Tag Archives: change initiative

Construction Projects

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We are in the midst of a major construction project at work. Having been a part of several such projects, it always amazes me how long it takes for the “groundwork” — the grading, running underground lines, setting foundations — before any real visible progress can take place. I suppose it really shouldn’t be all that surprising, however, given the similarities with “constructing” a change effort within an organization.

Change — like watching a building go up — can be exciting, but also anxiety provoking. The key to successful change is to take the time necessary to do the groundwork on the front end . . . developing the plans, laying conduits for on-going communication, pouring strategic footings to anchor the change for the long term . . . All of these things take significant energy, and on the surface it might appear there is little progress to show for your effort. Trust me, it is worth putting in the time in on the front end, even if it feels like you are moving at a snail’s pace.

A weak foundation can jeopardize an otherwise carefully constructed project. Regardless of how bright and shiny something might look on the surface, if you rushed through the site preparation, the entire project could be compromised. For example, soil testing may seem like a waste of time and money . . . until you realize that it’s not so different from testing the opinions of your staff to see what they are really thinking, and whether the rock solid base you thought you had is still in place. Determining the depth of your water tables is similar to knowing where there are hot button topics that could bubble up, or in worst cases spew forth, to drown out your good intentions.

Plans developed by a single individual sitting in an office may look really pretty on paper, and may be a good starting place, but they virtually always need tweaking to accommodate the unique and unforeseen variables of individual situations. Which brings me to the other key similarity between building and constructing a change effort . . . flexibility! Unexpected cost increases, delayed schedules, key participants aren’t on the same page on a critical component . . . it’s not a matter of if something is going to challenge the plan, it is just a matter of when and how many. Likewise, I have yet to see a change effort that proceeded exactly according to plan — no matter how “perfect” you might have thought the plan was at the outset. What to do? Stand firm on the final outcome, and maybe one or two key variables along the way, and with everything else, realize there are multiple good and reasonable ways to reach your final goal.

Need to implement a change initiative of your own? Grab your hard hat and happy building!

Taking the Long View

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As of this week, my husband and I officially survived the teenage years when our youngest son turned 20. Making it through the teens (twice!) requires that a parent take the long view. The journey is sure to be scattered with a number of “are you kidding me?!?” days and weeks. For that reason, it is never wise to judge parenting skills by looking at a single day in time . . . parenting is all about the long view.

Hmmm . . . not really all that different from leading. Any time a leader tries to implement a major change initiative or new strategic effort, the process is likely to look a lot like an amplified version of the teenage years. For example . . .

Boundaries will be tested. I’m assuming I don’t need to explain all the ways a teen will do this, and it’s really not all that different with staff . . . You make decisions from where you are standing, which might be quite different from your staff/teen’s perspective. Yes, you may have at one time been exactly where they are, but your staff/teen is not likely to acknowledge that when you are setting a boundary that feels ridiculous to them. Some will follow out of respect; some will defiantly dance right up to the edge of, and occasionally over, the line; and others will smile sweetly while they quietly act like the line ever existed.

Your IQ will drop . . . some times considerably. You just don’t get it. You are being short-sighted. You are not being realistic. Sentiments such as these (and a host of other less kind versions) are usually a result running into the boundaries mentioned above. It is easier to question the leader/parent’s intelligence than to consider there might be a legitimate reason for the action that is in direct contrast with what the individual wants to do/knows how to do/thinks is right.

The goal is to feel in control. For a lot of people, change — even what may seem like minor change to you — makes them anxious and out of control. That feels bad. And so they find ways to take control over something, anything . . . the color of their hair, whether they share critical information with others, reverting back to a strategy that worked in the past . . . you get the picture.

The point here is not to make leading, or parenting, sound like a constant battle. It’s not. But it also rarely goes exactly according to plan, and if you expect it to you will be in a fairly constant state of frustration. What to do?

Take a deep breath. Cut yourself, and everyone else, some slack. Realize that there will be “are you kidding me?!?” days and weeks, but you can influence how quickly they pass. Find ways to acknowledge how your staff is feeling, and help them find their footing. Be a broken record in clearly communicating the end goal, and also be willing to take a slightly different path to get there. Make enough deposits along the way to be given the benefit of the doubt, even when your idea stretches people in uncomfortable ways.

Taking the long view may be difficult in our hurry-up/right now/instant gratification world, but trust me . . . the results are worth the wait.

Knowing when to get into the weeds

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Explorer in the weeds

Years ago, I was at an outdoor retreat with members our leadership team, and the individual leading our team-building activities asked that all 8 or 9 of us stand on a small plastic table cloth. The object of the activity was to flip the table cloth over without any of us stepping off the plastic. As you can imagine with that many leaders on a single small square, there were a variety of suggestions of how to accomplish the task. We squished. We wiggled. We debated. And finally, when it seemed we were making no progress, I decided it was time to get into the weeds. (Have I mentioned that patience is not my strong suit?!?)

I squatted down amongst everyone’s feet to get a better look at the options and then came up with a strategy. One-by-one, I would grab a foot, pick it up, flip a corner of the tablecloth, and put the foot back down. Although there were a few times I was pretty sure I was going to end up with someone landing on my head, we eventually managed to completely flip the table cloth without anyone’s feet moving off the plastic.

