It seems odd to me that, even with all the inventions and knowledge and innovations we have acquired in recent years, people in leadership can still believe that the best way to implement change is not to let anyone know what is happening.
Throughout this series on change, if there’s a single unifying thought, it’s that OUR PEOPLE MATTER.
In light of that precept, it’s nothing short of arrogant to try putting a leadership team, a management team, or even the board of directors in charge of a new design or plan for change without an opportunity for input from throughout the organization. It’s an effort that’s set up for failure from the beginning.
But we see it again and again, this view of organizational change as a top-down process:
Top management that will not involve the organization or its employees because “we know best.”
Bosses who channel work into silos, leaving out the big picture because involving everyone will slow down the process.
Leaders who hold back information until they feel it’s warranted to share. They confide only in a few as they allow the rest of the organization to sit and wait and ponder.
This kind of leadership is a secretive and will not be successful.
Change affects everyone. And everyone needs to be included.
No one wants to hear that the change is a top-down initiative. No one wants to be told what to do.
Creating strategy or substance for change does not happen with one person at the top. It happens with the people making it happen. Ultimately, it’s the people who are responsible for the outcome.
To succeed at change, we need an organization that knows and understands Sharing for Succeeding.
Shared Solution: All of us are involved in some kind of problem solving everyday, both in our personal and professional lives. Sharing a problem statement that supports the change can be a good first step in the process.
Shared Vision: To move forward we need the power to envision exciting possibilities together. Identifying the direction and vision together creates a bond among leaders.
[quote]The ability to share a vision is the attribute that most distinguishes leaders from non-leaders.[/quote]
Shared Solution: Creating a shared solution helps leaders and employees keep one another accountable for their actions. Success in change only grows by sharing – the more you give, the more you have to share.
Shared Sustainability: To understand change is to make it sustainable. Plan for sustainability at the beginning of the strategic planning process so you can achieve long-term staying power in your programs or practices. To be sustainable requires constant and consistent improvement and communication.
Shared Success: When people understand and feel confident about their future and connected to the organization’s strategy and vision, they are less likely to resist, mourn, or refuse change. Their change resistance will be replaced by change readiness.
By creating a shared environment, you are creating a successful organization.
Lead from within: We must balance the organizational processes with our people’s needs. We must include everyone within the organization in our shared solutions and shared vision if we want to have a shared impact and success.
Of Lolly’s many awards and accolades, Lolly was designated a Top-50 Leadership and Management Expert by Inc. magazine. Huffington Post honored Lolly with the title of The Most Inspiring Woman in the World. Her writing has appeared in HBR, Inc.com, Fast Company (Ask The Expert), Huffington Post, and Psychology Today, and others. Her newest book, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness has become a national bestseller.
Alli Polin
05. Mar, 2013
Lolly, you are right on! When the front lines have a voice, change is not something that happens to them but instead something the organization accomplishes together. Love the way you breakdown Sharing is Succeeding. Great!
lollydaskal
05. Mar, 2013
Alli
You are correct.
Change happens to all of us.
If we want to succeed. We need to be counted.
We need to know we matter.
Great insight – Thanks for sharing.
Lolly
Martina
05. Mar, 2013
Excellent post, Lolly. And you are correct, when businesses lead from the top-down only, and never take into account wht if happening on the front line, or how something will actually get implemented, the clear message, spoken and unspoken is that “our people do not matter.”
And when people feel, or know they do not matter, they will disengage physically and or mentally.
lollydaskal
05. Mar, 2013
Martina,
The message shall and always should be PEOPLE MATTER.
The wisdom is out there now it needs to be adhered to.
Bill | LeadershipHeartCoaching
05. Mar, 2013
I noticed over the years as I progressed in my position, I saw first hand how the value of the employees began taking a back seat to the bottom line. I reached the position where the next move was C-Level, I knew I was highly respected in the company – but I still told my current manager I had no desire to be considered. (He was looking for someone to groom.)
I know not all companies are like the ones I worked for. I know there are many organizations that authentically value their employees. However, I think I can speak for many: When you find yourself in an organization where the values are so mis-alinged with your own, you quickly become a disengaged worker. Companies as you describe will eventually lose good talent.
Thank you for a great post.
lollydaskal
05. Mar, 2013
Bill you are so right.
There is a cost for not investing and involving your people.
The price is high!
Losing great talent could be one of those costs!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing.
Lolly
lollydaskal
06. Mar, 2013
It takes a lot of courage to share your vision but it means we need to trust each other.
Brian R (@BMRideas)
06. Mar, 2013
This is right on point. One important thing about Sharing is that it promotes transparency, which is vital if everyone is to pull in the same strategic direction. Thank you Lolly!
lollydaskal
06. Mar, 2013
Great point Brian… Sharing is that it promotes transparency!
Dan Forbes
06. Mar, 2013
Lolly, If someone could take away only two words from this wonderful post it would be this, “…people matter.” Thanks.
lollydaskal
06. Mar, 2013
Thanks Dan
Yes…. PEOPLE MATTER!
