Connecting The Dots

Change is Not the Silver Bullet

Some want to re-brand their organization because they do not have the strength to deal with deep internal issues.  They think by changing the name of their organization or giving it a different look, the "hard decisions" that must be made will magically disappear.  They want a "silver bullet" that will instantly solve systemic problems.  Unfortunately, this is not the case.  Here are a few systemic issues that will not be solved by re-branding or channging the name of your organization.

Transition

It is always difficult to transition from a long-term, outstanding leader to another leader. The vision, style and focus of the former leader can remain in the forefront of people’s minds. It is difficult to hold on to the past and move into the future at the same time. Don’t try to do both. Confusion and prolonged pain will be the result. It is wiser to make the hard decisions early, deal with the consequences and move forward with a commitment to a new vision.

Collaboration

As I said in an earlier post, top down mission statements don’t work as well as ones developed in a collaborative environment. There must be ample opportunity to discuss, understand and embrace the new vision. “Here is the new mission; end of discussion,” is a recipe for disaster. Lack of collaboration builds lack of trust.

Communication

Leaders must be strong enough to ask questions, speak up and express the thoughts and feelings of those they lead. If they don’t, the next level of staff will soon realize their thoughts and feelings are not being communicated. This leads to insecurity and disunity. Key leaders must have the maturity to communicate well and ask the hard questions. A leader who does not have the courage to question the direction of the organization when they are struggling should step down. A leader who does not have the wisdom to communicate effectively to other leaders and to those they lead is more of a liability than an asset.

Don’t assume people are on the same page. Create an environment where people feel free to say what is on their mind. Meet with key leaders one-on-one to seek out their thoughts and feelings about the mission. Communication encourages collaboration. An important element of communication is active listening. The purpose of communication is not to be heard, but to develop understanding. When the meaning of the speaker is the same meaning heard by the listener and both parties know that this has happened, true communication has taken place.

Factions

Grumbling or complaining instead of working through personal thoughts and feelings in a healthy way will destroy an organization. Silos will be built by those wanting to move in a different direction. Immaturity and insecurity are at the core of factions. If someone does not have the emotional or spiritual maturity to respond in the correct manner, they need to find another organization. Private, personal agenda meetings among struggling staff without the knowledge of senior leaders will lead to disunity and dysfunction.

Distractions

There are always multiple issues facing an organization, especially when considering deep change. The challenge is to keep the main thing the main thing. Don’t allow other issues to become more important than mission development. Facility development can’t become more important than staff development. Developing growth engines can’t become more important than developing a strong, unified team. Allowing the organization to be distracted fosters a sense that the organization has lost its focus and purpose. Lack of confidence in the leadership will soon follow.

Position

Jim Collins elaborates on this in his book, Good to Great. If you discover that a leader is struggling with the direction or stated purpose of the organization; meet with them to understand their struggle. If they cannot support the direction 100%, proactively help them “find another bus.” This is especially important when it comes to leaders of leaders. Those in the most influential positions must be completely sold out to the mission of the organization. If not, they need to leave.

Leadership is hard work.  It takes courage.  It takes a willingness to make hard decisions.  It takes a person who is secure enough to guide the organization into the future.  It takes a person who knows that there are no silver bullets.

Vision - The Beginning of Change

“If your expectations are absurd, you won’t hit your target. If they are too low, your accomplishments won’t mean anything. A realistic goal not only helps you define potential hurdles, but also helps you define how your team should be organized and who should be on it.”  Lt. Cmdr. Jon Cannon, Leadership Lessons of Navy SEALS

 

Making change in your organization is not about identifying issues and systems that aren't working. Discovering and describing who you are and who you want to be is the foundation for future success. As a mentor of mine used to say, making external change without focusing on lasting internal change is like “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.” The passengers may feel more comfortable, but the ship is still heading toward a disaster. Too often leaders want a quick fix, a “silver bullet,” that will bring about prosperity without much pain. They choose to copy what someone else is doing or develop a style that emulates a successful organization without doing the hard work of defining who they are and where they are going. Organizational change is hard, painful work. It starts on the inside and moves to the outside. If we don’t look to the inside first, we become like the leaders that Jesus warned His followers about in Matthew 23. These leaders concerned themselves with external appearance and had no concern for what was happening on the inside.

Discovering and describing who God is calling you to be as an organization means taking the time to develop your mission and vision. There are many methods for developing a mission and vision. A Google search of “developing a mission statement” reveals over 11 million hits. Amazon.com provided over 20,000 book options when I inquired about developing a mission statement. One of my courses in the Masters of Strategic Foresight program at Regent University was Strategic Planning and Change Management. During this course, I reviewed numerous books and websites, each proclaiming they had the correct methodology when it comes to developing a mission, vision and strategic plan. Each of these methods are being successfully used by some organization. This research led me to the conclusion that the most important factor is the commitment and “buy-in” of the leadership team. Find a system that you have confidence in and go with it, or bring in someone from the outside who can guide you through a healthy process.

