Visualizing the speed of change requires multidimensional thinking.
You and Them – dimension 1
Physical, Cognitive, Emotional – dimensions 3, 4, and 5
You and Them
You’ve been imagining, thinking about, researching and planning the change for months. You review your ideas with and get input from colleagues and key stakeholders. You’re excited. This is really going to change things around here, for the better. You prepare your presentation, get ready for the announcement. You know you’ve got it nailed. You’re covering the basics.
Why change?
Why THIS change?
What’s the future state – the vision?
What are the gaps between where we are today and the future state?
How will we get there? What’s the plan?
How will we learn what we need to know to operate in the future state?
What’s changing? What’s staying the same?
People file into the room. Your excitement builds. This is going to be great.
Lights. Camera. Action.
Ten minutes into the presentation you notice blank stares.
Where is their excitement? What’s happening here, or not happening here?
My friend and colleague, Laura Goodrich explain it well in her book Seeing Red Cars.
Jerry makes a big company wide presentation with hopes that everyone will see the light… grab hold of the new direction, and life will be sweet. People listen as long as they hear something that has the potential to really have an impact on their world. As soon as something is said that has direct personal implications, they redirect their attention inward and begin focusing on IT…They don’t hear anything else Jerry says.
Warp Speed
So there is Your Speed and Their Speed.
Slow down.
You had a head start.
Give them time to catch up and on.
Physical Time, Cognitive Time, Emotional Time
Physical change is fastest. Cognitive is second, and Emotional typically comes in last.
First day, new job, new company. Physical change.
Second day. You drive on automatic pilot to your old office. Failure of cognitive change to settle in.
Third day. You drive with intention, not wanting to make the same mistake twice. Cognitive change. Until the next slip up.
Third month. You stop missing the coffee shop and all the characters you saw daily on you way to work at the old job. Emotional change.
This example involves a change you made voluntarily, I hope. The less voluntary the change, the longer it takes.
Speed it Up
To increase the speed of change, slow down… long enough… to involve people. You don’t have to involve every one in every aspect of the change.
Here’s an example.
You’re announcing the adoption of new software systems that will dramatically change the way people do their work. Keep it short and simple. Remember they will stop listening when attention shifts to “How will this affect me?” Go with it. Pose a question. “How do you think this change will affect you, and what do you want most for yourself?” Break into small discussion groups. Listen to and hear the summaries of their discussions. Watch as the fog dissipates and the glazed looks come back into focus. They are engaged. And please do commit to get back to them with answers to the questions they’ve raised. You are also one move ahead of yourself as the agenda for your next meeting is now in place.
“Now that you’ve slowed down, you will get there faster,” said the tortoise to the hare. If only the hare had listened.
This post is part 3 of Leading Change: The Playbook. Each post in the series identifies one or two principles for leading change and provides relevant examples.
Part 1 – Empathy and Involvement click here
Part 2 – Fingerprints: A word or two about change click here