Change is hard. It’s why I talk about it a lot on the blog here. Here. Here. And here. Oh, and here, too. I talk about it a lot because how you plan for and navigate change impacts whether you will succeed or fail.
All too often leaders believe a lot of myths about change management. One myth being that change can happen overnight.
Organizational problems are linked together, and change in one area often impacts other areas. New business initiatives, new technology, new processes and procedures, leadership changes – all require changes to new behaviors and ways of doing things. These changes don’t just happen overnight.
Some change can happen faster than others – but almost no change can be immediate. If you find a magic wand to wave to make that happen please let me know. Like Kotter says, ‘quick wins’ is the way to go. However, long-term changes , particularly culture change or other transformational change, will take time.
You need to set realistic expectations regarding the timing and what success looks like. You also need to set realistic milestones and measurements of success. And whatever you do – don’t give up midway through the process!
About Scott Span, MSOD, CSM: is CEO & People Strategist, Communications and Change, at Tolero Solutions. He supports clients to engage and retain talent and wow customers, achieving success through people, creating organizations where people enjoy working and customers enjoy doing business.
