Leading Through Change
description
Transcript of Leading Through Change
is there a Freakout Train at
your company?
Are people so distraught about their economic
future that they’ll “go anywhere” to escape or
hide? If so, your organization is part of
the network of tracks that the
Freakout Train traverses with
ever-increasing frequency.
The Freakout Train
represents the feelings of
people everywhere as they
try to deal with the fear that
is churned up from today’s
economy. Everyone seems to
be in red-alert terror mode, and
they’re desperately seeking an escape. For some, this
means fi guratively “wearing camoufl age” and hiding in
their cubicles, trying to make themselves invisible so that
they won’t stand out, as if being invisible might protect
them from the next round of layoffs. For others, the
priority of self-preservation compels them to stack
protective sandbags to keep them safe.
Still others bury themselves in “busy
work,” where repetitive motion
helps them avoid thinking about
the real challenges we face.
Our clients tell us that there is
a lot of fi nger-pointing, a lot of
blame-placing. We’re also hearing
about the Misery Loves Company
groups, where talking bad about the
organization and its leaders just helps
those in pain to defl ect current realities.
IT’S NOT JUST THE “FREE TICKETS”Whatever the reason, people are crowding onto the
Freakout Train in droves, despite its crazy conductor,
Please turn to page 4.
volume 3 issue 4 spring 2009
From Oxymorons to Results | Tightening Your Training Budget | Plus a visual tool you can use now!
RIDING THEfreakout train
TO NOWHERE
Leading Through Change www.watercoolernewsletter.com
Leaders to Leaders
Jim HaudanChief Executive Offi cerRoot Learning
John SweeneyOwner
The Brave New Workshop
Leading Through Change2
Outside Expert
From Oxymorons to Results: Creating a Place for Transformation
Gary GrayFounder and CEO Gray Institute
these days, we hear
everyone
from coaches to CEOs talking about “transformation” –
changing the people they lead and, in turn, the status quo.
But in reality, no one can “transform” anybody else. There
is a way, however, to bring about transformation. It has to
do with the endgame, truths, and a created environment.
It’s easy enough to state the endgame, or the results you
want. But truth – that’s not so simple. Most truths are
embodied in seemingly contradictory statements that
inspire insights needed to make change happen. At the
Gray Institute for Functional Transformation, we call these
“Transformational Paradoxical Oxymorons.” They’re
transformational because our goal is change, paradoxical
because the phrase seems contradictory, and oxymorons
because the words don’t seem to make sense when they’re
put side by side.
PARADOXES AS TRUTHSLet’s look at an example. To effectively hit a golf ball, I need
mobility and stability. It is mobility in the backswing and in
the follow through that allows for strength and stability for
a powerful swing. Therefore, I need the proper integration
of these opposites to produce an effective and effi cient
swing. Once I accept this paradox as truth, I know how
to train and condition to improve my golf game. Here’s
another example: Servant Leadership. The message of this
paradox is that we need to serve our fellow man before
we can lead. When I accept this as a truth, I can transform
into a leader.
When we accept paradoxes as truths, change becomes
easy. Once we agree on a truth, however, unless we come
up with a transformational strategy, nothing happens.
But when we give people “paradoxical power,” allowing
transformation to occur based on truth, then strategy
becomes obvious and the technique becomes the easy
part. This is the secret to transforming the notion – what
we know to be true – into the motion – acting on it.
ENABLING TRANSFORMATIONThe most powerful thing about transformation is that we’re
truly not changing the value of something, but morphing it
into another form – like water into ice or steam. We’re not
trying to get people to be what they’re not, but to create
environments where we can bring out their giftedness,
allowing transformation to take place on its own.
We have found that, in business, if we create an environ-
ment where people understand that their number-one
goal in life is to serve others – from customers to co-
workers – we can create a transformational change. No
matter how different employees may be, if we can create
an environment where they realize the effect of that
service, a transformation takes place.
