The 7Cs of managing change while managing UP (Part 1)

Sometimes my stakeholder map looks like fairy floss.

The number of people to consult with, solicit input from, or keep informed and appeased, often racks into the quintuple digits.

Managing people through a change is hard enough. When you add in the common requirement of managing the most senior and influential people in the business, things can get dicey. These people can make or break the success of the project.

What do I mean by "manage?" It covers quite a broad scope and is not limited to….

• Encouraging them
• Keeping them “outcome” focused vs process focused
• Upskilling them
• Coaching them
• Coordinating them
• Motivating them
• Equipping them with the resources and knowledge that enable them to be a kick-ass sponsor / advocate / spokesperson / whatever their role is in the change, and even..
• Just listening to them and being ‘present’.

Basically… as my recent former project director loved to remind me, “You make me look good”.

And darn right I did.

How did this play out exactly? I built, enhanced and maintained the project’s (and his) reputation to deliver. This had a trickle-on effect to other senior stakeholders connected to the project.

Note: The preceding points are meaningless if you do not actually deliver. Follow through is paramount. People may forget how you start, but they'll always remember how you finish.

A further note: Protecting reputation is not rolling a turd in glitter. If there are issues or problems, be open about it. Then clarify how these will be managed or resolved.

I am organised to the point of being anally retentive. I could recite not only my schedule, but that of my project director’s too. It became a running joke he didn’t have to open his diary to find out what the key milestone dates were, where he needed to be, who he was talking to or what he needed to say.

I ran interference. Kept a look out for anything that remotely smelled of resistance and made sure I prepared answers to potential difficult questions that may be asked of him.

It’s not all fun and games. Change managers often need to cajole senior people into making decisions that are extremely unpopular, but best for the business. It can be a lonely road, and people often throw stones from the sidelines.

So... how do we effectively manage up?

How do we coach more senior people to do their job (to own their role in the change), to motivate them to keep going when all hell seemingly breaks loose – without offending them or ruffling too many feathers?

We need to enable them to disrupt – without being disrupted.

Senior stakeholders are the backbone which disrupts the status quo. The key is to keep everything going - minimise disruption to business as usual: this translates to maintaining efficiency and productivity levels, and drumming up support for the future state.

Senior stakeholders rely on us to provide advice and recommend solutions which are a winning trifecta: they resonate with their motivations, achieve the project’s objectives, and support the organisation’s longer term goals.

So, what are some key elements to be mindful of when managing “up” the food chain?

I suggest the 7 Cs: Context, Communication, Confidence, Credibility, Conflict, Comfort and Consistency.

I’ll cover the first three in this post.

1) Context

Senior people are busy people. Don’t dwell in the weeds. Do the thinking for them by painting in broad strokes.

Context is vital. Without it, we immediately start thinking about what we want to say next or how we'll respond, based on the first few words we hear. I’ve been guilty of it, I’m sure you have too.

With context, we achieve much more as we’re able to tailor the approach for maximum effectiveness. 

Give it to them straight: What’s the big picture? What are we doing, why are we doing it, what are the impacts, benefits and risks? And finally – what do you need from them, and when?

Go easy on the detail but make sure that you've preempted any questions that may arise (and if they do want more detail, you’ve got that ready too).

2) Communication

How do they prefer to communicate and interact with others?

Some senior peeps literally live in their office, and prefer “talking” to people on Skype, rather than face to face. Even when they are 5 metres away.

Crazy, I know, but it happens. Go figure. Learn to get out of your own head – what seems perfectly logical to you may not be for someone else.

If you don’t know their preferences, then ask someone for crying out loud. Maybe ping their assistant or someone who’s worked with them to ascertain not only what times are best to contact them, but how they prefer to be contacted and how they like to receive communication.

Of course, in anyone you interact with, always build in the “why?” and address the age old question of “what’s in it for me?”

In an earlier post I explained how us humans are emotional creatures, and as much as we deny it, both logic and feelings come into play in the decision making process. Make people feel something and they will take action.

3 ) Confidence

Hope is not a strategy!

You need to own it. Seriously. Otherwise don’t even bother.

You're naturally confident in most situations, but do senior stakeholders illicit butterflies in your stomach? Awareness is the first step. By being aware of this, you can be cognisant of how this reflects in your body language and voice. Think of a time you were confident and vividly bring that memory to life: details such as what you saw, what you did, what you said, how you responded.

Replay highlights from your internal catalogue of success, take deep breaths, and hey, maybe ‘phone a friend’ and role play the conversation you want to have.

Know your numbers, be aware of your stats, recite comparable examples verbatim, believe passionately in the value of what you’re advocating for and inspire others with your passion - they will entrust you to solve their most pertinent issues.

Want to be more confident? Prepare. Practice. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Stay tuned for the next post covering the remaining C's of managing up.

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If you like what you read, here's more of my musings below....

• Glass ceiling? No, sticky floor...
• 3 reasons why the best change managers are never in their office
• 5 things NOT to do in a digital transformation
• Part 1: 4 reasons why data-based story is key (but we suck at it!)
• Part 2: 4 reasons why we suck at data-based storytelling
• Part 3: 5 ways to skyrocket the persuasiveness of your data-based stories
• Part 1: 7 signs of a toxic workplace
• Part 2: 7 signs of a toxic workplace
• Servant leadership's role in imparting change
• 10 leadership lessons from the front line of policing
• 5 infuriating stakeholders and how to deal with them
• 3 ambivert advantages - a change manager's insights
• 5 ways change management increases organisational 'health'