Blair Glaser
06. Mar, 2013
Great post, Lolly. It is amazing what happens when the front lines are included and have a voice in the changes that are occurring.
But it must be real. A company that pretends to share or take into account the feelings and contributions of their people while forging ahead without them, will ultimately create even more resistance than those that simply operate from top down. There has to be a willingness to be truly inclusive and open to / invested in the sharing processes.
And I think your point about planning for sustainability is so important and often missed in rush to implement the new.
dawoodchishti
06. Mar, 2013
People are not the matter, but the living souls.
dawoodchishti
06. Mar, 2013
The essence of your post is “Let People be the share-holder of change, let it be a shared success”
Tagrid Sihly
06. Mar, 2013
Organizations that value their people–the real agents of change–are successful and wholesome places to work and grow. I’m hoping to be a part of such an organization soon. Leaders that fail to honor their people create toxic environments that are bound to fail. I love your post.
yinka
07. Mar, 2013
True talk ! when the management of an organization shares the vision for the future and and involves its employees in strategies for change. It creates positive energy for team spirit and productivity . From bottom to top we share the same vision and we are working towards the same goal .
Andy C
07. Mar, 2013
Great article, thank you Lolly. All relationships must be two-way in order for people to feel invested in them. We expect this in romance and friendships but it is no less important in the workplace. Feeling appreciated and truly involved brings out the best in us on multiple levels and feeling nothing coming back is the start of a long, or in some cases not so long, slow decline towards an end to whatever the relationship is.
Simon Harvey
07. Mar, 2013
Lolly, as always your posts grab my attention and I have to stop to share. So your sharing is succeeding and succeeding to share is surely a road named success.
We connect and we share our perspectives of our world, our world so small yet so grand, our views that encompass our lives and hold our hearts within such a warm embrace. We see, we connect, we share warmth by connection, and through connections we can open our minds and hearts to change, for this sharing allows us discover the power of trust.
Organizations will only survive by sharing, or be overtaken by change, because change is the conduit to knowledge and innovation and will not be stopped.
If we do not learn to listen to the sharing of others we will not survive, and organizations and leaders that do not listen will be eclipsed by those that do.
For those that learn to not only listen to, but invite their teams and followers to share their visions and mental models, they will see change bring growth, innovation and trust.
For anyone that questions this power of sharing and listening, I invite them to come share and learn at your #leadfromwithin Tues evening 8pm Eastern time tweetchats. For that is an hour of true power sharing that simply grows success and builds trust.
Thanks for the mind bending posts and tweets, as always I shall endeavor to lead from within ,
Warmest,
Simon
Wayne McEvilly
07. Mar, 2013
Lolly
The truths you outline in this post can be felt by the customer as well as employee-recently my favorite grocery store was taken over by a new company – over the first few weeks increasingly it became apparent that the people who worked there were no longer happy – new management was distant, cold, not taking into account the humanity of those who were doing the work and facing the public. No longer the happy experience to shop there.
Sad that as human beings we can become so warped by being placed in a position “above” can result in so much unhappiness and disfunction.
Humanity first.
That is sufficient reason in itself to take every person into account
Wayne
Patinspire
08. Mar, 2013
Lolly, the best organizations are those that include their employees in the change process. The process owners in most instances are not experts on how the process works. Employee buy in and smooth transition to a new process is most effective when the people doing the job share their expertise on how the processes can be improved. Happier employees-= successful company. Thank you for sharing. I think we need to keep spreading the word and hopefully create healthy work environments. SHARING THE OPPORTUNITIES , NETWORKING WITH YOUR EMPLOYEES IN THE PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS SURELY LEADS TO SUCCESS!
Abdul Kareem
18. Mar, 2013
The main reasons for people to resist change are: uncertainty about the outcome, suspicion about the motive for change, and fear of failure. Creating a sharing environment by leaders helps remove fear and apprehension and will help members embrace change with least resistance.
Thanks for the wonderful post Lolly.
Abdul Kareem, Singapore
bloqueador
25. Apr, 2013
I’m a writer from Mundesley, Great Britain just forwarded this onto a colleague who is performing a bit of research on this. And she actually bought me lunch just because I stumbled upon it for her… lol. So allow me to paraphrase this…. Thanks for the meal… But anyways, thanx for investing all that time to talk about this matter here on your site.
lollydaskal
29. Apr, 2013
your welcome. I hope the meal was delicious.
Dave Bratcher
10. Jun, 2013
Thanks for the great information. I believe one of the best things to do everyday is to look for opportunities to add value to others. This is often done through sharing knowledge. Not as a “know it all”, but as someone who wants to make others better than themselves.
sand
07. Mar, 2015
That is really fascinating, You’re a very skilled blogger.
I hqve joined your feed and stay up for in quest of extra of your great post.
Additionally, I have shared your site in my social networks