Golden Oldies: Change Starts with the Boss
by Miki SaxonIt’s amazing to me, but looking back over more than a decade of writing I find posts that still impress, with information that is as useful now as when it was written.
Golden Oldies are a collection of what I consider some of the best posts during that time.
I think the best commentary on this post comes from a comment on the original that validates it.
You just nailed the main issue with failed change efforts. Change starts in the head (pun intended. . .). Many times when I’m brought into a company, bosses want me to help change everybody else but them. Doesn’t work!
It always amazes me how bosses are more willing to waste money than to change their thinking and behavior. The trick is how to find a way to help bosses see the ROI of changing the way they think and behave before trying to embed those changes throughout their organization.
Great post! – Dr. Ada Gonzalez
No one ever said change is easy and it’s still harder when it is your MAP that needs to change, but it is possible. More on change during the week.
Read other Golden Oldies here.
The thing she [behavioral psychologist] taught me—and this sounds obvious—is that behavior is a function of consequence. We had to change the behavior in the organization so that people felt safe to bring bad news. And I looked in the mirror, and I realized I was part of the problem. I didn’t want to hear the bad news, either. So I had to change how I behaved, and start to thank people for bringing me bad news. —Joseph Jimenez, chief executive of Novartis
The behavioral psychologist was brought in after a consulting group was paid to provide “better, more robust process, with more analytics,” which changed nothing.
When we started RampUp Solutions in 1999, we spent a good deal of effort coming up with a tag line that easily explained the services we provide.
After several iterations we finally settled on “To change what they do change how you think”
Over the years, I’ve heard and read story after story of how all kinds of changes—from turnarounds to improved productivity to retention — all started with a change in the way the boss thought.
And that applied whether the boss was CEO, team leader or somewhere in-between.
Stories and discussions about change tend to focus on the actions that bring about the changes, instead of starting at the beginning with the hardest work.
Work that requires the boss, at whatever level, changing the way they thinks and then dispersing and embedding those changes throughout their organization.
So before you hire expensive consultants or seek help from advisors look in the mirror to determine how much of the problem is you.
Image credit: manymeez
