Future gazing was the theme of the Firefish blog throughout July. We looked at innovative hiring trends on Tinder and Whatsapp, we explored why employer branding is important, and we considered some head scratchingly abstract interview questions.
Now, it’s all well and good talking about innovative trends shaping the future of recruitment, but we also need to pause and consider how we’ll embrace and use them in our day to day.
So, here’s our guide on how to commit to change.
External or Internal Change
Not all change is easily anticipated, that’s the first thing to note. The important thing is how you deal with unpredictable variables. A recent example that’s affected the UK market is Brexit, an external change that for many of us was unexpected. But business leaders have to adapt and react with confidence. Change begins with leadership.
There are other times, however, where leaders can predict and anticipate changes before they occur. In this instance, leaders need to be at least three months ahead of the problem, with an effective plan in place to deal with the consequences.
A good way to consider the process of change is: storming, reforming, and norming. That means managing the storm, dealing with the consequences, reforming, and then creating a new normal.
Leaders have the top view and can see where a business is headed. Employees aren’t likely to share that view, so it’s important to keep them on board and ease their transition through the storm and into the new normal as painlessly as possible.
Whatever the change is, whether external or internal, whether you’re prepared or unprepared, the main thing is to commit to a course – and see it through.
Implementing Change in the Workplace
Remember the advice of pop culture sage, Yoda:
‘Do or do not; there is no try.’
This should be your mantra. Keep it close to your heart and remember for change to work it requires commitment. So, know what you want to achieve and stick at it until you do.
Be sure to develop a process you can roll out across your workplace. This has to be something employees can easily adopt, and you have to make sure you drive a specific issue to a conclusion. For the most part, it’s all about communication. Make sure employees and line managers know why the change is being implemented, and how to go about it too.
Clinical psychologist, Ben Michaelis Ph.D, writing in the Huffington Post suggests: ‘A true commitment to personal change requires three things:
- Vision
- Promise
- Energy’
For business leaders this is a good formula to work with. Start with your ideal goal, the thing you need to work towards. Promise yourself you’ll do it. This commitment will help as you move forwards. And then keep your energy levels up. You need to be positive and focus on inspiring your employees to see out the change, alongside the temporary upheaval it brings.
In order for change to be successful in a workplace it has to be measurable and the results need to be clear. So put what you hope to achieve in writing, alongside the metrics that will make it effective and worth your while. The longer you work on a specific aspect of your business, the quicker it will become a habit, and the more likely it is for the change to stick.
As Tony Robbins notes in an article titled, Commit to Change:
‘Daily action ignites the momentum that creates lasting change.’
What Motivates Employees to Change
There’s always a reason why a business decides to implement change. It’s not because everything is running smoothly; it’s usually because there’s a level of dissatisfaction within a workplace. Pain is always involved in change, it’s cathartic, and it leads to new thoughts and processes.
Employees, too, are usually aware of the need for change, although often they don’t acknowledge it. They don’t have the power to implement enterprise wide change, so for the most part they’ll just grin and bear it. Often, employees would rather stay the course, if the problem is manageable, as it means they can keep doing what they’re doing. In many cases, people are afraid of change.
So, a business needs to pitch employees based on the benefits that change will bring to a workplace. They need to know the pain they’re experiencing will be alleviated, and how the change implemented will outweigh their dissatisfaction.
It’s important to note that the change has to be significant enough for employees to accept its benefits. If it’s not, even when people are dissatisfied, they’ll be happy to bear the pain of the status quo rather than face the pain of change – and change is never painless.
When it comes to motivating employees, focus on the benefits change will bring. If employees can see this benefit and how it will allow them to achieve their goals, they’re more likely to embrace it.
In order to lead change, leaders need to think about the questions that employees will ask. An article on Fortune Group suggests there are three questions employees consider when change is introduced in a workplace:
- What is the change?
- Why is the change being made?
- How will the change affect me?
A good leadership strategy would be to pre-empt those questions, answering employees' worries early on. Change needs to be explained in a compelling light, and managers need to present it as advantageous to employees’ day to day.
Understanding How Change Affects People
Change affects people in different ways. Leaders have to assess how their employees will react to new approaches in their workplace. Assuming you’ve made a compelling case for implementing change, you still have to consider:
- How readily employees will accept change
- How change will emotionally/psychologically impact them
Think carefully about how your employees will perceive the change you’re promoting. As Fortune Group notes:
‘To ensure the success of any change initiative, the lion’s share of a manager’s effort should go first towards considering how your people will perceive the change, planning and structuring your communication strategy accordingly and practicing your plan. When you’re confident in your rationale and delivery then you’re in a position to present it to your team.’
In many ways understanding your employees and the way they perceive change is the main task to focus your efforts on. From that point you’re in a far better position to sell the benefits as you understand what your employees are looking for.
Mindsets of Change
From there it’s important to understand what your employees are going through as you implement your change initiative. Remember your employees will be uncomfortable, they’ll lose confidence, they’ll feel alone, and they’ll worry that they have to give something up.
All change has an element of loss in amongst the introduction of new things. It’s important to keep your employees in mind and understand what they’re going through – again, knowing their psychology will lead to a healthier relationship between leadership and staff.
Celebrate Your Success
When all is said and done, the best part about implementing change is its success. So, after all of the hard work realigning employees, make sure you take a moment to celebrate. After all, what’s the point in the blood, sweat, and tears if you don’t take the opportunity to enjoy your success?
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