Are you planning any business change initiatives? Most change managers that I know, the good ones anyway, usually plan, plan and re-plan and why not - it's what all the text books and management guru's tell you to do. But the very nature of change as I have discovered is that the unexpected will, can and does show up at the most unexpected of times. That is the nature of the unexpected - to be unexpected, thus you can't plan for it. The real issue here is how do we deal with the unexpected when it gate crashes our change initiative parties. I believe that effective change is about equipping ourselves with the skills of dealing with the unexpected rather than worrying about implementing the latest change strategy.
Here are six tips to help deal with the sometimes unwelcome and unforeseen guests of organisational change...
1. Keep calm: I have never solved anything while being in a state of panic. The key to successful change management, life, love - pretty much anything really is to keep calm. Staying calm and centred allows you to stay resourceful. Creative solutions will present themselves to us when we come from a peaceful state. You will have more chance of spotting the solutions when you are calm.
2. Look like you were expecting it: When managing change one has to be inspiring to the people we are leading. If we look like we were expecting what everyone else wasn't expecting, we'll end up looking like geniuses. This attitude inspires and motivates our people.
3. Welcome it: What you resist persists. Rather than put your energy into fighting something, focus yourself on its successful conclusion. The unexpected sometimes shows up as resistance in people, this is a natural part of the cycle and paradoxically is to be expected. In NLP terms all behaviour has a positive intention, we need to understand the intention behind the actions rather than focusing on behaviour change. How you now deal with resistance to change will determine you level of success as a change manager.
4. Utilise it: I am a strong believer that in every adversity there is opportunity. This may sound like some new age affirmation, but I am a pragmatist and this perspective helps me to tap into my creative potential. Whether you call this emergence a crisis or an opportunity is irrelevant though - it is how you respond to it that is important. Always ask yourself how can I use this challenge to its best effect?
5. Learn from it: Leading on from the last point ... shift happens ... you can only become stronger and more effective by learning from what life's many processes throw at you. Change is a process that provides us with many opportunities for learning and growth. Change management mastery is not about running perfect projects every time, it is about dealing effectively with what evolves from the process. So always ask yourself how can I learn this challenge?
6. Build in slack: On a practical note, when planning always build in slack into the time scales to allow for the unexpected. Prioritise your requirements, deliverables, goals or outcomes into MUSTs, SHOULDs, COULDs and WONTs. A maximum of 60% of your time is to be allocated to the MUSTs and 20% each to SHOULDs and COULDs. Guarantee to only deliver the MUSTs and this will build slack into your time scales.
Mark Buchan is one of Britain's most sought after coaches and change consultants. He coaches executives and business owners from a wide range of business sectors. His ability to facilitate change and assist his clients in overcoming their obstacles to growth is fast earning him the reputation of WORLDS BEST COACH.
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