Business Builder Bob - Managing Change #5

The first step was to describe the change and why it is needed.

The second step was to get feedback --- LISTEN.

The third step was to answer questions, acknowledge concerns, and check for understanding.

The fourth step is to ask for suggestions on how to implement the change.

The final step is to ask people to give the change a try!!!

This is critical. The objective is for the impacted individuals to make a verbal committment to give the change their best shot. This is presented to them as "let's try this and see how it works" or "I need your help. Are you willing the give this a try". People are generally much more willing to support when asked to help vs. told to just do it.

The more you can get people to publicly acknowledge they will try to make the change work, the better your chances of success. Acknowledging by going around the table or by show of hands are both good ways to get a show of support.

So, that is the guts of the process - 5 steps. I have had the most success using these five steps at one sitting. Either one to one or in group meetings. I have also had more success with several smaller group meetings of 50 or less than with meetings with hundreds or people. It is more intimidating for people to publicly show support in a large group environment. And, these steps work great in a one to one discussion.

There are two more blogs on Managing Change that I will share - preparation for change and followup after the change.