Understand why change is so difficult and strategies for preparing yourself and your teams for the inevitable.
Hundreds of ideas pop into our heads every day. In the shower we wonder, "Wouldn't it be great if the water hit my head like the rain..." And then, at the breakfast table, "This package would be so much easier to store if it opened like this..." Then, on the commute in to work, we think "Wouldn't it be better if traffic just ran like this....." The problem is that very few of the ideas we have actually turn into action items. Change is hard enough when it happens to us without warning, such as a change in personal circumstances. Changes at work such as switching schedules, starting a new position, or gaining a new boss can be stressful. But driving change inside a company is even harder, and that is why change takes so long. Think about something as simple as seat belts; they make sense and seatbelts save lives. But in the eighties, getting Americans to wear seat belts was a battle. The range of reasons why safety belts should not be worn made no sense, like discomfort or fear of being trapped in a vehicle. But the unspoken reason was that change is inconvenient. Today, drivers don't even think about putting a belt on. It's become the law and it is automatic part of getting behind the wheel. The benefits far outweigh any reasons used for not wearing one.
Unfortunately, disruption and change are guarantees for companies that are going to survive in the next decade and beyond. This topic will review reasons why change is so difficult and strategies for preparing yourself and your teams for the inevitable. We will then talk about how we can improve our processes and communications to make successful change that will stick and be embraced by your teams. What can we do as leaders to lay the groundwork through communication, keep morale high and avoid naysayers? And finally, how can we measure success, so we keep driving change.
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