Unlock the Secrets of Leading Change: Lessons Learned from Implementing Major Strategic Shifts at LexisNexis

Implementing significant change in any organisation is daunting, but engaging your people early and often can make all the difference. My time at LexisNexis taught me invaluable lessons on leading change effectively, and I’d like to share those insights with you.

1. Engage Leadership

In my time as Strategy Director and a member of the Pacific Board at LexisNexis, we were transitioning from publishing readily available content to integrating our content into practice management software. This shift required a strong leadership presence. Making yourself accessible as a leader is crucial. I mandated our executive team to walk at least one different floor a day, becoming visible to staff and answering their questions. We also held a company-wide conference to engage our people, followed by regular town halls. This made the leadership team approachable and helped communicate the vision clearly. Remember, culture isn’t just HR’s job, nor is strategy solely the finance team’s responsibility. Every leader must embrace and embody the change, creating ripples of influence throughout the organisation.

2. Clear Communication

Clear communication is essential to ensure all employees understand the benefits of significant changes. Without staff buy-in and engagement, any major strategic initiative will fail. Initially, no one below the 8th floor understood why we were shifting to practice management software or what their role was. I created a laminated, double-sided two-pager for every staff member, clearly explaining who we were, where we were going, and each department’s role in getting there. This document, introduced at our conference, was refined with the team, ensuring everyone felt included and informed.

3. Providing Training

Equipping employees with the necessary skills and knowledge is crucial for navigating changes effectively. However, in my experience, while most employees say they want development and training, many avoid it due to feeling “too busy” or seeing it as an additional workload. Rather than blanket training for all, I recommend being selective. Offer training to your top people who show ambition and a drive to learn. Once trained, enlist them to share their knowledge with their colleagues. Think of these individuals as the vanguard, early adopters of change, setting an example for the rest.

4. Addressing Staff Concerns

Active engagement and inviting feedback throughout the process are vital for addressing staff concerns. Staff can often see issues or suggest constructive changes to accelerate the process. Involving your people gives them ownership, making them feel heard and involved. Psychological studies show that people are more committed to changes they helped shape, enhancing their sense of ownership and investment in the outcome.

5. Promoting Advantages

Highlighting the advantages of change motivates employees to embrace the new direction. Simply telling people about the benefits only goes so far. I recommend combining success-linked bonuses with exercises that help the team “see” the benefits themselves. Our Future Vision Workshop did just that. Small group discussions brainstormed benefits, shared insights with the team, and mapped out these benefits, highlighting key themes. This collaborative approach fostered a sense of ownership and enthusiasm for the change.

6. Sustaining Momentum

Sustaining momentum during change is crucial. I always create a scorecard with the team leading the change, allowing them to select performance goals and measures to manage the execution process. Regular strategic scorecard reviews track and report on the data for each goal, with responsibility divided across the team, ensuring engagement and accountability. We conduct “Hotwashes” for each goal—an in-depth review meeting to assess what worked, what didn’t, and what can be improved. This process maintains pressure and momentum and ensures regular adjustments are made. Celebrating achievements is also vital, as it boosts engagement and keeps momentum. The scorecard serves as the reporting dashboard and key communication piece for the project to leaders above the team and the staff.

7. Involving Staff Early

Another crucial element is involving your staff early in the change process. The key to my success at LexisNexis was getting staff to see the outcome of the change themselves and understand their role in it. Involving them early, even if they don’t have a direct role, helps them understand the thinking behind the change and invites their feedback. Engage your early adopters from the get-go to create an army of evangelists for the change, making it much easier to achieve the desired outcome.

Implementing major change is never easy, but you can lead your team to success with clear communication, strategic engagement, and sustained momentum. By following these steps, you can ensure your people are not just passengers but active participants in the journey of change.