The clichés for managing change

Truth is hiding behind the clichés. This is what I learned from the podcast I was listening to today. And it made me think about managing change. What are some of the clichés that we have heard about change? We all know things like:

low hanging fruit

plan your work and work your plan

every beginning is hard

change takes time

your network is your net worth

What do they all have in common with managing change?

That’s where the universal truths are.

We all to a degree expect that managing change comes with a sophisticated, innovative, cutting edge approach. Don’t get me wrong – I’m all up for doing things in new ways, faster, better, quicker, smarter. I’m sure you would agree on one thing – we need to get the basics right first.

When I was at QBE Insurance, there was a program structured under the then new strategy called “Brilliant Basics”. Some disregarded it, thinking it was belittling the digital advances and innovative ways that the teams were implementing with huge success. Negative. Only once we are brilliant at the basics – not learning the basics but having them as second nature, we can then start improving and advancing so that other resources, new technology and innovation can be incorporated.

Basics are like clichés – we all know them, we fully understand them, but we all think that there must be a quick new way, a magic pill.

For me the basics of a change journey are simple – inspire people with a compelling vision, set and align plans to business critical periods and achievable milestones, get the right people for the job, foster a strong network of change agents, and keep finetuning along the way with transparent decision making and crystal clear communications.

Change is a process and it takes time. Look out for the clichés along your journey and perk up your ears whenever you hear one. That’s where the truth is hiding. That’s where you need to look deeper. 

What are your change clichés? Comment below with your thoughts and examples.

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