Your Responsibility as a Change Sponsor
Embarking on a business or digital transformation without considering change management is like setting off on a journey with an incomplete map.
You might make it to your destination, but the odds are stacked against you.
Some of the missing pieces of the map are outlined in this blog.
What do successful transformation leaders know that other not so successful leaders don’t?
1. Ask Key Questions: As organizations look to digitally transform, there a couple of key questions that must be asked upfront. What are you really doing? Are you really transforming your business or simply digitizing your existing business? Are you really looking to transform the products or services that you offer or are you transforming the way you deliver what you have? Once that is clear, you can move on to creating a business strategy that clearly drives your intent.
2. Engage Change Expertise Early: In developing the business strategy, one of the key success factors that is often overlooked is the need for effective change partner and change leadership. Transformation implies change – and leaders need a change partner to work with the executive team to uncover the often overlooked but critical success factors and broad scan for derailers and blind spots before the strategy is cast in stone. Many organizations stumble over these componentsonly once the transformation starts to fail.
3. Leaders go First: Great transformation leaders are committed to making changes themselves - in how they think, how they work, how they set goals, how they measure success and how they lead AND most leaders are not change experts. They need help to build their change leadership competency first. With a change coach and leadership development plan, they gain valuable insights,challenge their mindset, hold themselves accountable and are open to feedback to continuously improve.
4. Goals, Metrics & Desired Outcomes: Great transformation leaders examine their existing business goals and metrics to ensure that they will actually drive the newly defined and desired business outcomes. If they won’t drive the new ways of working and thinking, then leadership must address the misalignment before the transformation begins. Set goals and metrics that help people align what they do it the organizational transformation roadmap and desired outcomes.
5. Leaders Stay Involved: Sponsors andtransformation champions are necessary, but they are not a substitution for thepresence of executive leadership. Executive leaders must maintain a finger onthe pulse of the transformation - they must be visible, transparent in their communication and interaction, manage resistance, be and approachable as things evolve and willing to adjust as new information surfaces if required.
6. People Are Your Superpower: Great transformation leaders know that they need to develop their people to meet the future needs of the organization and that must start early. They know that people cannot be treated as a commodity to just do as they are told. Leaders must consider them each step of the way, prepare them, empower them, actively listen to them, communicate ongoing, provide clarity of expectation, hold them accountable and reward them for a job well done. These steps will ensure a culture conducive to sustainable change.
Organizational transformation or change is never easy, but with the right team in place and a clear plan for success, your organization can weather any storm. These transformation tips should help you get started on the path to change. If you want to learn more about how we can help you transform your organization, contact us today. We’re always happy to chat about organizational change and how we can help you navigate it successfully.
Great transformation leaders know that change doesn’t happen to you, it happens through you.
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