“Perfection is not attainable but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”
Vince Lombardi, Professional Football Coach
As we discussed in our September’s insights, hopefully, you have “looked in the mirror” and prioritized the great input you have received from learning what your organization is doing well, learning from mistakes made, asking your Customers and your Leadership Team, as well as your role in the successes and failures in your organization.
Now the change can begin. There are great benefits – and challenges – with change. As Albert Eistein said: ‘The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.’
Here are some highlights of what to consider when implementing changes:
Change is hard: most of us are resistant to change, even though we often also see the value of that change. This should always be considered when change is being made within any organization.
Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize: As we introduced last month, to reap the most benefits from impacting change, be sure to focus on what will bring the most benefits quickly.
Communicate, communicate, communicate: One effective method to manage resistance to change is to communicate the proposed change and its positive impact on the organization. When folks understand the “why,” there is less resistance to that change.
Prepare: If you have identified the need for a change, take the time to assess the implication of the change: How will it impact your Customers? Is your Staff well equipped and trained for the change? What processes and/or systems need to be considered prior to the change? Preparing prior to any change increases the probability of success.
Lessons learned: Once the change has been implemented, pause and assess what has been learned from the implementation: What went well? What needs to be adjusted? How can it be done better next time?
Change is valuable and powerful for an organization:
- It encourages us to focus on the good. As Jason Lemkin said: ‘Play to your strengths. If you aren’t great at something, do more of what you’re great at.’
- It can reap huge benefits even with small changes: “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new” -Socrates
- It prepares your organization for continued improvement and mitigates failure: “Change before you have to.” -Jack Welch
In closing, you have an opportunity to utilize what you have learned by “looking in the mirror” to impact change.