When it comes to dealing with change we are aware certain critical factors need serious consideration as early in the change process as possible, time permitting of course. Two of these critical factors are the communication and people aspects of change.
Change is an ongoing and often a costly affair. Our desire to become ‘best in class’ and achieve or maintain a competitive edge means investing in new technologies, innovating, and striving to deliver world class service through cutting edge products or people.
Where there is call for such investment, having answers to some fundamental questions can help establish how ‘ready’ our organisation is to handle change and even manage it more successfully more of the time. As we know change is a constant.
You may want to consider the following questions to get the ball rolling:
What are the most critical changes we are/will face now and in the near future?
Of these critical changes which are most likely to impact our people?
On what basis have we prioritised the changes?
Which are likely to have a positive impact on our people in the short/medium/long term?
Which are likely to have a negative impact on our people, in the short/medium/long term?
How are we involving our people in change?
How could we involve our people more in change?
Who are my true key players in implementing change?
Who are my key influencers in implementing change?
Of these people who do I need to commit more time to?
Who do I need to give more responsibility to?
What/Who are my key potential "bottle necks" and why?
Who has a clear understanding of what each change is designed to achieve?
To what depth have any current changes been communicated?
What steps are in place to ensure ensuing changes are communicated?
How has is change communication typically cascaded?
How will we know we have succeeded in effectively implementing change?
When it comes to change it is easy to see how the more we understand the more questions will surface. The questions above are by no means a proven structured approach to managing change but are meant to serve as a glimpse at the scale of readiness of a company and its people.
Angelina Foden
Showing posts with label change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label change. Show all posts
Monday, 2 April 2012
Friday, 11 March 2011
Purpose
John Fisher's transition curve is an excellent analysis of how individuals deal with personal change.Fisher explains the different emotional stages that a person faces behind a change, with the following order:
1.Anxiety. Can I cope?
2.Happiness. At last something’s going to change!
3.Fear. What impact will this have? How will it affect me?
4.Threat. This is bigger than I thought!
5.Guilt. Did I really do that?
6.Depression. Who am I?
7.Hostility. I will make this work if it kills me!
8.Gradual acceptance. I can see myself in the future.
9.Moving forward. This can work and be good.
If we notice how people think and feel depending on their situation when their environment is changing, we can anticipate their behaviour and take actions.
People’s feelings can provoke them to give up just before a task is achieved.
How do great leaders engage their people when everything seems to be going wrong?
In relation to the above emotional stages, leaders have the power to remind their teams why they are there and give them a purpose.Most people spend the majority of their time at work, why not give them a purpose for being there everyday? A purpose is what will fill people with the energy and enthusiasm to come to work with the desire to succeed and achieve the impossible.
One of the reasons why Dale Carnegie programmes have been so successful for the last 98 years is because we are focused on changing behaviours by giving people a purpose and a vision. Every participant is encouraged to take risks and try new things that stretch them out of their comfort zone. With this new mindset and courage, people will love their jobs.
People love doing business with people who love their business!
Friday, 7 May 2010
Certainty in Uncertain Times
It’s certainly been an interesting 24 hours on the political stage but what are we to make of a potential hung parliament and how it will affect us at home and our businesses?
If you’re interest in politics is the same as mine then perhaps you were also sitting watching the results come in at 4am this morning. Having followed the polls over the past few weeks, I set my alarm for 3.30 am in the expectation of seeing David Cameron taking the stage and forming a government with a small majority. However, as 4am became 5 am there was still no result! So what are we to read into this leadership battle and how can we draw from that experience into our own businesses.
It seems that the big surprise of the night was the lack of gains from the Liberal Democrats. There was talk of gains to perhaps 100 Liberal Democrat ministers and as the night drew on it looks like the party despite good coverage in the press has not moved from its 2005 position. Without question Nick Clegg had the common touch as it came to the leadership debates. He talked to the audience and used questioner’s names in a sincere fashion, he often drew the others back to the question asked and sought to answer it directly. He also did a great job of driving his point home to camera ... the debate around our office was who had trained him in presentation skills.
All that done but no real gains when the votes were cast! So what can we learn?