When we create an environment like this – a culture,
value system, and common goals that will help everyone
understand the endgame and become engaged in the
basic philosophies – there isn’t anything we can’t do. We
aren’t making the transformation, but we are providing the
environment for change and the tools to make it work.
A transformation environment requires encouragement
and experience. People have to know they matter. Then,
if we give people a chance to give to others, we’ve hooked
them. As soon as employees know they have their own
transformational power and understand the principle of
Transformational Paradoxical Oxymorons, they can and will
serve their leaders, their co-workers, and their customers.
Gary Gray is founder and CEO of the Gray Institute. The Gray
Institute is the culmination of over three decades of research,
development, and innovation in Applied Functional Science,
providing the most comprehensive array of functionally oriented
programs and products in the industry.
www.watercoolernewsletter.com 3
change can be a good thing for organizations, but it
unquestionably challenges established ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving for employees. Change requires a transition – a reorientation that people need to go through before change can work. Here’s how we approached this human side of change at CUNA Mutual Group, the leading provider of fi nancial services to credit unions and their members.
A QUICK TRANSFORMATIONWe had recently appointed a new CEO and senior team
and were in the process of transforming the company at lightning speed. In communicating
the business case for change, and due to the transformation in the Sales organization, the executives in that area recognized the need to understand how people react to change. They wanted to help the team
assess where they were on a continuum of the stages in change. Most important, they
wanted to provide tools and techniques to the Sales team to help them move through change as quickly as possible.
Although the Sales team initially raised the need, we considered everyone’s role in the transition. We were all “change ambassadors” for the organization. This was more than just a sales initiative – the whole company was experiencing change, so our solution had to be all-inclusive.
DIFFERENT STAGES, DIFFERENT SPEEDSWe partnered with Root Learning to develop a Learning Map® module called “The Transition Highway.” Through a visual depiction and group exercises, we led people on a journey to see what change meant at a personal level. The visual element represented the three aspects of the “change curve” that all people move through: letting go, navigating, and building commitment. Through discussion and discovery, people could internalize the concepts and identify what they could do to help each other move through the change process more effectively.
Ambassadorsof Change
Case Study
Jennifer KloeppingLearning ConsultantCUNA Mutual Group
It was imperative to understand that everyone moves through the change process at different speeds and with different levels of understanding. With this in mind, the module became one of the tools that helped us lead our teams through change. A critical aspect of the experience was the opportunity to apply knowledge through scenarios on communicating change, identifying where people were on the change curve, and considering appropriate leadership actions. An action-planning template gave managers a simple tool to use in preparation for their change initiatives.
MAKING CHANGE EASIERAll offi cers and HR Generalists experienced the module as participants and then attended a train-the-trainer session. We asked offi cers to facilitate the sessions with managers, and then managers were trained to cascade the learning to their direct reports. The module was built to be fl exible, so managers could customize the content.
The experience brought outstanding feedback. Most participants told us that we should have done it sooner! The program allowed people to have candid conversations about change and gave them all an opportunity to share their perspectives. Participants realized that even though they weren’t in the same place in transition, they could still have meaningful
discussions about the impact of the changes and how they could help each other move toward acceptance and drive the business forward. One participant said, “Change is still hard and scary, but the acknowledgment and tools made the conversations easier and smoother.” We found
that it was defi nitely worth the time and effort to help our people make their way in a tough time.
Jennifer Kloepping is a Senior Learning Consultant for CUNA Mutual Group. She manages employee development programs, including new employee orientation, effective meeting management, and the corporate-wide educational series “LIVE 45.” She works at CUNA Mutual’s home offi ce in Madison, Wisconsin.
Leading Through Change4
the emotional pollution pumping from its smokestacks, and the fact that no one knows where the train is headed.
They are simply, mindlessly, riding the train to nowhere.
There are defi nite reasons why people are doing this. First, there’s a “sheep” mentality. We think, “Other people
are getting on, so I’d better get on too!” There’s also an odd sense of relief when you’re on the train because you’re
giving up responsibility and accountability for where you’re going, and all the commotion gives you a false sense of
security. After all, you’re not driving the train – you’re just riding along robotically. Another reason is that people
just feel the need to get somewhere else – anywhere else. They think, “I have no idea why I’m leaving or where I’m
going, but wherever it is will take me away from the confl ict that I feel here! That’s got to make me feel better!”
