Don’t make change a thorny issue!

As Heraclitus, the Ancient Greek philosopher said,

“The only constant in life is change”.

So, true. 

Not a day goes by when we find that we need to change the way we think or do something. Internal or external factors, people or inanimate circumstances … many situations influence our personal and working lives.

In organisations, change is a necessity. It’s required for growth and in some cases, simple survival – think Covid-19! Without change, an organisation will stagnate - even fail, especially if competitors adapt more quickly to keep ahead of the curve, grow and develop resilience to weather the next storm. 

Yet, many SMEs fail to change: often their leaders don’t see it as necessary – “we’ve done it this way for years – why change it now?”, or they and their teams lack the confidence or skills to implement the changes effectively.

In fact, managing change has a poor track record, 50-70% often quoted for initiatives failing, whilst alongside, change is often perceived as stressful and fearful. But none of this has to be the case. 

But change doesn’t need to be a thorny issue!

Our practice-based approaches highlight that embedding a few simple steps can help create greater positivity and better outcomes.

By having a focus on People and Processes … underpinned by great communication and people engagement – success rates improve, the crux being effective, inspiring leadership. 

Why? Well, change leadership focuses on people – an organisation’s greatest asset; the heart and working cogs of the organisational machine, and people have to ‘go with you’ for change to be successful. Change management [models], whilst also important, focus on process steps and tools to implement the changes.

We’ve witnessed success and happy teams where leaders:

… communicate openly - why the change is necessary, its purpose, the benefits, the potential challenges, whilst listening to others – not being tunnel visioned!

… promote collaborative working, engaging all areas within the business, encouraging them to share their thoughts and contribute ideas … as its often the frontline teams that have the solutions to issues!

… believe in what needs to be done, their behaviours aligned to the initiative, showing dogged determination to over the challenges and practicing what they preach – not the complete opposite which undermines the situation!

… ensure changes are introduced in manageable and digestible stages, to allow effective monitoring and embedding … so they don’t drop off the cliff!

So next time you need to implement a change – don’t make it a thorny issue: consider the above, to help make your journey successful.

Jane Fisher

 e: jane@janefisherassociates.co.uk

m: 07837 024374

w: www.jfamanagementconsultancy.co.uk