The Engaging Brand

6 Elements of Change Management

We live in changing times - that's for sure! Whether it be constant economic uncertainty or new technology appearing everyday, change is there as a competitor.

As I often say evolving is so much better than change - change is so much more difficult but if for some reason you are forced into a change management situation, then the change process needs to handled in the right way. 

Here is a little Bob-o-graphic to keep and underneath a little explanation which not just looks at the change project itself which often has a great deal of business management time invested but also after the change has started

C=Consult with people - every day and in every way. People internally will see what is happening quicker than leadership and management....listening, really listening is key to risk management, emotional intelligence and potential pressure points.

H=Honesty. Business don’t trust their people enough; Be visible with risks, opportunities, results...and invite people to comment. If things are tough, honesty is the best policy! Engage people by saying we need your help, people can cope if they know why and how this change project will make their lives better.

A=Aspire. Keep stretching the targets...keep challenging your people...see their potential and that of the business.This way change becomes part of the culture and less scary to people. It becomes a good thing for their career rather than something to fear.

N=Notice. Don't become insular. Look at your diary  - is it full of internal meetings and projects. How much time are you spending looking at trends- global and market talking to customers/suppliers, people within your business. Keep your antenna up, spot the future changes and then evolve instead of waiting to be surprised.

G=Grow people, develop their minds...get them to think about the wider world, get them to anticipate implications. How much do you spend coaching your people to evolve and cope with change? Keep the people focused on creating value to the market.

E=Evolution rather than revolution as a mindset. Big change has a low success rate...take the best course and have a kaizen approach to strategy and culture. How are you developing business processes that maintain the change into the future?

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Why Change is a Culture Not a Project

For something that is built into our human DNA, change is something that we find uncomfortable. Strange when you look at our history of evolution - we love new things, when we don't want to feel in a rut and we normally like improvements around us.

So why are we so anti change at work? Why does business get it so wrong on management and change management?

Because business management doesn't recognise that "change is made THROUGH people NOT to people". 

Now I have always believed in creating an evolving culture within your team, that way you never need to change! The thing about change per se is that it is too sudden but evolution is a smooth improvement, smooth transition that everyone can be involved with....

But if your business forgets to evolve to keep ahead of the competition and needs to change then for me there are three steps

1. Leaders need to learn the ability to recognise when things need to change.....develop a corporate culture of being a constant learner and an enthusiastic listener this should come easy! And it needs to look at the market, the 'pirates' of your industry and of course your teams.
2. Leaders then need to make a decision on the what and where...by that I mean you need to have a clear vision of what needs to change and what it will look like....this forms the basis of then communicating with the teams on the why, what and creating a sense of emotional engagement. Strategic management is not about delegating the strategic vision, it is about clarity, engaging and empowering people to achieve it.
3. Leaders then create the evolution revolution through working with the teams on the HOW. By discussing and empowering the HOW, what you are doing is creating change through people not to people.

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Rethinking the Future of Business

The economies of scale principle has been at the heart of most management strategies. It worked and still works for value lines. But things are changing and with the growth of 3d printers not just  at the maker level but also as part of the production line, brands will have to rethink their value proposition.

Once it was great that consumers could afford items through mass production. A few years ago brands such as Nike brough customisation to the brand identity but we are evolving past customisation. We need to think about the future differently.

Yes I have created blog post about how 3D printing will change the customer role, but it is more than that...we are on the verge of a new networked economy. The fact that ideas can be translated from pixels to atoms relatively quickly changes the marketing and social networking in business.

Social networking extends beyond the person, it is extending to ideas, to the ability to link idea to production. A business social network of the future will not just be connecting to the consumer, it will be about connecting the consumer's idea to production.

It will be about connecting your production line from economies of scale to economies of value.

The marketing strategy has changed from mass production to mass customisation already...the next step will be to customisation for the masses. 3D technology is often talked about in relation to the consumer themselves, but a business opportunity lies internally within your business.

If the business can start evolving now from mass production to machinery that produces a million items totally customised as cheaply as a million of the same....why would't you gain thatmarketing advantage? And why would the mass consumer need to buy a 3D printer?

Future thinking is not about doing better what we do today internally, it is about providing value to the consumer in different ways....

...change happens, change is driven by humans need for something special..why wait until you have to...change now and you won't have to hire change management consultants to change your culture for you!

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Why Change is in our DNA

The Brand Tree was something I wrote about last week - based on how Dad taught me about business through nature. Dad also felt strongly about change...that change was not something happening to us....change is what nature is all about.

It struck me that there is something else which we can learn.....through reading Time by Barabara Adam who says

"Thus a tree is changing with the seasons, it grows and dies. A tree's essence is unchanging"

Business can often be paralysed through the rate of change....so ignoring social media because it is a fad (has been for over 10 years now!) believing that social marketing is not relevant to their marketplace....

But you know...business and marketing.....are like trees....maybe we can say

"Business is changing with the trends, products grow and die. A business essence is unchanging"

Just like our own thoughts which are made, unmade and remade all the time.....change is in our very essence.