WHO BUILT THIS TRAIN?The Freakout Train may actually have started in good times. Somewhere along
the line, the American Dream of “hard work and good living brings rewards”
morphed into a sense of entitlement. Today, many people think, “This
is America! We deserve unbridled growth! We deserve to lead the
world in commerce! We deserve the best of everything!” This led to a
skewed picture of a healthy work environment. Let’s face it – progress,
by defi nition, should be hard and gradual. Adversity is the catalyst for
productivity and growth. But somehow we lost this reality, so when we
needed to call on these capabilities in turbulent times, our change muscles
failed us, suffering from a lack of exercise.
Today’s businesses have some things in common with improvisational comedy.
The actors always start with chaos – they have no leadership, no information, no
strategy, and no mission statement. They have no budget, and things are changing every three seconds. But
that’s where the similarity ends. Improv actors focus on maximizing the current moment without fretting about
the future. Each scene is about taking whatever they’ve got right now and turning it into something better, more
valuable, more creative – and funny.
HOW DO WE GET OFF THE TRAIN?In this situation, good improvisers would say, “We think our world looks like this picture.” The fi rst thing leaders
need to do to stop their people from boarding the Freakout Train is to create an accurate portrayal of the facts
in the scene or the economic landscape. Once the real picture is clear, leaders must restate reality and re-
communicate all the things their people do well. Focus on even the smallest wins. Use your core talent. We all
need to take off the glasses of the pessimist and put on the glasses of a sleuth, and then peer inside the tornado of
radical change that’s in every company’s backyard. We may fi nd that it’s not fi lled with debris, but with pure gold! In
her book, Change the Way You See Everything, psychologist Kathy Cramer says that it’s not whether your glass is half
full or half empty. The question is, “What’s in your glass?” What opportunities are in there that our competitors
aren’t seeing? What assets can we use? What are we good at? What are we the best at?
WINNING IN THE WORST OF TIMESConsider the biggest lessons that you’ve learned – as a company and as a person. Did you learn those things when
times were perfect, or when times were bad? When we are really good at something, it’s usually because of the
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ow
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www.watercoolernewsletter.com 5
things we learned when times were really bad. Therefore, if you
believe that the best learning occurs in the least perfect times,
then we’re experiencing the most wonderful, opportunistic times
of our lives because we’re going to learn so much!
This may sound trite, but in 10 years, when we’re safer, we’ll
look back at today and say, “Wow! We learned a lot back then!”
The improv expert knows that he can take every moment of
a chaotic scene and use it to learn to innovate more, to grow
and improve the scene, to serve customers better, and to build
a better organization for tomorrow. Rarely do we see this
much chaotic raw material in the marketplace. The potential for
creative growth is at an all-time high!
HELP YOUR PEOPLE GET BACK ON SOLID GROUNDAs leaders, we need to help people see adversity as a gift. The
most fabulous idea could be the next one that we have. We
need to show our people how to get off that train of fear and
help them see frustration and bad news as raw material for
improvisation and new opportunities. We need to help people
realize that, regardless of what the news is reporting, we have
everything we need to do things now. We have our innate
talents. We may have an unclear future and a slashed budget,
but in a culture of innovation and creativity, we still have a lot
to work with.
We need to encourage our people to refuse to take any negative
parts of the past with us into the future, because that won’t help
us grow or keep positive. When a culture turns dark, some
people get angry – but others gain insights that help us move the
scene forward.
In the end, there is no more useless and ineffective behavior than
worrying about the future when we don’t have facts to form
even a hypothesis about what could happen. Be a leader who
maximizes every single minute. It’s your job to model “making
the most of a bad situation.” The key to getting people off the
Freakout Train is helping them see the true picture, guiding them
to see the possibilities for innovation, and demonstrating how to
use “bad news” as the main ingredient for the next breakthrough
scene of your business.
