How to guide the process from start to finish
Leading the change process will be easier with the following list of steps used by successful leaders:
1. Do your homework: You must evaluate the business context, be clear about what purpose the change should serve, have a vision of the desired outcomes and identify some kind of common goal. Your task is to ensure a common understanding of the purpose of the change.
2. Develop a strategy: You need a clear action plan. Think through what the necessary priorities are, such as structures, behaviours and resources. Write down a complete plan. You have to know what will change. But, at the same time, consider also what will stay the same. If you don’t want your change initiative to fail, you need to pose enough questions and also pay attention to a number of concerns.
3. Execute well: This is the most important thing for any leader. According to the study, successful change is achieved when leaders focus on getting key people into key positions. Of course, sometimes it is also necessary to remove certain people from their current position. You should also break down giant projects into smaller steps. These can be quickly completed and such early victories are crucial for building momentum, which then might be enough for a successful completion of the entire large-scale change.
You also need to develop metrics and monitoring systems; otherwise, it will be very hard to measure progress in a meaningful way. If in the course of change you start micromanaging, you can easily forget about the bigger picture, which, as the respondents state, often happens.
More about change efforts and the perils of implementing them can be found in the study, entitled Change-Capable Leadership: The Real Power Propelling Successful Change.
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