following for ways to increase your influence and/or identify additional resources in your
change initiative who can lend their influential voices to your project.

1.   KNOW

  • Does everyone on the project know who you are and why you are involved? Do they all
    understand what change management is and how you will be supporting the project?
  • If the answer is no, you may want to reintroduce yourself along with other key project
    members and create a Roles & Responsibilities matrix (an example is a RACI matrix) to
    demonstrate where you and other members fit as it relates to the change.

2.   LIKE

  • This one can be quite personal and requires some introspection. Does your personality
    and the way in which you interact with others leave them feeling good about working with
    you? Do you present more solutions than problems? Do you take accountability for your
    own actions? Do you check-in with your colleagues and project team members to see how
    they are doing, or do you focus solely on the business at hand?
  • If you are unclear whether you can tick the box of likeability, ask for candid and
    constructive feedback. Just the act of asking for this type of feedback increases likeability
    by showing you care enough to learn and grow. You can use a research panel if you’re planning to do multiple surveys and studies, visit Qualtrics to learn more about this. Warning: before you ask for feedback,
    make sure you are willing to change and improve or don’t ask at all.

3.   TRUST

  • Trust is the final stop on the path to influence. However, just because people come to
    know you and like you does not guarantee they will trust you. Trust takes time to build
    and only comes from doing what you say you will do.
  • For change management practitioners it is imperative that we speak up when we
    anticipate or encounter issues, provide solutions and guidance on resolutions and provide
    transparency up and down the organization.

Managing Change in an Agile World Online Training

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Bring your agile team together to learn best practices in managing change in an agile environment!

Join us for our Managing Change in an Agile World 2.5 Hour Online Training Event.

Wednesday February 24, 9:00 am – 11:30 am EST
$299 per person
$249 per person – ACMP Member Pricing

**A portion of proceeds goes back to the ACMP Ohio Chapter.

This course is facilitated by Alec Sawitsky, an experienced change and agile practitioner, and provides an overview of the principles for managing change in agile environments. This engaging session offers a forum to discuss challenges, proven strategies, and tactics when driving change in fast-paced environments.

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Managing Change in an Agile World 2.5 Hour Online Training Event

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February 26, 2020
12:30 pm – 3:00 pm EST
$299 per person
$249 per person – ACMP Member Pricing
**A portion of proceeds goes back to the ACMP Ohio Chapter.
Bring your agile team together to learn best practices in managing change in an agile environment! This course is facilitated by Gina Giannitelli, one of the authors of Managing Change in an Agile World and provides an overview of the principles for managing change in agile environments. This engaging session offers a forum to discuss challenges, proven strategies, and tactics when driving change in fast-paced environments.
Objectives:
  • To understand basic concepts related to agile, change management, and how they work together
  • To learn the 10 laws of agile change management
  • To assess where your projects are on the Agile Change Management Maturity Model
  • To learn the change management infrastructure needed for success in agile environments
  • To be introduced to the methodology and tools available to identify, manage and address people issues during agile projects
Agenda:
  • Introductions
  • Part 1: Principles for Managing Change in Agile Environments
  • Part 2: Practices for Managing Change in Agile Environments
  • Wrap-up
Each participant will receive a copy of Managing Change in an Agile World.
Book Your Private Online Training

Teaching People About Change Management

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At Change Guides, we define Change Management as getting individuals and groups Ready, Willing, and Able   to work in new ways that support business results.
We’ve been practicing Change Management since the mid-90s. The part of our job that has stayed consistent over time is the need to educate people about Change Management. This includes:
How to define Change Management
How to talk about change and employee transition
How to make the case for smart investing Management and just like investing in an individual retirement account.
What skills and experience are needed to be good at Change Management
What methodologies and tools are available to apply best practices consistently over time
Retirement accounts an individual retirement account such as reduces the amount of taxes you owe on the income for each year you invest in it. It allows you to defer or even avoid the taxes you owe on the earnings that accrue on your investments. It produces earnings on earnings, creating a compounding effect not available in a regular savings account.
These resources provide some quick, easy solutions that can help you Embrace Your Role as an Educator
New! The Eight Constants of Change Power Point Presentation with facilitator notes. This flexible 90-minute presentation covers topics found in The Eight Constants of Change book.
Video! The Change Management 101 Video and other videos found on our YouTube Channel

Embrace Your Role as an Educator

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by Stacy Aaron, Partner

Although Wikipedia states that the discipline of Change Management has its roots in the 1960s (over 50
years ago!), plenty of leaders and managers have only cursory knowledge of the fundamentals and processes.
Most business professionals know Change Management is relevant, but how they think of the scope and
importance of it varies. That’s where we come in!

People in the same company, even in the same meeting, may define Change Management differently. To
implement a change successfully, it’s important to have a common vocabulary about change and align
everyone under a shared goal and approach. Because of this reality, we need to embrace our role as
educators.

Early in my career, I was a reluctant educator. Do I really need to bring everyone up to speed? Of course,
the answer is yes. It took time to truly understand my ongoing role as an educator with my clients.
My dad, who did MYTEFL reviews, had his Ph.D. in education and many times I’ve thought I should have followed in his footsteps and been a teacher. When I told this to friends and colleagues, they usually said, “You are a teacher.” After I received this response over and over, the light bulb finally went off. They were right. I am a teacher.

