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Roger Jones, a top management consultant and good friend, provides some interesting insights into how you can get buy-in for transformative change in your company:
"Firstly I suggest that leaders have to act in a way that is consistent with the change they want to see in others. In other words, they have to lead by example. I get Einstein to help out with a few well-chosen words. (I was in Princeton last week where he did much of his work).
Secondly, it's not surprising that leaders get frustrated when their attempts to change an organisation are mired in resistance.
"You may see the need for change", I counsel, "but you need to arrive at a shared epiphany".
The simple truth is we resist change if we see it to be pointless or harmful.
It's a leader's job to have stakeholders realise that change is essential and beneficial.
Having witnessed so many failed change initiatives, I've prepared a 6-page complimentary ebook that sets out a few lessons and ideas.
Do you lead by example?
Many leaders can't get buy-in because their behaviour is inconsistent with their rhetoric.
"Do as I say and not as I do", is the message received.
What's often lacking is integrity.
During the recession of the early 80's, the Chairman of a £3 Billion-turnover UK company visited each Office and Plant. He was an elderly man, a decade or so past retirement age.
While his visits were typically unannounced, they were widely welcomed.
He would arrive in a 15 year old car, and often bring his own lunch. Failing that, he would eat in the canteen.
The message was clear: we don't waste a penny, we're all in this together, we will each make sacrifices.
In recent times in the UK, we've heard from both the government and the Opposition that "we're all in this together". Does this ring true?
In the Daily Mail, Mr Miliband admitted Mr Osborne* had been 'onto something' when he coined the slogan before the last election - and that it had helped convince voters that austerity meant "shared sacrifice".
Will "shared sacrifice" affect the remuneration and benefits of MPs, or is it code for cuts and tax increases for the rest of us?
Leading by example, and integrity
Leading by example requires integrity: consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes.
Teaching by example
As Einstein observed, "Example is not only a way to teach; it is the only way to teach."
What if the dominant culture within your organisation was leadership by example?
I argue that judging people by what they do (their integrity), rather than what they say (their stated intent) would have a profound effect.
The emphasis within the organisation will be on the positive and active position. Too much time is typically devoted on seeing what is wrong with a process, plan, system or person. Not enough time is spent on creating the solution.
Question: Who gets more air time at your meetings? The expert who is perpetually critical of the way it is, or the hands-on pragmatist who can both propose and implement a solution?
The answer to this question lies with leadership.
Do you set a can-do example, or are you inclined to allow meetings to dead-end with little or no agreement on a solution?
Does your leadership team teach by example, and if so are these positive and active examples?
As the late Jack LaLanne said, "If you want to change somebody, don't preach to him. Set an example and shut up."
Leading by example is wise leadership. Stories of the 'way we do things' are the foundations of culture. Wise leaders tell stories of a way of life, and act accordingly. By doing so, they are judged to be authentic, and worthy of respect.
And people follow leaders whom they respect.
Arriving at a shared epiphany
It's not surprising that leaders get frustrated when their attempts to change an organisation are mired in resistance.
"You may see the need for change", I counsel, "but you need to arrive at a shared epiphany".
The simple truth is we resist change if we see it to be pointless or harmful.
It's a leader's job to have stakeholders realise that change is essential and beneficial.
Before change can happen, a series of internal agreements must be reached since "the way things have always been done" is being challenged.
People will only do what they are comfortable with and what they have agreed to do. It's nonsense to assume that people will change because they have been told to.
It's also a fatal strategic error, in that it results in active and passive resistance.
A crucial point is this: you have created a business system that is intentionally impervious to change (or it wouldn't be a system). You are changing the rules and that has multiple effects.
Imagine announcing in Manchester United's dressing room that the club would in future be playing Baseball.
Is this any more challenging than recreating a hardware vendor as an Information Service provider?
Possibly not. Yet the latter has not only been proposed, it's been attempted - and without the buy-in of key stakeholders.
We live in exponential times. The rate of change is breathtaking.
In many cases we need to develop disruptive strategies, and innovative or unexpected solutions.
As captain of the ship we have a perfect view to the horizon.
We can see the need for change. We can chart a course. We've experienced our epiphany.
But what if the vessel has the responsiveness of a supertanker?
It's no good yelling louder that the course must change, we need to create a vessel that is more responsive.
A lot is talked about shared vision, but it's rarely shared. It's more often imposed.
I'll leave the final words to New York Times best-selling author Peter Gruber.
"Over the years, I've learned that the ability to articulate your story or that of your company is crucial in almost every phase of enterprise management. It works all along the business food chain: A great salesperson knows how to tell a story in which the product is the hero. A successful line manager can rally the team to extraordinary efforts through a story that shows how short-term sacrifice leads to long-term success. An effective CEO uses an emotional narrative about the company's mission to attract investors and partners, to set lofty goals, and to inspire employees."
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