How can you build a powerful change leadership network?

This is very true. It is vital to identify early adopters of technology and individuals who embrace change. They’re valuable because they work within the company to influence others.

I’m sorry for raining on your parade, but unless the Change Leaders are the organisation’s leaders, then this initiative is flogging a dead horse. Ask ourselves why good initiatives like Lean have fallen by the wayside. Too radical for conventional leadership thinking? Leaders will need to: 1. Become world-class coaches using Toyota’s A3 process to encourage change projects. 2. Encourage business schools to drive out the spectres of F W Taylor and Milton Friedman which have distorted capitalism into a destructive greed fest 3. Stop employing MBAs and fast-tracking them until they can prove they have the ability to coach CHANGE in an encouraging and constructive way using A3. There’s more but there is a character limit to my post.

Wonderfully written. Totally agree. Wish organisations would accept that they need trusted leaders jf they are going to go through change...as all organisations must do.

Change leaders that we know as the informal leaders because their peers have nominated them with their trust and respect. Peers value their opinions about everything. They are often very calm and humble people that does not make a fuss about themselves but always are willing to help a colleague out. A company will do well in identifying these individuals and bring them up to level of the change plan and value their feedback on the specific change. After all it is the staff that knows what is working or not.

Building a powerful change leadership network involves identifying potential leaders from all levels who embody the desired change, possess influence and demonstrate commitment. Regular communication keeps them aligned and updated, while training equips them with necessary skills. Developing trust, respect and a team environment fosters collaboration, and giving them a voice in decision-making promotes buy-in. You should recognize their efforts to motivate and reward them. Lastly, providing resources and removing barriers allows them to perform their roles effectively. These steps will help you create a strong change leadership network that ensure the success of your change initiatives. Have a Productive & Safe Sunday Morning!

The are many best practice tools in the tool-box for reducing waste (Lean tools) and reducing variation (Six Sigma tools). If any Change Agent or management tries to use a stick to make these be used, the change will inevitably fail and there will be backsliding back towards pre-change state. The trick is to help people to understand firstly which and where and why a waste/ variation exists and then to coach which tool there is available to help fix the reason for that waste/variation. If the people understand that the tool will help and how it will help the battle of sustainment will be won. Pretty much like people use a pair of scissors to cut paper because they know it is better than tearing!

As head of change you must ignite the change first with a core group of change leaders. You convert them and then converge them. That's the core of your job as the head of transformation/change.

Clearly communicate policy and strategy with regards to change management. What are the current business plans to align with the organisations policy and strategy throughout the organisation. Agree targets and review performance.

Also, making sure the change leaders are clear on the sense of urgency and why the change is critical to the success of the business or team.

Some of the best money I have spent is in connecting people across business groups functions and geographies. The goal is to build a common mind and vision, and shared strategies and plans to move faster, with minimal risk and with maximum chances of success. As leader it is crucial that you build these connections. If you are a large corporation then twice a year face to face is a critical thing..once for strategic planning and once for annual op planning.

Connecting leaders is particularly important when you are facilitating culture change. You want the change leaders to see themselves as role models and have support from each other as you embark on new cultural behaviors.

Having the right organisational culture is key to making this happen. A culture that welcomes constructive challenge and ensures that risks and issues are identified and addressed early rather than being swept under the carpet as bad news. Green status reports are welcomed while fingers are pointed when problems are shared. Sound familiar?

I would insist on outcomes and principles rather than on methods or tools. If you call somebody a change leader then let that person lead. Don't force fit. Rather enable.

Aligning the leadership team is a crucial process to enable them to effectively and proactively deliver their organisation’s change. Each leader in the organisation will have their own priorities which will rank well above the change programme. Where the change programme is ranked is paramount to success. This is the single most massively missed enabler to organisational change success. It should be completed before the change is announced. The question set that all leadership teams should be able to answer: Do you understand the organisation's change history? Do you have a change vision? Are you aligned on your strategic objectives? Are you a high-performing team? Does your team have change leadership capability to lead the change?

Also you have to know why you are changing. Start with identifying the problem to solve, why is change required. If the organization does not see the problem or does not think it is a big enough problem, you will not succeed. I remember one initiative I could see would be very impactful in managing the company’s growth but was told ‘we don’t need that’. I was patient and some time later, management came back and said, ‘remember that idea…’. At the end of the day, you can’t force 10 pounds into a 5 pound bag.

Convincing a company to make changes can be very challenging. Even if everything listed in this article is followed, success isn’t guaranteed. There will be times when what’s needed is Thinking Big. Presenting an idea so unusual that it generates enough excitement to motivate change. Prior to joining Amazon, I wrote a research paper where I recommended that Amazon should acquire Whole Foods. I posted the paper on LinkedIn. Nearly everyone at Amazon hated the idea. I sent a copy of the paper to several large newspapers. They wrote articles about Amazon getting into physical grocery by making an acquisition of a grocery retailer. The publicity forced Amazon to change their thinking.

Change invokes fear. A way to reduce the fear is to have a strong argument for the change(s) you are introducing. A good way to do that is show the monetary value of the change, whether that be in cost avoidance or savings or a higher level of quality that people would be willing to purchase. Competitive advantage is found in cost point and/or quality. A change leader has to have the confidence in themselves, their team or the product/service so that they continue to tell everyone how important their change is worth. Keep at it until they threaten to kill you. Short of that, don't stop telling your story.

The world is colorful and so are people. Everybody can't be everything nor they need to be. Not all of your change leaders will bring the same strengths to the table. Some bring expertise, some bring discipline, some bring collegiality. Once as part of a change I was leading at a large global company, a senior leader was not performing well and my sponsors asked me if I needed him. I said, 100% yes because he was good in an unexpected area. He could always inject a collegial tone in a contentious situation and calm the nerves down. We were going through a difficult transformation and that quality was priceless to my team's success. As head of change you should leverage such strengths and support your leaders where they fall short.