As has happened in many past elections the word ‘Change’ has been bandied around by most of the parties. Certainly it has been the theme of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat campaigns. Based on the results in so far it would seem that as a nation we have more trust in David Cameron than Nick Clegg to bring change to our country. As leaders in business we are often called upon to lead our teams through change so what can we learn from the experience of the past 24 hours.
I can only speculate what was in peoples’ minds as they cast their votes .... Therefore the points below are my own thoughts and how they might relate to us in business.
1.Perhaps in times of uncertainty people value experience higher than new ideas .... Therefore when leading a team through change make sure we take the time to demonstrate our competence as well as our passion.
2.Did Nick Clegg miss the mark on matters of immigration and national security? We should perhaps remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs when it comes to winning people to our way of thinking. Maslow talked about ‘Security’ as one of the base drivers. Remember how important security is to people when leading change.
3.Think about the importance of Charisma when you think about leading your team or business. Labour it seems were the biggest loser on the night. Was that based on track record of the party in power or lack of Charisma from their top man? Who knows?
It’s certainly going to be an interesting few days and hopefully through democracy we’ll find some certainty as we head into next week. From my experience of helping teams and businesses deal with change it’s the uncertainty not the change itself that scares us and stops us making decisions.
Therefore set a clear direction and move your team towards it..... Hopefully our government will do the same!
David Anderson
Managing Director
www.London.dalecarnegie.com
If you’re interest in politics is the same as mine then perhaps you were also sitting watching the results come in at 4am this morning. Having followed the polls over the past few weeks, I set my alarm for 3.30 am in the expectation of seeing David Cameron taking the stage and forming a government with a small majority. However, as 4am became 5 am there was still no result! So what are we to read into this leadership battle and how can we draw from that experience into our own businesses.
It seems that the big surprise of the night was the lack of gains from the Liberal Democrats. There was talk of gains to perhaps 100 Liberal Democrat ministers and as the night drew on it looks like the party despite good coverage in the press has not moved from its 2005 position. Without question Nick Clegg had the common touch as it came to the leadership debates. He talked to the audience and used questioner’s names in a sincere fashion, he often drew the others back to the question asked and sought to answer it directly. He also did a great job of driving his point home to camera ... the debate around our office was who had trained him in presentation skills.
All that done but no real gains when the votes were cast! So what can we learn?
As has happened in many past elections the word ‘Change’ has been bandied around by most of the parties. Certainly it has been the theme of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat campaigns. Based on the results in so far it would seem that as a nation we have more trust in David Cameron than Nick Clegg to bring change to our country. As leaders in business we are often called upon to lead our teams through change so what can we learn from the experience of the past 24 hours.
I can only speculate what was in peoples’ minds as they cast their votes .... Therefore the points below are my own thoughts and how they might relate to us in business.
1.Perhaps in times of uncertainty people value experience higher than new ideas .... Therefore when leading a team through change make sure we take the time to demonstrate our competence as well as our passion.
2.Did Nick Clegg miss the mark on matters of immigration and national security? We should perhaps remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs when it comes to winning people to our way of thinking. Maslow talked about ‘Security’ as one of the base drivers. Remember how important security is to people when leading change.
3.Think about the importance of Charisma when you think about leading your team or business. Labour it seems were the biggest loser on the night. Was that based on track record of the party in power or lack of Charisma from their top man? Who knows?
It’s certainly going to be an interesting few days and hopefully through democracy we’ll find some certainty as we head into next week. From my experience of helping teams and businesses deal with change it’s the uncertainty not the change itself that scares us and stops us making decisions.
Therefore set a clear direction and move your team towards it..... Hopefully our government will do the same!
David Anderson
Managing Director
www.London.dalecarnegie.com
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Live a mellow world of acceptance
Life has a wonderful way of throwing us challenges which are both beautiful and detrimental to our being at peace with ourselves or others. How we handle these everyday situations is key to our personal success and self belief. I recently met a gentleman from Japan who emanates a being of calmness who has accepted life for what it is. He is a 9th DAN (ranking) Black Belt Karate Master from Okinawa. He travels the world visiting different countries where his Karate Dojo's (training rooms) have been set up.When visiting my sons Dojo he took time out to speak with me personally about why he enjoys travelling and mentoring his instructors and students alike. His teachings are based not just on technical abilities but on who his students are as people. Learning to accept that all emotions are in their own way beautiful, learning becomes even more powerful.
