How do you encourage employees to get on board with the changes?
You have to celebrate the trying. Even if you tried something and it didn’t work, it’s still a win that you tried something different. If you are willing and open to trying different things, quick wins are going to come, but make sure that you celebrate not only the things you tried that worked really well but also when you tried something that didn’t work well. That will foster a culture of change at all levels of the organization.
What are the biggest pitfalls new leaders face when implementing change?
The first is not acting quickly enough. Many organizations are great at identifying their challenges and even at following through to develop solutions, but then they don’t take quick, decisive action.
Another pitfall is failing to follow through. Many employees have heard the message in the past about maintaining a culture of continuous improvement, but it hasn’t been followed through on. When improvements are not sustained, that responsibility resides with the leadership.
Finally, many leaders make the mistake of focusing on the draggers in an organization instead of on the performers. Focusing on the draggers and allowing them to maintain the status quo and not get involved in change is demotivating to the employees who are working hard to make improvements in the organization.
How do you ensure that a culture of operational performance is sustainable?
Reward employees who are willing to drive change and identify solutions. Don’t just have them go through the motions of attending a training class but have them focus on external activities. Have them start to understand more about the external marketplace and really see other businesses and other business models.
They’ll come back with really great ideas, and one of the best ways to take advantage of training is to ask those employees to share their learning with others. You put them in a position of expertise with others, and that really starts to raise the average level of performance. Those people then become the removers of obstacles, the gatekeepers of resources, so that their leaders can then focus on improving and growing the business.
Nick Williams is general manager of the Columbus office of Definity Partners. Reach him at [email protected] or (866) 520-2003.
