After years of consulting, I have come to describe myself as an on-demand CMO. This title has traditionally stood for “Chief Marketing Officer,” but I think “Change Management Consultant” is more applicable. I do marketing and business development, but I excel at change.
Apparently, the discipline is rooted in employee “grief studies” from the 60’s. This doesn’t surprise me because it has been somewhat painful. It has a deep correlation to “continuous improvement” protocols known in lean management circles as “Kaizen” which started in the East to streamline manufacturing facilities. Here is a summary of what change entails for your organization.
Change models by Professor Kotter of Harvard University:
Create a Sense of Urgency
Build a Guiding Coalition
Form a Strategic Vision and Initiatives
Enlist a Volunteer Army
Enable Action by Removing Barriers
Generate Short-Term Wins
Sustain Acceleration
Institute Change
I prefer to come in with my machete (as my mom calls it) and get things done Marine corps style, but civilians can’t handle it. So I have had to learn to very patiently listen and earn my clients’ trust before implementing the change. It can sometimes feel abrasive if not done correctly. In my experience, the “human factor” is the hardest part of change. I have been constantly schooled by this, because it does not usually fit into logical places which will produce results and is instead fueled by politics or emotions. Learning how to overcome change resistance is the golden feather for any change consultant and can only be honed by the grief of learning.
Successful change management is more likely to occur if the following are included:
- Define measurable stakeholder aims and create a business case for their achievement (which should be continuously updated)
- Monitor assumptions, risks, dependencies, costs, return on investment, dis-benefits and cultural issues
- Use effective communication that informs various stakeholders of the reasons for the change (why?), the benefits of successful implementation (what is in it for us, and you) as well as the details of the change (when? where? who is involved? how much will it cost? etc.)
- Devise an effective education, training and/or skills upgrading scheme for the organization
- Address counter resistance from the employees of companies and align them to the overall strategic direction of the organization
- Provide personal counseling (if required) to alleviate any change-related fears
- Monitor implementation and fine-tuning as and when required
The beauty of change is if embraced, it can create innovation, momentum, and huge results. Donnela Meadows has written great books about how much change can grow things versus the status quo people cling to like flies on shit. In order for change to happen, there must be a solid strategy in place. Here are 3 ways to change your organization immediately:
-Adopt Zero Waste
-Integrate a cryptocurrency payment system
-Implement a social cause strategy and do cause marketing with a non-profit
Want to know how to do this, or hear more? I am offering a 30 minute web rocket booster session here for the rest of the summer:
Make an appointment:
https://calendly.com/ondemandcmo/rocket-booster-consultation
