How long are you expecting this to take: what is a fair timeline for implementing the change?...
…The last question a client asked me at the end of our kick-off meeting.
A bit like being asked “how long is a piece of string?”, I couldn’t give him a specific number of months. It would have been wrong of me to try to. But after years of leading change programmes, I know there are things you can do to make every day, week, and month count.
This was my reply:
“It is really important to be clear on your vision, what it is you are trying to achieve and the steps you need to take to get there”.
I encouraged my client to write it (their vision and change priorities) down.
Why?
Because by documenting and sharing it with your team you will create a shared understanding and alignment of what it is you are trying to achieve.
Alignment as a leadership team is absolutely critical.
Alignment means you are all on the same page and working towards the same goals.
Alignment also creates a culture of being able to have open and honest conversations with each other if things aren’t working.
Change programmes are rarely short-term affairs (realistically you’re looking at a minimum of 12-18 months to embed changes that impact most - if not all - aspects of your business).
For those looking to implement significant change in their business here are my top tips:
- Have a process and business rhythm in place to maintain momentum: being able to track progress is essential.
- Celebrate what you have achieved and always think about change as a positive. It really will help with establishing a healthy culture (crucial if change is to be successful).
- Try not to get frustrated at the pace of change – it won’t make change happen any quicker.
- Try shifting your mindset and focusing on all the things you have already achieved as a business. It will put you in a better frame of mind and will propel you forward. Success breeds success.
Once you get into a rhythm of doing things well, you’ll keep doing things really well and it will get easier and easier to implement change moving forward.
