Mike Schorah

Yesterday we noted the importance of achieving 'short-term wins.' It's important to use each of those as a stepping-stone towards more change on the way to achieving the overall vision for change. Keep working towards that goal, looking all the while for ways in which processes can be improved. Identify what is working, and what is not, and work with your team to make the necessary course corrections. And repeat successes: sometimes early 'wins' arise, but from a fluke set of circumstances. Trying to replicate the success will help to check that processes are working and appropriate for the range of situations that you will encounter. And you'll be helping all the while to embed the new way of doing things in the culture of the organization, to make sure that change doesn't fizzle out as soon as you move, or energy starts getting applied in a new direction. Learning points: Take opportunity to analyze what went right and what needs improving. Set goals t...

Whenever a group embarks on change there's a lot of nervousness around whether or not it will work, normally because the stakes are pretty high. Nothing motivates more than success so one of the best ways of building and keeping momentum is by striving to ensure that there are some things that people can see are successful quite early on. These 'wins' don't have to be huge, but they do have to be real, and they do have to be relevant. The most important factor, though, is that they are shared successes by the team that you want to continue to drive the change through. One of the best ways to work on this is to break the bigger goal down into smaller chunks, some with milestones that can be seen and reached within a short time frame, perhaps weeks or months depending on the length of the overall project. Celebrate each success and use it as a springboard to get everyone gathered around reaching the next target. Important factors: Look for things that you can imple...

As I write this my wife is giving a presentation as part of a job application that she's making. If she sticks with the ideas she was having in her practice run-through earlier then she'll be making the point that she boils down a lot of the fancy phrases and detailed research concepts that she's come across in management training books and articles. In fact, at heart she says that leading a small team is about two things: Make sure that the team consistently (daily) understands what is expected: not just what to do (task) but how to do it (quality) Remove the obstacles by making sure that they have the resources they need, and nothing holding them back from doing it I think that simplification is super. But when it comes to introducing a broad change initiative it's often necessary to go further and consider whether anyone is actively resisting the change. Are there processes or structures that are getting in the way?   More than this: Make sure you have, beyond...

Too often leaders spend some time and effort building a vision for change , but take it no further. Perhaps you get together a team to drive the change ; maybe you go off-site with the team and plan the steps necessary ... These things, though good, are absolutely not enough to see the change take root. What you do with your vision after you create it will determine your success. Your message will have strong competition from all the other things going on so you need to communicate it frequently and embed it within everything that you do. Find ways to talk about the vision at every opportunity you get. Consciously use it daily to influence the decisions you take and the way you solve problems. Be especially careful to explain that this is what you're doing when working with others. This way they'll catch on and see that the vision for change is not just a bright idea that you'll  move on from when other pressures come along, but something that truly is here to stay. M...

Your vision for change needs to be simple enough for people to grasp and remember. After all, if it's too complex to grasp it can't be understood and implemented. And if your team needs to go back to notes to remember it then you've added a big barrier of inertia. Most importantly, people need to understand why change is necessary. To be realistic in your hopes for success Make sure that your proposed change is consistent with the values you want Encapsulate the change in a summary that's ideally just a single, brief, sentence Work with your team to develop a strategy that will bring the vision to being Make sure that your core team can understand the vision and strategy Communicate the vision at every opportunity possible, using different ways to explain or clarify and apply it to specific circumstances so that it doesn't get stale; and so that people who are impacted can more readily grasp what needs to be achieved Get more like this

After ensuring people understand that the pain of staying where we are is greater than the cost of moving forward , the next thing a change leader needs to put in place is a powerful coalition of people committed to change. Leaders are rarely located just at the hierarchical 'top' of an organization. And you're in deep trouble if they are! To build and maintain the change momentum it's necessary to find the key influencers throughout the organization, and build them together as a team committed to seeing the change through. Be aware that their power and influence won't just come from job title or position in the hierarchy, but from their expert knowledge, network of relationships and more... In leading change you'll need to identify these people and ask for an emotional commitment from them. Then work hard on team building within this change coalition, making sure that the commitment to change doesn't fizzle out when the going begins to get tough. You ca...

What are the best traits to look for in a leader? Great leaders have integrity: they say what they mean and do what they say They set clear and unambiguous goals that can be easily understood They clearly communicate a vision that acts as a powerful 'burning imperative' They set a good example that others want to copy They expect the best from the team and set high standards Great leaders are encouraging of those around them, not condemning They recognise good work and good people, and freely give credit where it's due They provide stimulating work that others can engage in creatively They inspire people to see beyond their self interest and focus instead on the team's needs Great leaders are inspirational: difficult to define, but worth working on! Great leaders are great at motivating others Great leaders are trusted Get more like this