Jim Haudan’s book The Art of
Engagement: Bridging the Gap
Between People and Possibilities, is
on USA Today’s Money Bookshelf
bestseller list. It’s now available
at www.rootsofengagement.com.
John Sweeney is owner of the Brave New
Workshop, the nation’s longest-running
satirical comedy theater and school of
improvisation. To learn more about
how he works with organizations, go
to www.speedofl aughter.com.
Leading Through Change6
Try this with your team!
Are the people on your team freaking out? Are they willing to go anywhere to escape the present situation? People everywhere are doing the same thing, and leaders need to understand their motivation and bring them back to the Sanity Station!
Gather your team around this visual and discuss these questions:
1. What’s the fi rst emotion you feel when you see this picture?
2. How would you describe the track and where it’s headed?
3. Read and describe the images coming from the smokestack. How do these things emerge from a situation like the one on this train?
4. Look at the three cars on the train. What’s happening in each one?
5. Do you see things like this happening in our workplace? Give some examples – no names, please!
6. What would you say to the people rushing to the train that might change their minds about boarding it?
7. What can leaders do to make the train move away from our workplace?
8. What can each person do to keep from jumping onto the Freakout Train?
9. How can we support each other during this “freaky” time?
10. How would you change the picture to be more positive?
theFreakout Trainto Nowhere
www.watercoolernewsletter.com 7
Leading Through Change8
Industry Point of View
Tightening YourTraining Budget
Don MacLeanManaging Director, ServicesRoot Learning
these are challenging times
for organizations as they try to navigate the turbulent seas of the current economy. With pressure from every side and with every penny under scrutiny, it’s not surprising that learning and training budgets are coming under fi re. As companies struggle to manage costs, it’s tempting to toss learning and training overboard – at least until the storm subsides.
The easy solution is to batten down the hatches and wait out the storm. But if businesses are going to survive, they need their best thinkers in top form, armed with the tools and knowledge necessary to win. Thus, learning and training programs are more important now than before. And while nearly 50% of training leaders have had their budgets cut, experts know that learning experiences are especially essential to the operation and growth of businesses when times are toughest. The trick is to fi gure out how to deliver it more effectively and with less cost. This requires out-of-the box thinking from the people charged with delivering learning and training. At Root Learning, we have been innovating with clients for nearly 20 years in building solutions that work in any type of environment – even unsettling ones such as today’s.
CUTTING COSTS WITHOUT CUTTING QUALITYTraditional training budgets fall into the categories of content development, delivery, administration, and technology. There are opportunities to manage your costs in most of these areas while continuing to deliver quality learning. Our clients tell us that some interesting shifts are occurring – notably a reduction in travel for learners and instructors and movement away from classroom-type delivery and off-sites to internal and online training. Current trends show a clear shift toward more informal ways of training and the use of electronic learning – with big savings in classroom rental space, materials production, and travel.
One of these opportunities is using managers as coaches and mentors – after all, who knows more about your front-line employees’ needs than managers? Tapping into this resource is cost-effective and also strategic in terms of engaging leaders of the business as more than just “bosses.”
Electronic delivery or e-learning is gaining steam in many business settings. Learning electronically now accounts for nearly 20% of all corporate learning
hours. Consider the benefi ts: You can minimize travel and still bring together geographically dispersed employees.
Some companies use a cascaded approach for training delivery. They run a session for a
small group and then, using technology, replicate the session in an electronic format. The broader audience can then access the electronic module from the workplace in a timeframe that fi ts their work schedule.
Another choice is self-directed learning materials that can stand on their own. A guide, journal, or job
aid that is creatively designed can convey a simple but vital concept to a large audience without the expense of delivery through formal training.
There are other cost-saving techniques that you can use as well. You might be able to pool training budgets across your organization if you have multiple business units with a similar need. Perhaps your learning can be delivered right in the workplace in “bite-sized” pieces that employees can access at convenient times. So, although it may be challenging, there are ways to overcome the rough seas and choppy waters of our fragile economy when it comes to learning and training. The key is to think differently about training – not as an event, but as a journey, an ongoing experience where we are learning continuously.
