"Change can only begin when you admit you don't know everything."
Change requires momentum
Behind each change management program is an admission that there may be a better way of doing things. This admission has to happen at all levels. It must be accompanied by a willingness to explore new ways of working and doing things.
It’s fine to say “If it’s not broken don’t fix it” but just because it’s not broken doesn’t mean we should not try to improve it.
The power of change is quickly extinguished by all of us when we respond too quickly with “no, it’s not possible” or “we tried that already and it didn’t work”. Change needs momentum to start. Even if you tried it before, doing it again might deliver exactly the same outcome but the learning is a big part of the Lean Principles.
So if you are a manager and leader, give your team bandwidth to explore their ideas and avoid shutting them down.
The team might just learn a valuable lesson and perhaps find another idea that no one has ever thought about.
Change Management
The truth is that once a change has been started, we should not try to control every outcome. We must have principles in mind – the non-negotiables so to speak, but we must not try to micromanage the change either.
Teams love momentum, they like to feel the achievement that comes with making progress so point the way, guide the teams, but don’t stop the momentum.
One way to build the momentum but to always stay focused is by building the “morning huddle” routine across the business. Click the link to learn more.
For any change management program to work, the key is getting momentum – the unfreezing of the status quo.
By building on any initiatives, you can give space to people to explore, test and learn while keeping the goal in focus and the signposts clear.
To learn a little more – 10 Principles of Change ManagemDont killsent[