When change is built into your business ideas, when change is seen as a positive to marketing, when change is seen as a business opportunity...then it is much easier to succeed....

The question is do you see change as something to fear?

Or do you see change as the essence which gives flavour to life? 

Th

3 Tips to Ensure You NEVER Have to Change

I hate the word change with a passion, because change tells me that the company, the person, the brand...the whatever is not evolving.

Change programs are a testimony to poor leadership. Sure there will be times when things happen, maybe a change in legislation or a change in ownership etc...but none of these events should need change.

It is much better to evolve, it is much better to build into your brand a continuous, evolutionary process. (Check out Patrick Howie podcast for more on this idea) But how do you do this?

Here are 3 methods of keep moving forward

• Don't spend time in meetings looking back. Take 5 minutes to review the result and then the rest of the time asking how can we improve this, address this, maximise this? ( I am an accountant by trade - trust me value is not created historically!)
• Ensure a good mix of people in your team. A mix of action people who need structure and who need to know what you want them to do, and enhance this with people who like to explore, like to think. Thinking is not being lazy, it is NOT dreaming that is lazy!
• Spend 70% of your time thinking outwards. Of course you need time to think about about your internal workings but far too much time is spent looking inwards. Get people out and about, not just Executives. Send customer service groups out with £100 for a day to look in their locality for great customer service ideas.....send designers on trips to flower shows, art museums, architectural wonders...send production people to a Formula 1 team to see how to quicken processes etc

Most importantly, you must create the dream. People need to engage with the future. People need to be excited with what you are trying to achieve. People need to understand that this dream is personal....personal to you, personal to the customer, personal to them.

What links cement, a boat and my destiny...?

Dad used to say to me...

"if you think like anybody, you will have the destiny of anybody. Thinking is what differentiates humans from machines, thinking of the customer differentiates you from the competition, thinking of others separates you from other colleagues"

One cement company in Qater could not decide where to build a factory as so many sites to serve...solution build it on a ship and make the factory mobile.

Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest, sometimes the best ideas don't need meetings  - just thinking time.

How to think BIG

Thinking Big, acting small was the subject of an earlier post. I have many emails on how to ensure we do think big.....so I thought I would give an insight into what I talked about at the online social media workshop.

• Big is not grander, big is about thinking wider.
• Big is not always building one idea but combining two smaller ones eg listening to music + mobility = iPod
• Big is not about more complexity, big is about simplifying life for people.

To think differently think about these 3 questions

1. But what if.........existed/or didn't exist.
2. Imagine a world in which.......
3. Generate a new business - if you were starting again how would you create your company?

The key aspect is not thinking about what your company is offering but what your market needs.

 

The Life Cycle of Thinking

The last few weeks have been a little tricky for me, for a myriad of reasons however it has made me think about how there seems to be a life-cycle of thinking. A life-cycle

1. There is the who am I stage. The early stage of that life cycle and it is important to understand who you are and what your values are...
2. There is the what happened to me stage....when problems arise often it shakes you to the core, or makes you think about where you are going....this can be difficult but actually is a wonderful measurement tool in the life cycle. If this is an honest reflection then it helps you reaffirm what is important and how well you are achieving those goals.
3. So often brands, companies and even people get stuck on (1) and (2) but in moving through those thinking "growing pains" it is imperative that you then address the who can I be stage.  We can live day to day waiting for life or success to happen, alternatively we can decide what legacy we want and then spend each day writing that legacy.

The stages are natural, the stages are a test which needs honesty and clarity. They are not barriers but checks and balances which keep you on the right path...

• Don't fear these thoughts, embrace them.
• Don't ignore these thoughts, face them.
• Don't let these thoughts engulf you, let these thoughts shape your future.

which is relevant to individuals, businesses and of course brands.

4 Steps to Recovery

Followers in twitter or facebook will know that I broke my foot this week - and I have to say I am not the best patient there has ever been!

I was thinking that businesses could learn a lot from my experience.

When your strategy is "broken" or your business needs "mending" then try a C.A.S.T

C = Create a culture which diagnoses the problem quickly. Realizing the problem too late just makes the recovery so much harder...create warning systems to diagnose quickly - trend reporting, constant conversation, constant challenge, listening for pressure points

A = Articulate simply the recovery process. Simply - state the problem, understand the concerns, address the concerns, state which actions will be taken and why, give and take seriously an open feedback loop. Instead of hiding away, get your team out and about ...leading and listening by example.

S = Support the people emotionally and operationally. Fear of the unknown can render corporate paralysis....confusion can drain energy and destroy team spirit

T = Take time to enjoy some recovery therapy. When you recognise the problem and create the action plan...you have only just started. You need to maintain the motivation over the medium term to full recovery. Recognise progress a long the way....it doesn't need money it can be as simple as ...a thank you, a recognition of great work, an early finish, a bouquet of flowers to the families who at home whilst their parent is working long hours