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   What leaders should know about change Leading a major change initiative in any type of organization is tough work! Ensuring good results within a specified time frame and budget, as well as making sure that employees embrace the change, is no small task. But, it can be easier through effective change management—the systematic process of applying the knowledge, tools and resources needed to affect change. Here are four key lessons learned by successful leaders of change to keep in mind when planning and implementing change in your organization. #1 - Let Employees Know Where They Fit in the Big Picture Leaders are often focused on the broad strategy behind change. But the people who have to change need more than the organizational perspective. They want to know how the change will impact their work daily. #2 - Beware of the "Black Hole" Between senior management and the workforce, a layer of managers acts as reinforcing sponsors of any change. If they don't know what to do, or if, through their actions or words they undermine the change back in their department, the people below them cannot change. These reinforcing sponsors act as a black hole, absorbing all the energy coming from the executive office and letting none of it escape to those below them. Senior leaders need to check constantly that their entire management cascade is aligned with the change and acting effectively to help people change. #3 - Negative Attitudes are Contagious Many changes "forced" upon organizations due to outside factors can result in negative attitudes and resistance from the executive suite to all employees. The result: changes happen slowly, they cost more, and they have to be monitored extensively upon completion to prevent slippage "back to the old way." Leadership must determine that change will be managed within an objective framework. That doesn't mean people don't get to complain and ask questions. It means they are quickly informed of the reasons and logic behind the change and are constantly encouraged by the sponsor cascade to accept what they perceive to be negative in an objective way and to look for the positive elements in the desired state. #4 - Communicate, Communicate, Communicate Communicate the message until your audience mouths your words along with you. Use company newsletters, intranets, workshops and meetings to communicate key messages to keep people abreast of progress. Always be prepared to answer these three questions:
Adding Up Change
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