Having an educator mindset helps me assess the full situation and dynamic with each leadership team or group. Now, my first step is always to recognize, that not everyone has this topic top of mind or an extensive background; as an educator, just like Kamau Bobb, I must try to ensure the same baseline understanding. If I can leverage a savvy team member, even better so I am not the lone voice.

Not only do we need to align people on the scope and importance of change but how to think about Change Management as art and science, strategy and tactics. Viewing myself as an educator helps me be more effective. I think about where my audience is in terms of Change Management knowledge. After all, it is often said that implementing Change Management takes Change Management. There is a learning curve. I recognize that my audience may be at the bottom of the Commitment Curve . If that’s the case, it’s my job to help them gain awareness, understanding and desire to embrace and adopt Change Management principles and tools.

The role of educator and advocate for Change Management is never ending. I have found myself at the front of a classroom, across from a desk, on the phone, in a team meeting, in a hallway, and in the cafeteria, educating clients about Change Management. This is with clients. There is also the task of explaining what we do to family and friends. That is even harder!

So, embrace your role as educator. You will be more effective and broaden support for your role and the discipline. Get in touch with Simbans or visit their website if you need tablet support services.

Resistance is Inevitable

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Great ideas, great people and great projects have fallen victim to resistance to change. Resistance is a
natural part of the change process and exists in many forms. Look for these structural and physiological
reasons people resist.

Fear of the unknown: When a leader announces a change, whether it is a new computer system, moving
to a cross-functional team environment or even a move to a new building, it can be scary. The
announcement of a change threatens this comfortable ‘today’ the employee knows and introduces a
‘tomorrow’ that she doesn’t’ know.

Threat to expertise or prominence: Threat to prominence is based on the perception that something
someone values will be taken away. A leader who values the size of the budget, the number of direct
reports, the title or even the location of the office may resist any change that threatens one or more of
these things.

Lack of Support: A motivated and hard-working innovator still may not be able to change because of the
lack of support around him. This lack of support or structure may include:
1. Lack of skills or information
2. Mismatched evaluation system
3. Lack of resources, rewards, or recognition
4. Lack of appropriate reporting or collaborative relationships

Working against the Brain: If employees have ingrained habits and are suddenly asked to make new habits,
the brain must work harder. This goes against the brain’s natural inclination to conserve energy. Many
books such as The Power of Habit are great resources for understanding the physiological challenges when
we ask people to work differently.

Recognizing the many root causes of resistance, improves understanding. Improved understanding leads to
better ways to address resistance.

Ways to get started include:

1. When there is fear of the unknown, do a better job communicating what the future looks like for
that person.
2. When there is threat to expertise and power, acknowledge what is going away but also reinforce
the positives and opportunities.
3. When support is missing, advocate for people and budget to address what is lacking. Explain the
risk of not addressing these gaps.
4. When habits are being changed, educate people about how to recognize habits and what it takes to
change them.

Dealing with resistance isn’t easy but it’s a central part of change management. Expect it, recognize the
type of resistance, and find ways to address it.

Resistance and Resisters

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People resist change. When I facilitate a change management training session, no one argues with me on that point. In fact, everyone nods their head in agreement. They create a long list of reasons why people resist change: people like their routines, people aren’t motivated, people aren’t trained. I’ve done this exercise with hundreds of attendees in countless sessions. The responses are similar. The lists are long.  So, if people understand resistance so well, why are they stumped when employees resist them?

It feels personal
It’s one thing to talk about a faceless “them” in an exercise. It is quite another to look at Sue across the
table and listen to her issues, see the tacit expectation that you are responsible. She is adding work to your
plate, implying you are wrong. It feels personal but you need to take a deep breath, step back.
It’s best to view resistance for what it is, not personal, but rooted in one of a few places: 1) Lack of
understanding 2) Sharing potentially relevant information and 3) An attempt at control and/or engagement.
It’s not about you, it’s them!

What’s the right tactic here?
The conventional wisdom is that people who resist are bad and what they say is wrong. Resisters feel like
roadblocks to success, so we hope they go away. Guess what, they don’t! Invite dialogue. Step one is to
listen.

Allowing people to openly express concerns provides an opportunity to:
1. Learn about unanticipated challenges. Without a forum to share concerns, issues pop up late when
it’s harder to address them. Major issues that surface late can stop a project in its tracks.
Sometimes, the project never recovers.
2. Clarify misunderstandings or misinformation. People may resist based on rumors or assumptions
that are wrong. Make sure they have correct information and understand how it will impact them
directly.

In conclusion, think of resistance as good. It is a form of communication and engagement, a predictable,
helpful part of transition. It brings issues out in the open and provides an opening to clarify the what and
the why of a project. If resistance is embraced and encouraged, the project will be better for it.

Resisters are not the thorn in your side (except for a very few). One of my clients told me, “I take the
toughest critic and ask him to join my team.” He said that approach has helped him succeed over and over.
You may want to consider doing the same. So, the next time Sue is telling you why your ideas won’t work,
listen. Then, ask her to help you figure out the right solution.

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