Some months later, one of my colleagues on the team commented that the activity was a good example of how I lead . . . when I couldn’t figure out a solution from where I was standing, I got down closer to the action. Yes, there was a risk that I would be stepped on, but I knew that was the best way to move the team forward. To this day, I consider that one of the best compliments I have ever received regarding my leadership style.

Sometimes, you simply have to get into the weeds to help your team find a solution, or so you can gain a dose of reality from the troops on the ground. How many times have you received an edict, or directive from “on high” (be that an external regulator, a state agency, fill in the blank) that probably made a lot of sense to the individual sitting in some distant office writing it, but was impossible to implement because of a variable that was not considered? Hitting a little closer to home, what is the likelihood that you have been the author of such an grand plan (written from the comfort of your office) and your staff were the ones shaking their heads because of something that was obvious to them, but you neglected to account for? Guilty as charged. But hopefully I’ve learned.

Seriously, how hard is it to take the time to look at a project from the perspective of those who will be impacted by it? They are likely to have insights that you will never have. We have tried to do this through Process Review Committees, where the staff closest to an issue make recommendations for a solution, with director level staff considering the recommendations, but not creating them. We’ve had “What in the World Were They Thinking” meetings, where staff could ask questions about a parts of a change initiative that didn’t make sense to them. We’ve held focus groups prior to making tough decisions that would affect staff, to get their input on things they would like us to consider when making the decisions.

Do we get it right every time? Of course not . . . but one thing I’ve learned . . . when staff recognize that you are trying to consider an issue from all angles, they are much more likely to give you a measure of grace when you miss something. They are much more likely to let you grab their foot and move it to a different place on the plastic square, if they are confident that you have their best interests in mind. And they don’t gain that confidence by what you say. They gain it when they occasionally see you hanging out in the weeds.

Lessons from a little red car

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chevy_cavalier2002_1The first car that I bought on my own was a red Chevy Cavalier. When I saw the car I fell in love with it, and quickly rationalized that the fact it had no power windows, no air conditioning and no power steering was really not that big of a deal. (This from someone who had never driven a car without these fairly standard features.) Within the first couple days of purchasing the car, I quickly learned that when you don’t have power steering, it is much easier to turn the car if you are already rolling.

I’ve applied that life lesson to many a new project or change initiative. I have never seen a plan on paper — no matter how much time and energy went into its creation — that didn’t have to “adjust the steering” a bit once it started rolling. And if that’s the case, why not just get the basic framework in place and then pilot the project with the intention that it is a learning experience that will include adjustments on the way toward the end goal.

From my perspective, there are many benefits to getting the car rolling through a pilot project approach.

1) Speed. Piloting a project allows you to get from concept to hands-on application much more quickly. It generates excitement and enthusiasm among participants that they (who are usually much closer to the actual work than the administrators who typically develop plans) have the opportunity to shape what the project will ultimately look like. Sure some of the ideas won’t work, but when you give staff permission to “fail faster” you will get a better product more quickly, and with more buy-in.

2) Permission to work outside of current systems. Systems and processes are critical to the smooth operation of an organization, but can be the death knoll for an innovative start-up project. Now let me be clear, pilots still have to meet certain basic standards of operation. However, providing some latitude keeps a project from being mired down in systems and processes designed for a different kind of project — which can ultimately suck the life out of what, if allowed to flourish under its own power, could be the next big thing for your organization. Pilots need to be allowed to color outside the lines. If you decide to take the project to scale, then you can decide where the lines should be for this new approach.

3) Honest feedback. When staff know that the plan is to “get the car rolling” and then make needed adjustments as they go, they are much more willing to raise concerns about things that aren’t going as planned, and often have suggestions about how to improve the situation. Why does this happen more readily in a pilot? First of all, staff know making adjustments is part of the plan, so it doesn’t feel like the project failed if they have to make a change — that’s supposed to happen. Also, when people spend huge amounts of time putting something on paper, they become convinced that they have identified the best way to reach the stated goal. That makes it much harder for someone to speak up when an aspect of the plan isn’t working (you know, that whole kill the messenger thing). Pride in a plan can significantly diminish the final project. We focus on pride in the final project, and expect that there will be several course corrections in getting there.

4) Increases comfort with ambiguity. Change is a constant today, and yet many of our organizations are so laden with rules and requirements that staff come to expect that they will be told exactly how to do something. Creativity and critical thinking are muscles that have to be developed, and pilot projects provide the perfect opportunity for staff to get comfortable with exploring options and living in the “gray” rather than black and white. This has positive ramifications for the organization far beyond a single project as staff become more comfortable with asking “what if.”

5) Minimum risk for maximum reward. Pilots are little projects. You aren’t trying to change the entire organization/system/world . . . unless of course you do. Just because someone hasn’t done it before doesn’t mean that your organization won’t come up with a game-changing idea. Even if you don’t, you win because your staff is more prepared to deal with a volatile, ever-changing environment (see #4 above). And if you do . . .

I was lured in by a little red car and learned the lesson the hard way, but you don’t have to. It’s really not as difficult as you might think to get your car rolling before you try to turn the wheel. And once you’ve figured that out, take a deep breath and enjoy the ride!