Creating The Momentum Of Change
I attended a client’s weekly management meeting. It was such a joy to see the team embrace the strategy that I helped them develop a few months earlier, use it as the guiding light for their operations and make very focused decisions in a short period of time – all with laughter and much camaraderie. I literally got goose bumps, to see the change in this team that had taken place in a matter of weeks.
It is difficult to get people to change. A look at our own lives and our numerous unfulfilled resolutions bears out how challenging change is. Yet change we must, in order to cope with the inevitability of change around us. As a leader, this is perhaps one of your most difficult tasks – getting people to change. My client who led the meeting is doing a very important thing – he is creating a sense of urgency around his organisations change imperative through weekly management team meetings. At first, team members groaned, especially since the meetings are at 7.00 a.m.! However, after only a few such sessions, they are already beginning to see the change with more and more tasks being accomplished through week-to-week accountability. There is now an acceleration of activity in between meetings with team members embracing the change and rippling it through to their own teams.
My client has created momentum towards the new direction. Monthly meetings would not do this, as the time gap between meetings does not create the required urgency. His weekly meetings send a signal that the change is imperative, and give very clear and immediate direction as to which way to go and what is top priority.
As I congratulated him on his progress, he whispered “You know Marguerite, we won’t have to do this forever. After awhile we can move to fortnightly and even monthly meetings”. So true – when making the change, there are certain onerous things you may have to do. But you don’t have to do them forever. Just for awhile until the momentum becomes irreversible.
THE BALANCED SCORECARD
The Balanced Scorecard provides a framework not just for your strategy meetings, but also your operational reviews. Here are a few ways you can use your Balanced Scorecard to have more productive and meaningful Operational Review meetings:
- Make sure to identify the participants for the meeting and have them scheduled well in advance
- Set the agenda using your scorecard framework. Discussing issues by perspective and theme ensures that your operational issues are aligned to the strategy. This is also an opportunity to surface deep-rooted cause and effect relationships that cut across perspectives
- Get granular and drill down to departmental levels into results that are at variance
- Bring “parking lot” discussions here – these are the issues that may have emerged in your Strategy Review meetings that are not strategic but are important.
Over time you will find that your Strategy Review meetings become much more efficient and focused since the operational issues will be dealt with separately. This allows you and your team to keep discussions at a high level, focused on the future (rather than on correcting operational problems) and make decisions unencumbered by preoccupation with day-to-day, immediate challenges.
TAKE ONE ACTION
Decide on one area of your organization where change is needed as a matter of urgency. Develop a 30-day plan to accelerate the urgency and get the momentum of change going. Then, just DO IT!
INTERESTING LINKS
Did you know that happy employees are 30% more productive? Check the January/February 2012 issue of the Harvard Business Review to find out more. This article suggests that you check in with your own employees by asking 2 simple questions:
- How happy are you at work?
- What can I do to make you happier?
When is enough, enough? Only you can decide. Tony Schwarz of The Energy Project asks you to consider your limits– not just for your organization but your entire life. – click to view article
