This is the final in a series of three blog posts by Faye Goldman, exploring leadership during times of significant change.
When we begin organisational or strategic change, the big milestones, especially in certain types of change, can feel really clear. There might be a restructure or the launch of a reshaped service. These fixed dates feel like the end goal.
Then, when you reach those dates, something becomes clear: this is really the start.
The real value from change comes from making it stick – seeing through to the aimed-for outcomes and impacts. But keeping the energy and momentum up, and deciding on the next steps when there isn’t that big milestone to steer you are not always easy tasks.
Switching gears for the next stage
Making a change ‘go live’ takes a certain kind of energy. The next phase – embedding that change so it sticks – needs something different.
I see that two patterns commonly emerge from leaders at this point though. One is ‘I’m done’ – there is no focus or energy left for implementation so whatever happens, happens. The second is ‘let’s keep running’ – the same pace, style and process that got everyone to the milestone point carries on without a pause.
Implementation can’t be left to chance. There’s too much invested in change for its impact to be lost. But I also think we need to see implementation as a long game with a different style and pace of leadership.
From my experience of working with CEOs and senior leaders navigating change, here are some practical ways we have given this attention so that the new can gradually become the norm.
Marked what’s achieved as a step forward
Reaching a big milestone is something to be marked. Depending on the nature of the change, that could mean actively acknowledging and working through an ending together or celebrating the launch of something new. It’s important to do that.
In those moments, though, it can also be helpful to make clear it is also a beginning, not only an end. Think through and be open about the work still to do. There might be practical tasks that will now fall to colleagues. Or you might need to collectively explore how the ‘new’ properly docks into the culture, structures, processes and plans that predated it.
Sharing this is better than colleagues assuming that suddenly everything will be certain again, and feeling frustrated when it’s not.
Create regular, visible reminders
Your new strategy, service model, team structure or technology won’t feel normal to people for a while. Yet the rhythm of regular updates and sharing of what’s new will probably stop. This is where you want a new type of communication to kick in.
Regular reminders make all the difference to embedding something new. The nature of the change might affect the options. But every week, consider how the new strategy, culture, service, values or funding stream is mentioned, visualised or tied to everyone’s work in a way that normalises it. I have seen examples where the simple act of sticking the same visual up on a wall at every team meeting had an outsized impact.
Don’t stop listening, learning and iterating
A project team that delivered the big milestone often disbands at this point. Ideally though, the habits of listening and learning that are essential to effective change will continue. Otherwise, the little niggles that need troubleshooting or the uncertainties that remain are unresolved. They can become blockers that prevent the change from sticking.
Setting up a light touch route to capture questions, feedback and resolve challenges together can stop those issues growing. Create a visible backlog that shows what is still to resolve and who is going to explore or act on each, so that even if resolution might take some time, people know their perspectives aren’t lost. And if you can, find a few quick wins to iterate in response to learning or feedback – it shows everyone that it is possible.
Build it into your day to day
Making a change become the new norm is less of a project than what came before. It’s more about gradually and purposefully infiltrating all parts of your organisation – moulding what’s already there to connect to the new expectations, practices or plans.
Consider the touchpoints where existing things that happen in your organisation could reinforce, or adapt to, what is needed as a result of change. Think about one-to-one meetings, development reviews, team check ins, planning processes or regular reporting. In each, test whether there’s a way they could incorporate reminders or offer routes to set clear expectations of what action or behaviours are important.
Navigating complex change
Change can be many different things depending on the circumstances: joyful, important, liberating, necessary, challenging, creative. In this blog series, I’ve covered topics that should apply in all instances:
- How leaders can create helpful anchors that support us during uncertainty;
- How leaders can use clarity and kindness as guides to communicate and engage people well;
- How leaders can take some small, manageable steps to see changes through.
I recognise though that the suggestions I’ve made are easier to write than to do.
For any CEOs reading who are currently navigating complex change, there is support out there. I hope you have the constructive, honest sounding board and practical, pragmatic backing that will buoy you along the way.