Achieved Strategies

Last week I posted the first part to this blog.  I’m exploring cringe-worthy statements leader’s say about change.  Some of you shared your cringe-worthy statements.  Thank you.  I encourage more of you to share your example below.  This post wraps up this topic, at least for now.  Here are two new statements and possible response should you hear it.

“If I say it, then they’ll do it” Not only is there an unwillingness to understand the employees’ perspective about the changes, arrogance is also a factor.  This statement about change is insidious and concerns me when I hear it.

Response: “How has that approach worked for you in the past? And how do you know it worked? I have concerns about how you view change.  For this change to be successful, we’ll need to talk about your perspective.” Then I stop talking.

What follows is not a comfortable conversation.  If I don’t stop and have a conversation about the statement then it will influence the quality and effectiveness of how change is communicated and rolled out.

“We don’t have time to wait and see how people respond to the change.  We have a schedule to meet. We can’t wait.” I need to explain this one a little. We’ve talked about the rate, or pace, of change [hyperlink] in this blog.  When a change plan is integrated with an overall project schedule (which is should always be), it is important to give employees some time to adjust to the new environment.  Let the employees re-synchronize themselves before rolling out the next change.

Often the genesis of this statement is a manager’s ability to execute and get things done.

Response: “I get that it’s important to be on time. This becomes a question of long-term success. If your staff is struggling with a particular change and you don’t give them time to adjust, the likelihood of reaping the benefits from the careful planning is greatly reduced.  As human beings we have a threshold of how much change we can withstand before shutting down. I’d hate to see us move forward because of the schedule and have a wake of dead bodies behind us.  I’d like to revisit this topic next time we meet.” Then I shut up.

As a change agent it is my responsibility to call out behaviors that will get in the leader’s way of success.  Though the statement may make me cringe, I have found that most leaders are open to discussing the implications of their words.  I just can’t make them feel wrong for what they said or believe. I approach these conversations with curiosity – a desire to understand their viewpoint.  It’s a natural way to help the leader open up to a new viewpoint.