Aug 1, 2014
Ready. Aim. Fire! The rallying cry for successful change initiatives
We all know that the only constant is change. And with about 70% of all change initiatives failing what that means in today’s challenging business climate is that, while all the more critical, it continues to be challenging to make change happen.
Even after thorough and proper planning change initiatives commonly meet reactions from employees like “that’s not the way we do things around here” or “this is the latest flavor of the month”. One thing I find that companies struggle with and that would make your change initiative more successful is creating and bringing to life a compelling vision for change.
A compelling vision is more than just having a meeting where you share an acronym with a logo and a catchy tag line for the undertaking. For a vision to truly be captivating it has to be motivating and inspirational so that people eagerly move toward the new destination created by the vision.
Part of being a good leader is being able to create and communicate your vision. For significant change initiatives, leaders need to be masterful in creating the vision of the new destination. This takes skill, time and repetition of the message. Leaders also need to be authentic about challenges to be faced, commitment needed and what to do if people don’t feel up to the task because being on the bus but not being an active participant is not an option. Consider for example the programs that both Zappos and Amazon have in place for paying employees to quit.
One of the most commonly missing pieces I find when crafting a compelling vision is creating a “burning platform”. The burning platform makes it clear that staying in the current position isn’t an option. Change is uncomfortable. What leaders need to do is make it more comfortable to move forward than to remain where you are currently.
So how do you create the burning platform that is inspirational? Let’s break it down…
The burning platform for me is visually depicted as a wooden bridge that acts as the transition between what your business has been and what it can become. The wooden bridge has a very deep canyon below and the bridge is on fire. Now imagine you are standing in the middle of the burning wooden bridge. As the fire continues to burn it becomes more and more risky to stay standing on the bridge. The art of effectively creating the burning platform for change is enabling people to be brave enough to walk forward to a place unknown.
To be successful leaders must:
- Make the vision clear and compelling drawing people forward enabling them to overcome their natural fear and resistance to new and different things
- Ensure forces are stronger drawing people forward than their inherent desire to return to what is familiar and comfortable
- Create a sense of urgency around making change happen
An example of where this was well done was a leader in a segment of the quick service restaurant industry. It was faced with the challenge of creating the compelling need to change while being a leader in their category. To create the need for change the point of comparison was reframed. Rather than being satisfied at being a leader in their category the gauntlet was thrown down that it wanted to be the leader in the fast food restaurant overall industry. That completely changed the landscape. The goal was clear. The company wasn’t number one but it could see the taillights of the industry leader and now all it had to do was close the gap. The sense of urgency came from the fact that the industry leader was moving forward. The vision was clear, the rallying cry went up and the company was able to drive change with this renewed focus.
One thing that companies can do to significantly increase the success of their change initiatives is create a burning platform. Once the vision is clear you need to delicately set the torch to the platform to create the sense of urgency around the need for change compelling people to move forward. This is one area time and time again I see as an opportunity for companies to be more successful with the change initiatives.
As you begin your strategic planning for 2015 ask yourself: Are you ready? Have you thoroughly planned out your change initiative? Is the aim of the vision clear and laser focused? Is your vision compelling including a burning platform for change that is really on fire? These questions will help lead you to achieving greater success with your change initiatives.
Category: Culture