Don MacLean has worked with senior leaders across the globe to create organization-wide business literacy and strategy deployment.
EngagedEngaged
29%29%
Indifferent
Indifferent
54%54%Employee Engagement
Employee Engagement
Disengaged
Disengaged
17%17%
They don’tget it.
I’ll do whatmy incentivepackage tells
me to do.
I don’t knowhow to get my
people to contributeto this!
Do as I say,not as I do.
I have noidea what I can
do to help.
The strategyis done. Now it’s
time for you toexecute it!
I guess I’lljust keep doingit the way I’mcomfortable
with.
Is anybodyhome?
Can youhelp me?
They’re notaligned on what
they want.
They don’tlisten.
Finance
Agenda
MarketingAgenda
IT
HR
Strategy
OperationalAgenda
NewNewManagerManager
NewManager
5-Minute
Manager
NEWS FLASH
70% of change
initiatives fail due
to people issues
Source: Ernst & Young
Source: The Gallup Management Journal; 2
004
Engaged
29%
Indifferent
54%Employee Engagement
Disengaged
17%
THECANYON
THECANYON
FFUTURE MARKETPLACE
FUTURE MARKETPLACE
CustomersCustomersCustomers
Top Measures That Matter
Execution of Strategy
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%100%
Quality of Strategy
Market Position
Management Credibility
Innovativeness
Source: Robert Kaplan and David Norton,
The Strategy-Focused Organization:
How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the
New Business Environment, 2000.
Fewer than
10% of well-formulated
strategies are
successfully executed.
The majority of workersattribute only 10% of their
own job proficiency to formaltraining – courses and books.
PRICE
OF FUEL
LOW
WAGES
INDUSTRIES
INDUSTRIES
FOR SALE
CREDITCREDIT
MORTGAGEMORTGAGE
RATES
SPIKE
BADDEBTS
BADDEBTS
SAVINGSSAVINGS
FROZENASSETS
FROZENASSETS
OUT OF BUSINESS
SALE
OUT OF BUSINESS
SALE
NEW LAWS
REGULATION
NEW LAWS
REGULATION
CREDITCREDIT
CREDIT
FORECLOSURE
FORECLOSURE
rootL E A R N I N G
This Root Learning Map® visual is a product of Root Learning Inc., Sylvania, OH 43560 www.rootlearning.comThis Root Learning Map® visual is a product of Root Learning Inc., Sylvania, OH 43560 www.rootlearning.com GrandCanyon_021609GrandCanyon_021609 ©2009©2009
Times are tough.Leading Through Change is easy.
Change is happening faster than ever. While circumstances are
challenging, they are manageable. And full of opportunities.
At least under the right leadership. And if approached correctly,
yes, your organization can succeed. That’s where Leading Through
Change by Root Learning comes in.– –
– t
ea
r h
ere
– –
–
We look at your situation from all different angles. And you see results.• Let’s face it, people don’t always like or accept change. We fi nd that’s true in even the most
successful organizations. That’s why Leading Through Change explores the emotional side of asking
people to do things differently. More specifi cally, we address the phases of letting go, exploration,
and acceptance.
• True to our name, we also get to the root of the two major aspects of change. First, “What is change?”
And second, “What is my role in change?”
• So, what will your managers learn from all of this? Things like:
• What internal and external factors make engaging teams more diffi cult.
• How to assess where they, and their employees, are personally on the “transition highway.”
• How to use their newfound tools to guide themselves and their employees through change in
a quick, effi cient manner.
• How to reinforce their accountability for change.
• What specifi c tools and information will really help drive results.
• Leading Through Change can be tailored to fi t any level of management (everyone from the front
lines to executives) and is modular. Workshops can range from 1-1/2 to 4 hours. And the Leading
Through Change kit can include interactive group dialogue, scenarios, and action-planning exercises
all designed to connect your team to results.
