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5 Effective Actions to Engage Everyone in a Change Initiative

Leaders can always rely on change to be a constant. If you are envisioning a change soon, chart a clear course and get the right building blocks in place.  What follows is a list of ways to help you manage change and engage the entire organization in the process.

Begin at the top.

Teams that have one voice are best positioned for success. Without it, there can be downstream commitment ramifications. The CEO and the leadership team should be at the center for modeling strength, support, and direction for any major change initiative. They should embrace the direction of change, be ready to model the changes, and be ready to motivate and/or challenge the rest of the organization.

Create ownership. 

Ensure ownership by involving everyone. Push responsibilities for the change strategy (from design through implementation) across the different layers of the organization.  Make sure change leaders are aligned to the company’s vision, equipped to execute their specific mission, and motivated to make change happen. Make sure all leaders are willing to accept responsibility for making change happen in all of the areas they influence or control.

Consider the cultural landscape.

Early on in the change process, define cultural factors that can influence acceptance or resistance to the change. Understand and account for culture and behaviors at each level of the organization. Identify the core values, beliefs, behaviors, and perceptions that must be taken into account for successful change to occur. These insights will serve as the common baseline for designing essential change elements, such as the new corporate vision, and building the infrastructure and programs needed to drive change.

Create a solid case for change and communicate it often.

Getting employees to think and act differently requires more than just systems redesign and process change. Too often, leaders make the mistake of believing that others understand the issues, feel the need to change, and see the new direction as clearly as they do. Typically, that is not the case. That is why it is best to create a formal change case and a supplemental communication plan.

To ensure an effective communication strategy, solicit the input and feedback of all your stakeholders. Outline who should receive communications and how the organization will provide the right information at the right time.  Make sure the communication plan communicates how employees’ work will change, what is expected of them during and after the change program, how they will be measured, and what success or failure will mean for them and those around them. Have leaders reinforce the core messages through regularly timed communications that leverage a variety of communication methods (i.e. email, training sessions, videos, newsletters, and town hall meetings, etc.) throughout your change efforts.

Don’t lose sight of the emotional component of change. 

Change can be a very personal journey and can be unsettling for people at all levels of an organization. The impact leaves employees feeling uncertain and resistant. Dealing with these issues on a reactive, case-by-case basis puts speed, morale, and results at risk. Create a formal approach to managing change that includes how you will manage and react to emotions.  

Having an established system for carrying out change programs will help employees understand the necessity for change and help leaders motivate the organization to follow the new direction in the midst of challenges that will come along the way.

What approaches do you use to manage change efforts?  Comment below and share your ideas.

8 Effective Strategies to Onboard a Newly Promoted Manager

Being an effective manager entails a steep learning curve that is often times unanticipated by those newly promoted to management roles. A robust manager onboarding plan can help reduce time to proficiency and get managers acclimated to their new role quicker and easier. Consider your current manager onboarding process. How much of it prepares managers to be proficient in their role? Consider the following onboarding workplays to help onboard your next newly promoted manager.

Play #1. Start development before a promotion.
Once a team member shares their interest in leadership and you detect potential in their abilities, begin the process of developing their leadership skills. Create opportunities where they can learn and stretch themselves. Development ideas don’t always involve a fee. It could be as simple as allowing them to shadow a leader at an event, running a meeting, participating in the interview process, assisting with the budget, etc. These example development activities give an employee the opportunity to get more exposure to the leadership role and kick off their preparation period for a future promotion.

Play #2. Include peer mentors.
Newly promoted managers should be paired up with peer mentors who can share smart insight on everyday management situations. These mentors can be selected internally and externally. Just ensure there is a diverse mix of subject matter experts that can share relevant best practices and strengthen their network.

Play #3. Engage the manager’s manager.
It is common place for a manager’s manager to think that their newly promoted manager is able to hit the ground running with minimal supervision. Unfortunately, even the most experienced managers need some type of nurturing by their direct supervisor. Some may need a lot, others may need a little but everyone needs some level of guidance on a consistent basis.

Share suggestions on how much face time managers should have with their management team. Don’t let them leave discussion initiation solely to the newly promoted manager. The reality is some managers will not seek help even when they are floundering. So, have them stay in close contact with the newly promoted manager to help them navigate the managerial terrain.

Play #4. Pace the delivery of knowledge.
Many onboarding programs cram a lot of knowledge (i.e. HR information, compliance training, etc.) in a short span of time. Information is stuffed into a program without any consideration that the employee needs time to process and figure out how it all connects to their role. Keep in mind that most of the information shared will not be used immediately. It is a good idea to share the information but also provide refresher materials on a shared location that can be easily referenced, when needed.

Play #5. Invest in formal training.
A newly promoted manager is most open to learning when they are first promoted. If you start developing managers as soon as they start, you have the best opportunity to develop a foundation of good habits and skill. In turn, they will be more inclined to pass those good habits to others who need it on their team and throughout the organization. 

Play #6. Leverage a coach.
A coach has the ability to guide managers through a series of exercises and brave discussions to help them address work and team challenges from a different perspective. While some companies reserve this path only for executives, coaching can be very effective and cost effective for newly promoted managers too.

To drive coaching costs down, many organizations have internal volunteer coaching pools that have proven to be development effective. Another way to reduce the cost of traditional executive coaching is through the use of email coaching to facilitate manager coaching guidance.

Play #7. Integrate team building.
Create opportunities in your onboarding process to allow newly promoted managers to get to know their new teams. Informal social events are great starts to create team rapport.  But you also want to include more structured team building events that focus on having team dialogue about team needs, issues, and concerns.

Play #8. Get feedback.
Give newly promoted managers the opportunity to give feedback on the effectiveness of the program. They will have great insight on if and how the program should be improved.

Have you used any of these practices to onboard a newly promoted manager? What ideas do you have to better onboard newly promoted managers? Comment below and share your ideas.

3 Ways to Rephrase “No” and Not Get Fired

Even if you pride yourself in being a team player, you may run into a situation where you have to turn an assignment down. Have you ever said, “I don’t have time for this right now,” or “I’m busy right now.” to your boss or colleague?  Ever think about how to reframe these responses so you don’t fall out of favor?

Unfortunately, these two direct responses don’t inspire.  You can be honest but you also want to foster an environment of collaboration.  To build better office relationships, take another approach to saying “no.”

  1. Never start your reply with no. It is helpful to consider responding to a request with a “Yes, and …” format. Never blatantly reject the idea. Always embrace the request and pivot the request in a direction you like better.
  2. Offer an alternative If you are in a situation where it is not possible to do the requested task and meet your current deadlines, you could say: “Sure, I can do that — do you want me prioritize it over this other assignment?”

Or maybe you’re willing to perform the task, but another person may have the flexibility to get it done faster. If so, diplomatically make that suggestion.

Instead of rushing to say no, consider offering your assistance in a different way or at a different time.  Say instead: I’d be happy to discuss this with you after my morning meetings. May I stop by your office around 2 p.m.?”

The point is to be clear and positive — and to offer a realistic picture of potential alternatives.

  1. Focus your response on the right points. If you are feeling overworked, don’t focus the conversation on that aspect. Rather focus on how you want to help solve the issue of being overworked.  Always make sure you emphasize your willingness and ability to help the department. You might even ask for advice about the best way to handle competing deadlines in the future. Either way, minimize discussion of being overworked to avoid coming across as non-collaborative.

Can you think of other ways to tactfully say no and keep favor at work? Comment below and share your ideas.