In the previous post, I talked about appealing to both head and heart. That’s just the starting point. Once you have gotten the head and heart to say yes to change, you need to clearly define what it looks like, and how it is going to be achieved.
This can be a challenge for visionary CEOs whose thought processes leap far ahead of convention. Those who are capable of abstract thinking and alchemy often find it difficult to explain themselves. Ideas combust spontaneously in their heads giving them flashes of instantaneous insight. Putting it into a logical and simple explanation that others can follow requires more time and patience.
When goals are abstract or ambiguous, they will leave your people in a state of confusion. They want to change but if it isn’t made clear to them what the change is going to look like, after a while, they will lose direction or apply their own interpretation into it.
The destination needs to be clearly specified so that there is no doubt, no confusion, no room for misinterpretation.
You may need to use both words and visuals to pin it down. Run workshops and experiential trainings to make sure people really get it. Then you can rest assured that your vision won’t be distorted.
Next, you need to address the how: the organizational structure, systems and process need to be redesigned to facilitate the new behaviour and make the desired change easy to implement. If not, it will be a struggle for your people and after a while, they will get tired and worn out.
Implementing a change programme may not be an easy thing, but understanding these 3 elements can remove the most tedious and difficult aspects and help you achieve the impetus for a successful transformation.
