Leading Change

Recently, I decided to clean out an overstocked bookshelf.  While removing old books and materials I rediscovered a Do’s and Don’ts article from Management Guru, John P. Kotter on Leading Change.  This is not your typical Harvard Business Review article targeted to NASA rocket scientist with plastic pocket protectors.  Actually, I found it useful for Project Managers, coaches, change agents, and others.

      Kotter’s eight-step process focused on common errors.

                                    

1.    Not Establish a Great Enough Sense of Urgency

2.    Not Creating a Powerful Guiding Coalition

3.    Lacking a Vision

4.    Under communicating the Vision by a Factor of Ten

5.    Not Remove Obstacles to the New Vision

6.    Not Systematically Planning for, and Creating, Short-Term Wins

7.    Declaring Victory Too Soon

8.    Not Anchoring Changes in the Corporation’s Culture

       Most project managers can articulate Project Processes, Product Life-Cycle and Staffing Management plans with ease.  However, what about communicating urgency or creating a loyal coalition, in different locations and time zones?  This is part of the global challenge regarding virtual work groups and self-directed teams.  This is not impossible however, costly if overlooked or unchecked.

      Creating a project vision worth sacrificing physical energy and personal time is an art form.  The question is how do we keep our teams engaged to meet or exceed quality standards, beat the competition and make our internal/external customers raving fans?

      I am a proponent of team empowerment and accountability.  Team members feel a sense of power and accomplishment when goals are clearly stated and desired outcomes are attainable.  Mount Everest type goals can be costly and too grandiose. Setting strategic milestones on the road to victory can help you monitor achievement and foster team spirit.  Bottom line teams need to feel like winners.  Sometimes to achieve greatness teams need periodic assessment, reassignment, coaching and feedback. 

     Trust and communication between leaders and the team is crucial to removing obstacles to change.  Tangible and intangible project obstacles need identifying.  Our teams benefit from an open environment where ideas or opinions expressed in confidence or socialized will receive appropriate consideration, as soon as possible.  Try to identify the kinds of reactions and questions employees will have, and prepare your responses.  Remember that success of any change rests with the ability of leaders to address both the emotional and practical issues, in that order.   The key ingredients are sense of urgency, trust and communication.