Managing Change in Our Business
Posted on 26th September 2022 at 14:42
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One of the only things we can be certain of in life, other than death and taxes, is change.
So where do we start when thinking about managing change in our business?
It’s important to remember that we can’t change people, but we can change the environment in order to make it happen.
Leadership is key to implementing change and your style can either aid or hinder the process. Create motivation and direction while focussing on the positive people and not the negative by applying the 80/20 rule and the rest will decide for themselves.
So what’s next after Leadership?
Let’s start with the why. Simon Sinek’s golden circle of Why, How and What focuses in on the reasons why it’s so important for organisations to understand why they do what they do! When your team fully understand the reasons why the change is happening they will jump on board so repeat the why constantly.
So how do we manage people resisting change even after we have explained all of the above?
Now we need to get into the nuts and bolts. We need to understand the change curve.
Allowing the first stage of the change curve to happen is key! Don’t push back as shock and denial are automatic responses to change. The bottom of the curve is where you need to start leading and coaching people to begin exploring the positive outcomes.
How do we then sustain change?
Now realise you need to:
1 - Set;
2 - Inspect;
3 - Reinforce the change.
Change takes time so we lead the change by setting examples and leading from the front. I like to use sheepdog analogy to explain this theory. The Sheep dog guides the sheep to their destination, it does not divide the pack like a Bulldog would.
Why is change so important in a small business?
When we scale a business we increase the size of our team and subsequently increase the complexity. If we get it wrong we may get stuck in the valleys of death between where we are and where we need to be next.
Grow your people, show them opportunities and and inspire them to embrace change.
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