What does not work is having the senior leader design and develop the mission in isolation. The mountaintop experience may have worked for Moses, but in today’s culture and environment, collaboration and cooperation are vital. The senior leader is an important participant in the process, but others must also be involved. This does not mean that the entire organization needs to gather together to develop the mission and reach consensus. A small group of leaders can successfully guide the organization through the development of the mission. A key is to envision who God wants you to be and to grasp what your organization is uniquely positioned to do.

 

A Change Check Up

Change must be something you value, something you embrace and something you proactively pursue. Your willingness to honestly, openly and regularly discuss change is more important than what you end up changing. Regularly considering change adds to the health of an organization. An organization should view regular discussions regarding change in the same manner as that an individual should regard their annual physical with their doctor.

As I matured, I realized that an annual physical was important. We men are such wimps when it comes to doctors and physicals. Yes, there are certain things that are unappealing about getting a physical, but preventative care can be much less painful and cost effective than waiting until the symptoms of an unhealthy body become unmanageable. My physical always starts with the nurse asking a wide variety of very personal questions. I am faced with a choice: I can tell the truth about my aches and pains, eating habits, exercise and other more intimate things, or I can lie and pretend that everything is fine. By being honest, I start on the road to greater health, but if I hide what is really happening, I run a greater risk of undetected issues getting worse over time.

Once the nurse has finished her interrogation, my doctor comes in and asks many of the same questions. He then does a thorough examination which seems to get a little too personal and uncomfortable. By the end of the check up, I have a more accurate view of my health. I have a better idea of how I am doing and things I need to change in order to stay at optimal physical health.

Just as physical health should be a priority, organizational health deserves the same attention. Regularly interact with others in the organization with the purpose of ascertaining its health and impact. Ask questions that can uncover the emotional, relational, spiritual and mental health of the organization. This soft data is very important and is a key component to the health and growth of any organization. At the same time, take a look at the hard data and ask, “What do the numbers say?” Look for connections between the soft data and the hard data. For example, if you discover that your employees are beginning to struggle with the direction of the leadership and are not the “raving fans” they once were, there is a good chance this is being reflected in your organizations ability to accomplish its mission. If not, be assured that it will.

A "change check up" may be one of the most important activities your organization annually initiates.

The Risk & Reward of Change

Change always has its risks and rewards. Too often, people only view the risks and neglect to envision the rewards. It is our response to and anticipation of change that can personally or organizationally set us apart from others. Here are a few examples of response to change that valued reward over risk:

• Technology and connectivity was rapidly changing, so Apple, Inc. proactively launched the future of computing that focused on mobility. They took the risk and led the way by creating user-friendly devices like the iPhone and iPad.
• Amazon started as a simple online bookstore and then took the business world by storm as they leveraged the internet to offer practically anything online. It survived when the dot.com bubble burst, unlike many other online companies.
• Many churches successfully use technology to launch satellite campuses and offer online training and discipleship. They proactively expand and embrace the biblical focus that the church is not a building. The church is the people who choose to follow Jesus and gather together.

Proactive change does have its risks. Here are a couple of examples of proactive change that did not turn out as well as it was intended.

• Apple, Inc. launched a computer line in the early 80’s called Lisa. It was an attempt to proactively jump into the business market, but the $10,000 price tag did not attract the business customer who could purchase a PC for a fraction of the cost. Lisa was abandoned a short time later.⁷
• In 1985, Coca-Cola decided to change their 99-year-old formula and introduce “New Coke.” Seventy-nine days later, Coke Classic was reinstated after a consumer outcry that saw 1500 people a day calling to complain.⁸

Risk has a cost. Failure may take place. Remember, it is our response to change that can set us apart from other organizations. Our response to failure is also something we can control and even leverage for something good. The examples of failure mentioned above give insight into strong organizations, because in both cases, the organization remained flexible and rebounded to even greater heights. When Steve Jobs abandoned the Lisa project, he refocused his efforts on an emerging project within Apple. That project was called Macintosh. What would have happened if he would have persisted with trying to market Lisa and had neglected Macintosh? Coca-Cola had been losing market share to Pepsi for nearly 15 years, but the publicity surrounding New Coke, and the organization’s response to the consumer, revitalized the company and reminded customers why they loved Coke.

Change is very difficult, but it is necessary. All organizations must anticipate and prepare themselves for change. There is an inherent risk in change management, but remaining the same is not an option if an organization wants to be vibrant, meaningful and have a lasting impact. There is always a cost to change, but change managed well will result in renewed energy and focus.