Why is Leading Through Change just the change you need?It’s simple. Root has over 20 years of experience in the training fi eld. In those 20 years, we’ve seen
the economy hit turbulence more than once. And we’ve helped lots of clients come out better and stronger.
It all comes back to our unique, engaging, and interactive methodology. After all, when people are truly
engaged, they learn faster. They learn better. They retain more. And in these uncertain times of mergers and
acquisitions, downsizing, restructuring, and budget cuts, Root’s Leading Through Change is a powerful tool to
help you get the results you need.
TRANSITION HIGHWAYHIGHWAY
LETTING GOLETTING GO
EXPLORATION
Every transition begins with an ending, a loss.
A potentially confusing and frustrating time between the
old way of being and the new. ACCEPTANCEACCEPTANCEAcceptance can happen only after people have let go of the past and spent some time exploring the future.
SUSTAININGTHE CHANGE
SUSTAININGTHE CHANGE
ACTIONPLANNING
ACTIONPLANNING
Change Leader RolesChange Leader Roles
VALUES
VALUESVALUES VALUES
VALUES
Leadership ActionsTransition Phases
Leadership ActionsTransition Phases
Leadership ActionsTransition Phases
This Root Learning Map® visual is a product of Root Learning® Inc., Sylvania, OH 43560 www.rootlearning.com Transition Highway ©2009
Want to learn how Root’s Leading Through Change can start helping your company? Visit www.rootlearning.com now or call 1.888.574.0077.
International +44 207 611 3890
In times like these, there’s no time to wait.
www.watercoolernewsletter.com 11
ss
Events and NewsThe next issue of The Watercooler will be published in July 2009.
Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take
your mind off your goals.
Henry Ford
May 20, Conference Board Webcast, “Confronting ‘Survivor Syndrome’ in the Workplace,” www.conference-board.org/webcasts
May 30 ASTD Pre-Conference Workshop, Jim Haudan presents “The Art of Engagement.” To register and fi nd out more, go to: http://www.astd2009.org/preconference.html
Visit Root! Booths #2240 & #1142, May 31 – June 3, ASTD 2009 Conference & Exposition, Washington DC, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, www.astd.org
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June 16, 17, & 18, Leaders and Laggards Free Webinar Series – “Leading Through Change – People First.” Go to www.rootsofengagement.com to register.
Visit Root! June 27 – July 1, Society for Insurance Trainers and Educators Annual Conference, Albuquerque, Hyatt Regency, www.insurancetrainers.org
June 28 – July 1, SHRM Annual Conference & Exposition, New Orleans, Morial Convention Center, www.shrm.org
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5470 Main StreetSylvania, OH 43560
“Leaders and Laggards – the People Difference” is a new webinar series designed to help organizations get the very best from their people – even in the bleakest of economic times.
The second in the series “Leading Through Change – People First” will be hosted by Jim Haudan, CEO and author of the best-selling book The Art of Engagement. Understanding how to engage people is Haudan’s specialty, and in this 60-minute session, he will provide his insights from 20+ years of working with Fortune 500 companies.
You will discover how to help your people assimilate change at an individual and organizational level so they can be the very best version of themselves in the workplace. Tapping into this talent is the surest way to lead the pack.
The session will explore:• The individual’s change curve• The role of “truth-telling” as a
leadership competency• Creating a “safe” environment so
individuals and teams can discuss their fears and attitudes to change
• Why “stop” is more important than “start”
Who needs to attend? Anyone who wants to thrive and not just survive in today’s business environment.
When? June 16, 17 and 18. Please go to Watercoolernewsletter.com and click on the link for more details and to register.Participants will receive a complimentary action planning guide.
NEW WEBINAR SERIES YOU NEED TO ATTEND!How Are You Engaging Your People in the New Business Realities?
“Change is still
hard and scary,
but acknowledging
that reality made
the conversations
we needed to
have easier and
smoother.”
– CUNA Mutual
The sessionwill feature real-time sketching!