Is it all about people?
Two weeks ago I attended, and spoke at, the bi-annual Colorado Human Resources conference. Obviously, it was all about people. I had a chance to visit with and discuss some companies that are in survival mode (and who isn’t?) and some that are positioning themselves to excel coming out of the current economic situation (and who should not be?) Many are trying to make changes while performing their daily work, and a few are trying to be innovative at the same time. Great discussions ensued about their barriers and my practice.
Last week, I attended a Colorado Information Technology conference, and half of the speakers stressed the importance of their employees. They wisely noted that people not only directly impact the customer experience, but also their company’s profitability. These leaders encouraged the attendees to pay attention to their employees as much, if not more than, the HR speakers.
I expected this message at the HR conference, but not at the IT conference. As one who helps with the “people side” of the business, I coach leaders in leading change, consult with organizations in managing change, and assist in evaluating and improving employee engagement; I am passionate about the Voice of the People.
What can be done?
Let’s define the first two of these three disciplines and then move on to the third very important topic. I start with the definitions provided by John Kotter in Leading Change and then I add my comments (in bold italics).
Change Leadership
•
Establishing a direction…
•Aligning people…
•Motivating and inspiring…
- and I add …being consistently visible sharing passion and understanding…
Change Management
•Planning - and I add …to mitigate resistance…
•Organizing and staffing - and I add …to discover and mitigate resistance…
•Controlling and problem-solving - and I add …situation analysis and response…
The Third Important Element – and perhaps the real leverage point!
Human Assets do have a major impact on the customer experience, productivity and therefore profitability. How important is the voice of the employee? Many good leaders want to know how engaged their people are and why. They want facts to diagnose the cause of people issues and where to further investigate the potential for adjustments that could have a major impact on their daily work, their change efforts and any possible innovation.
It is important to understand what is on employees’ minds and to know why.
I recommend that my clients utilize uninterpreted, but normalized, data concerning the employees, including the management layers, to localize the major opportunities. With my clients, I then discuss the business impact (on their changes and innovation and, more importantly, on their daily work) and we jointly consider their options, which may include:
• Obtaining additional useful data on the areas of concern, via 360-degree analyses, behavioral and
communication style assessments of the individuals and their management, as well as other useful
data-gathering methods
• Assessing and improving how managers are communicating, motivating, leading and managing their
people
• Establishing, executing and monitoring a development plan for key employees
• Sorting the “square from the round pegs” and then considering moving individuals to more suitable jobs
• Understanding the desired characteristics for future hiring practices
We discuss the causes of disengagement, the potential remedial strategies and how impactful they would be, and then we manage the interventions.
Maybe you know a business where the employees are not engaged in their work. They show up physically and go through the motions. I wonder if those companies would be receptive to the notion of making their employees more effective in their daily routines, and more receptive to changes and innovative programs.
Please contact ECM Expert Change Management if you,
or someone you know, would like to discuss the above.
Speaking Topics:
Bob’s recent and planned speaking topics include:
• Financials, Strategic Thinking and Change Management
• Maximize the results of your Consulting by Managing the Resistance to Change!
• Managing People’s Acceptance, Adoption, and Sustainment of Change
• Developing and Implementing Strategic Ideas; From Seeds to Harvested Results
• The Critical Requirement for Leading, as well Managing, Change
Bob Dodge can be reached at 303 550-0101
bdodge@expertchangemanagement.com
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