Push on through
So what do you do when faced with a staunch group of opponents who refuse to accept the change or changes you want to make for your business?
“If there is active opposition, you fire the person,” Prieur says. “If someone is actively trying to stop progress, you’ve got to get rid of them. Otherwise, you’re not in control. You’re not leading the change.”
Fortunately for Prieur, there was no such dramatic resistance to the move of employees from Chicago to Carmel. But if there had been, Prieur says he wouldn’t have flinched once the decision was made that the move was right for the company.
“Don’t worry about the opposition,” Prieur says. “They’re going to fall by the wayside as you drive relentlessly through to the completion of the project.”
Your employees need to see that you have resolve and that you believe in your decision if they’re going to support you. If you demonstrate that you’re not sure about it, why should they feel good about it?
“I remember in some meetings when we were talking about some of the big things we did, someone said, ‘Well, the regulator won’t let you do that,’” Prieur says. “And somebody else said, ‘We’ve never done anything like that before.’ I said, ‘Look, we’re going to bloody well do this. We’re going to do this regardless of opposition, because it makes sense. It’s good for the company and good for the consumer. We’re going to do it.’”
Prieur did do it, and the success of the change laid the groundwork for more changes he wanted to make to create better efficiency and a more streamlined company.
“I got everyone to think about the company in a different way,” Prieur says.
So how do you avoid coming off like Attila the Hun in trying to push your change through? Well, in the rare instance you got it wrong, don’t hesitate to own up to it.
“You’re bound to make mistakes,” Prieur says. “When people see that you back off something if you think it’s illogical or it isn’t working out like you thought it was working out, then they start to think, ‘OK, I’m not working for Attila the Hun.’”
How to reach: CNO Financial Group Inc., (800) 426-6732 or www.cnoinc.com