When he moves, he glides. When he speaks, there is silence. When he listens, there is understanding.
"Everything in life that we really accept undergoes a change" Katherine Mansfield. British Author (1888- 1923)
Today, do something for yourself and learn that acceptance allows you to see beauty, enjoy the transition to a more fulfilling and mellow life.
Frank Steggall
Consultant
Thursday, 1 October 2009
What challenging times?
Five months into the role...Wow, it feels like it went very quick. I was told I started in one of the hardest times the business has ever faced. I wouldn't know, for me there's no benchmark to compare it with and also we had and still have some great opportunities.
Do you think having a positive attitude can affect your results? Do you think we can choose our attitude and set ourselves for success? I am convinced of that.
Worrying about the economic crisis and thinking people won't spend money on training was not on my agenda. I strongly believe in what we offer, it not only changes people's lives but more importantly it helps improve business results. That's the reason people and businesses see the value in investing in this type of development, even in these challenging times.
Have a positive outlook no matter what's happening around you, you'll see better results for yourself and for your business.
Corina Balaneanu
Sales Consultant
Friday, 18 September 2009
'What goes around ......
Here we go with a war story - when I was a teenager in the early mid sixties the country was going through a revolution. The youth of the day were stretching themselves in all sorts of directions perhaps as a result of their parents being 'held back' following the austerity caused by World War 2.
Many icons of the day are still in our sight and sound many more in our memories. One of those that caught my attention then and did so just the other day was Simon Dee. Oh how I wanted to be smooth like him, a mod through and through but with a gracious air about him and a very easy style. No wonder he ended up on television.
As he did last week with the news that he has passed away at 74. So, 'what's the relevance' I hear you ask? Well its this. In the sixties its seemed that many people did not care about rules, sensible society, traditionalism, faith, etc. and in this sense Simon Dee, because of his position, could be easily aligned with these antiestablishment sentiments.
Strange what 50 years can do - or is it. Here is an extract of a letter from Simon to Michael Dean, who helped launch his career, just two weeks before he died. It's in the public domain so I hope no one is upset by it being replicated here.
"It's all out of control now, but we don't know how to stop it. greed has driven us all insane. We promote violence. Assaulted by the media, the emerging intelligence in growing children is confused beyond reason, and that's where many have gone. Tradition has fallen into the 'Forgotten' section of modern history. We desecrate the planet's body, knowing nothing of her mind. Yet with the merest shrug she can eliminate whole civilisations in a moment. She can lift mountains and drain oceans ... Now we have reached a stage when wisdom must predominate - or we fall. Someone, or something, has to make evident a higher intelligence - and one to be respected. It need not take long. The message must come globally. Everyone must see and understand it simultaneously. Returning to Eden is our next assignment. And, despite everything I have a hunch that we are going to get there after all."
Be wise now and change the world.
David Pickering
Consultant
Friday, 12 June 2009
Change
Bleep Bleep Bleep! My alarm clock went off and it was in that moment that I realised I had turned 30. It hit me like a pistol shot and I rolled over and felt sorry for myself. The really uplifting thoughts that went through my head were:
“I’ve reached 30 and I have nothing material to show for my endeavours”.
“I’ve turned 30 in a credit crunch, left a perfectly stable job to pursue ‘life goals...I must be mad’”
If I met this part of myself in a bar, we would definitely not be friends. So why do we do it to ourselves?
Suddenly, a beam of sunlight came through the window and I realised it was a sunny day outside. I forced myself to get out of bed and I took myself to a spinning class.
Spinning is a static bike aerobic class. The session is instructor led and has amazingly loud music blaring out of the speakers. The music is normally quite uplifting and allows you to get into the zone. Personally I think the music is turned up to drown out the groans of suffering as you hit the wall of pain (about 10 minutes in). If I am honest, I am in agony for 45 minutes as the instructor shouts, “turn up the load and pedal faster”. Strangely, there is something that keeps me going back for more.
As I left on a high, embracing 30 and ready for the day ahead, I realised in that 45 minutes I had:
- Committed to do something and achieved it
- Immersed myself in the moment of the class
- Overcome the voice that was begging me to stop and give up during the hill climb
In these times of change, “any action is better than no action”. It’s amazing how quickly we can change our attitude and our luck.
Hayley Kennedy
Dale Carnegie Trainer
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