How to Turn Sleepless Nights into Valuable Insights
Ever toss and turn at night worrying about a big change initiative you’re leading?
Well, that’s exactly where my client Carolyn found herself a few weeks ago.
See, Carolyn’s team was spearheading a massive organizational change, and her mind was racing with concerns like:
- Stakeholders digging in their heels
- People facing job losses
- Winning over key team members
- Customer reactions
- Meeting tight deadlines set by more senior people in her firm
- The timing and messaging of communications
- Keeping the rumour mill in check
Sound familiar? If you have ever led a major change, I bet you can relate to this list.
Let’s face it… change is tough, it’s costly and it is very time-consuming!
So, what did Carolyn do? She reached out for help!
I then customized and facilitated a “Leading Change Workshop” for her implementation team.
She really wanted to set her team up for success from the get-go.
In this workshop, we tackled the big hurdles to change and how to break through resistance. We dove into a change acceleration model and started crafting some key communication tools to keep everyone on the same page.
But things got really interesting when we did a stakeholder analysis.
We identified everyone impacted by the change and thought about it from their perspective.
When navigating change, you must consider how it impacts all of your key stakeholders.
Remember:
- Everyone sees change differently based on their role
- The impact varies from person to person
- Goals and objectives around the change aren’t universal
- In any change, there are likely “winners” and “losers“
That’s why a stakeholder analysis is so powerful.
It forces you to step out of your own shoes and see the bigger picture, making your action plan more comprehensive and considerate.
Change doesn’t happen in a bubble. So, when you’re at the helm, make sure that you get buy-in and consider all perspectives.
It might just help you sleep a little easier at night!