Broadcast Change

The most effective shifts in strategy bring together supervisors, staff and executives as a unified team.

Anyone who has tried to implement change in a large or mid-size organization probably knows how the captain of the Titanic felt when he tried to avoid the iceberg: Just turning the wheel doesn’t make it so.

In the treacherous waters of today’s business climate, change is all but constant. It can’t be done by e-mail fiat or barking orders down the chain of command. Instead, it requires the engagement of the entire organization, and the best change happens from the bottom up. Here are a few tips to help you face a crisis or set a new direction:

  1. Motivate Your People. About 97 percent of people resist change, says leadership consultant A.J. Schuler, Psy.D. It upsets their routines and makes them nervous. So job one is to inspire your employees one at a time to buy into your change plan. Alongside your front-line supervisors, work with people in small groups or one-on-one to explain how the change benefits the organization and the individual. Be patient with people as they adapt to their new circumstances.
  2. Be Specific. Nothing causes more anxiety and confusion than corporate jargon. Telling employees that you want to be more “customer-centric” won’t help Jane in accounting rethink her priorities. Instead, help each team member understand his or her new role.
  3. Use Multiple Channels. Use every communication tool at your disposal to broadcast change: internal newsletters, e-mail blasts, division meetings and even a blog.
  4. Listen. In order for people to buy into change, they have to share in it. Invite and listen to team members’ suggestions about how to align their jobs to your needs. After all, who knows a job better than the person doing it? While this isn’t an “everyone gets a vote” democracy, it is “everyone’s involved” consensus-building.
Once you’ve got the crew on board, you may be surprised how nimble your ship will become.

Stop the Brain Drain

In these lean times, managers are learning a new twist on a familiar adage: When the going gets tough, the top performers get going—right out the door. If your organization is experiencing personnel reductions, your best employees are probably taking on more work while experiencing salary freezes, slim or no bonuses and reduced benefits. While mediocre workers hunker down, happy to keep their positions, studies show that top performers often see tough times as an opportunity to shop their star power around.

How you do stop the brain drain? Think more like a recruiter and less like a boss, understanding both your employee and the position.

First, the candidate: Do you know what excites and motivates her? What does she see herself doing in five or 10 years? How does she prioritize work and leisure time? If you don’t know, make the effort to find out.

Second, the position: Does it mesh with her objectives? Do the perks of the job appeal to her? Can it provide an opportunity for advancement?

Top performers consider these balances all the time. If the balance isn’t positive in your organization, they’ll search elsewhere—and someone else will ante up to bring them on board.