how to be a better change agent
TRANSCRIPT
@AUGIERAY 1
How to be a betterChange AgentAUGIE RAY
10/13/2016
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If you don't like change, you're going to like irrelevance even less.
General Eric Shinseki
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of organizational change initiatives fail70%
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Studies Validate Change is Hard 75% of business and IT executives admit that their projects are either
always or usually “doomed right from the start.” (Geneca, 2011) Employers felt 55% of change management initiatives met initial
objectives, but only 25% felt gains were sustained over time. (Towers Watson, 2013)
Only 54% of executives say change initiatives at their companies are adopted and sustained. (Booz & Company 2013)
17 percent of large IT projects go so badly that they can threaten the very existence of the company. (McKinsey 2012)
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Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.
Arnold Bennett
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Three Realities of Change Agency
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Advocating for change is risky
People hate change
There is no such thing as a change agent
Shar
pen
your
skills M
itigate risks
Inspire people
@AUGIERAY 7
Three Realities of Change Agency
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Advocating for change is risky
People hate change
There is no such thing as a change agent
Shar
pen
your
skills M
itigate risks
Inspire people
@AUGIERAY 8
Hone your change agent skills Resilience Patience Self-awareness
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Networking Communication Facilitation
Love of learning Contrarian thinking Analysis
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Critical Thinking Skills and Habits
Change Must Be Anchored in News and Trends
People do not adopt change for change’s sake—there must be a pressing opportunity or challenge, so change agents: Schedule time every day to read and learn. Adopt tools to gather info (alerts, newsletters,
Flipboard, follow thought leaders, etc.) and save information (OneNote, Evernote, etc.)
Curate news in their social channels, becoming a source of information for others.
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Love of Learning
Contrarian Thinking
Analysis
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Critical Thinking Skills and Habits
Change Contradicts Conventional Wisdom
By the time everyone sees the opportunity or threat, it is too late. To see what others do not, change agents: Practice discomfort with complacency, seeking
new, better ways. Consider untraditional information outside their
industries or even outside the business world. Accept nothing. Challenge everything. Don’t zig
when everyone zags; just question why.
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Love of Learning
Contrarian Thinking
Analysis
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Critical Thinking Skills and Habits
Change Only Occurs When Others Are Convinced
Business leaders do not until they are convinced it is necessary and confident in the outcome. Change agents must: Remove passion and biases. Use your network to challenge your pitch. Embrace the risks. Identify and prepare for objections. Build a logical case.
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Love of Learning
Contrarian Thinking
Analysis
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Three Realities of Change Agency
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Advocating for change is risky
People hate change
There is no such thing as a change agent
Shar
pen
your
skills M
itigate risks
Inspire people
@AUGIERAY 13
Being a Change Agent is Risky
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Ron Johnson 15 years
12 years
18 m
o
Introduced design partnerships such as Michael Graves
Oversaw launch of Apple Stores
Dismissed after “the worst quarter in retail history”—a 25%+ drop in same-store sales in one quarter
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Being a Change Agent is Risky
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Ron Johnson
“When I got to Penney’s, I had no choice because I was told people wanted change, but the truth is nobody wanted change.”
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What Went Wrong at JCP?
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Ron Johnson
Traded sales promotions for “fair & square” prices.
Swapped brands JCP shoppers wanted for high-end brands beyond the budget of the traditional customer.
Initiated plan with no tests, focus groups or pilots. Attempted to run JCP like a startup. Punished skeptics. “I don’t like negativity.
Skepticism takes the oxygen out of innovation.” Replaced leaders who understood JCP business.
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The Building Blocks of Change
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Capi
tal Process
People
Culture
Customer Traded sales promotions with “fair & square” prices. Swapped brands JCP shoppers wanted for higher-end
brands; offered items beyond the budget of the traditional Penney’s customer.
Initiated plan with no tests, focus groups or pilots. Attempted to run JCP like a startup. Punished skeptics. “I don’t like negativity. Skepticism
takes the oxygen out of innovation.” Replaced leaders who understood JCP business.
