Things Your People Won’t Tell You They Need to Succeed

How to Lead a Successful Performance Improvement

Initiative

12

Change Happens

Whether you call it process improvement,

transformation, or integration … pretty much any

successful enterprise performance initiative requires an

artful blend of People, Process, and Technology.

When it comes to

Rollout Process and

implementation, Project

Managers have a handle

on the Project Plan.

And IT is all over the

Technology side of the

equation.

2 Out of 3 …

But on the People side,

training is still first line of

defense. And training alone

falls short of giving your

people everything they

need to ensure

adoption and behavior change

-– or meeting

the ROI you are hoping for.

What About People?

People Want to Perform

The good news is that most

workers really want to

succeed.

They just need you to create

an environment where they

can do their best work.

12 Ways to Put People First

Here are 12 things your

people really need –-

but probably won’t tell you

–- throughout the rollout of

your performance

improvement initiative in

order to weather

disruptive change and

speed their time to

productivity.

1. Spell Out the Urgency

It IS urgent, right? Otherwise, why would you

disrupt so many people!

They need to know:

* why things can’t stay the way they are

* what will change

* when it will happen

Share your goals, and help them prioritize.

2. Lead with Authority

People want to know Leadership is

sponsoring the change initiative in order to

offer continued commitment and full

support.

Assure them you

have skin in the game.

3. Co-Create a Vision

What will things be like after the change?

Ask team members for input in co-envisioning a

desirable future state that meets organizational goals.

Then ....

4. Be Transparent

All input is valuable, but be real. Let people know their

efforts matter and will be worth it. But don’t be afraid to

set realistic expectations.

People are far more resilient

than you think –-

when they trust you

and believe in your vision.

5. Over-Communicate

People need to hear something at least three times

before it sticks –- some claim as many as seven! Borrow

from marketing and communicate the same

core message in multiple ways,

over time, using

different channels.

6. Clear the Path

Take a holistic view and make

sure that no hidden barriers

exist

(or pop up during rollout) that

will get in the way of making

the desired change.

7. Celebrate Little Wins

Change is more like a mambo

than a sprint –- three steps

forward, two steps back.

Make sure to build in a number

of little wins and celebrate along

the way to lift people over

inevitable hurdles.

8. Remember: Deployment is Just a Beginning

While the project team celebrates deployment,

remember that “users” (your people) are only just

beginning to feel discomfort and disruption. Be

sensitive and avoid giving conflicting messages.

9. Honor The Best of Your Culture

Change is hard enough without

throwing away enablers - things

which are already working in your

favor. Even if your culture is in

need of strong redirection, dig

deep for stories and internal best

practices that provide a stable

and heartening foundation.

10. Encourage Collaboration

Tap into internal social networks and communication

channels to match early adopters with those who are hit

hardest by the change –- or those just naturally more

change averse.

11. Participate Openly and Often

Show up and speak up, online and in person.

Demonstrate your gratitude and support

(but only if you mean it.)

12. Invest in Your People

To achieve your projected ROI on your initiative, make

sure to include an adequate investment to earn a

corresponding Return On People.

Integrate Change

You’ve just read 12 best people practices for

managing change and building culture during an

enterprise performance improvement initiative.

Some of these can be met through training, and others

through the use of internal tools and

networks. None can be accomplished

as a “one and done” but have to be

woven into initiative planning and rollout.

It’s a Marathon

The marathon course from Current State to Desired

State can be grueling. Remember that your people are

“conditioning” while they run the race! They have a

much better chance to make it to the next milestone

when you provide encouragement, guideposts, and a

support crew along the way.

Get a Little Help From Your Friends

The best way to ensure you meet your people

objectives over time is to enlist your project team

to help.

If your project is big enough, consider creating an

internal Initiative Advisory Board. Assign board

members as champions in one or more areas of

concern to make sure each of these 12 people

practices are included in all planning and execution.

Presentation & Sketches by

Chris Frederick Willis CEO,

www.media1.us * solutions@media1.us

Media 1 @media1der Chris Willis

The change management best practices in this presentation are inspired by

the works of

Ken Blanchard and Dr Peter F. Drucker

eXperience Max Talent VelocityNew Hires. Acquistions. Leadership. Sales.

www.xperiocity.com