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Build Capital Diligently, Spend It Wisely
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Capi
tal Process
People
Culture
CustomerBeing a change agent requires you amass personal capital. Political winds change often. To mitigate risks:
Seek sponsors and mentors and listen to them
Build a network and engage with them
Seek approval and support
Own up to mistakes
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Keep the Customer King
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Capi
tal Process
People
Culture
CustomerDo not forget to put the customer at the center of your thinking. To mitigate risks:
Base ideas on documented customer needs, behaviors and perceptions.
Don’t alienate current customers while striving to attract new ones
Develop ideas for those customers that are strategic targets for your organization.
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Process Is Your Friend, Not the Enemy
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Capi
tal Process
People
Culture
CustomerProcess frustrates change agents, which is why it is twice as important they respect the process. To mitigate risks:
Seek partners with project management skills to help create project plans
Create a logical, staged plan
Test, test, test
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Work Within the Existing Culture
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Capi
tal Process
People
Culture
CustomerCulture changes slowly, and change agents get more done when they work with rather than against existing culture. To mitigate risks:
Align your ideas to current strategic initiatives
Understand and respect organization structure
Consider corporate mission and values
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Make People Allies
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Capi
tal Process
People
Culture
Customer
People don't resist change. They resist being changed.
Peter Senge
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Three Realities of Change Agency
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Advocating for change is risky
People hate change
There is no such thing as a change agent
Shar
pen
your
skills M
itigate risks
Inspire people
@AUGIERAY 23
Inspire People to Embrace Change
Make Change Worth Everyone’s While
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Change Goals & Rewards
Raise the Pain (a Little)
Create a Positive Vision
Involve People
It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!
Upton Sinclair
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Inspire People to Embrace Change
Make Change Worth Everyone’s While
Change goals and rewards to reward the right behavior. To inspire people:
Identify the goals and metrics that measure the behaviors you wish to change
Change reward systems to compensate people for the right behaviors; for example, employees will not become more oriented to customer satisfaction if they are only rewarded for productivity, efficiency or sales
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Change Goals & Rewards
Raise the Pain (a Little)
Create a Positive Vision
Involve People
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Inspire People to Embrace Change
Help People To See Why They Must Change
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Change Goals & Rewards
Raise the Pain (a Little)
Create a Positive Vision
Involve People
And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
Anaïs Nin
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Inspire People to Embrace Change
Help People To See Why They Must Change
Change is painful, but the eventual pain of failing to change is even greater. To inspire people:
Realize that change can threaten jobs—plan for the concern, be candid and help people change
Encourage people to understand the risks of not changing and the benefits of changing
Make it about them…
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Change Goals & Rewards
Raise the Pain (a Little)
Create a Positive Vision
Involve People
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Inspire People to Embrace Change
Encourage People To See Their Futures Positively
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Change Goals & Rewards
Raise the Pain (a Little)
Create a Positive Vision
Involve People
I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.
Mother Teresa
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Inspire People to Embrace Change
Encourage People To See Their Futures Positively
Make change personal and exciting. To inspire people:
Paint a picture of how change will bring benefits to employees
Create a plan to support employees
Commit the time and resources necessary
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Change Goals & Rewards
Raise the Pain (a Little)
Create a Positive Vision
Involve People
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Inspire People to Embrace Change
People Embrace Change When They Have a Voice
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Change Goals & Rewards
Raise the Pain (a Little)
Create a Positive Vision
Involve People
You teach me, I forget. You show me, I remember. You involve me, I understand.
E. O. Wilson
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Inspire People to Embrace Change
People Embrace Change When They Have a Voice
Support and impetus for change comes top-down. Adoption of change comes bottom-up. To inspire people:
Listen and react to hopes, ideas and concerns
Tell people what; let them have a say in how
Provide the time necessary for change—plan for storming, norming and performing
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Change Goals & Rewards
Raise the Pain (a Little)
Create a Positive Vision
Involve People
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Be a Better Change Agent
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Know and mitigate the capital, customer, process, culture and people risks
He or she who helps people embrace change rules the world
Adopt habits that improve your communication, emotional and thinking skills
Shar
pen
your
skills M
itigate risksInspire people
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Thank youWhen you're finished changing, you're finished.
Benjamin Franklin
Feedback and dialog welcome at @augieray.
10/13/2016