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Transcript

5 Ways to Keep Your Team Engaged Through Change & Performing Well · Enhance.training

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Keeping your team engaged through change is not easy.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: The longer the change takes to implement, or the harder it is to implement, or the less clear the benefits of changing, the harder it is to navigate your team through change successfully.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Nearly every single project that you are asked to deliver is an example of leading teams through change.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: I've delivered a lot of different projects over 20 plus years of managing teams in high growth companies, corporates, household names, and businesses that were on the brink of failing.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: These projects included turning around the performance of the worst team in multiple different companies: system implementations, working practice changes, cultural changes, business restructuring and business performance turnarounds.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: To help keep your team engaged through change and performing well, we are covering firstly explain why the change is important to them.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, listen to your team and find their fears a key part of leading teams through change.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: Third, how to tackle their fears clearly and honestly.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, break down change into manageable activities and tasks.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: And fifth, how to hold team members accountable for change.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: Change in the workplace is a given in modern life.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: Keeping a team focused through change is a lot easier when you understand their fears, are able to address them and explain why change is in their personal best interests.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Towards the end, I share some really important actions you should take for any significant change project and what to do to keep your team members accountable for delivering that change.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: Firstly, to keep your team engaged through change, explain why the change is important to them.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: Going through change at work takes effort and time for everyone.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: Most people are okay with changing if they can clearly see and understand what they are changing to, will be a lot better for the company, for the team and for them.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: With any change in the workplace, it is super important to explain why the change is needed.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: Don't assume that everyone in your team will know and understand the why, even if it's obvious to you.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: Explain the why clearly, directly and concisely.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: When explaining the why, think big picture first.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: For example, this could be explaining competitor action or legislation changes that affect the whole sector.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: Then explaining the change in company strategy to accommodate these market changes.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: Then you would describe how the change in strategy will drive changes in your team, both in terms of targets and activities for team members.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: Link the changes needed to how the future states will help the team and company be more successful or avoid problems or failure.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: Then link how individuals will benefit as a result of the company and team being more successful.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: When people understand the reasons for change and understand why change will be better than not changing, most people accept the need to change.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: Acceptance usually brings the will to put in the work needed to change and an openness to learn new ways of doing things.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: Give your team enough information to enable them to reach their own conclusion about the change itself.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think it is enough to tell them the party line, if you like, and then expect them to trust you.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: Be open about what the change is going to achieve for everyone so they can make their own decision.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: Explain the why and give your team plenty of time to ask questions.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: Do your best to answer those questions openly and honestly.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: When you make changes for very good reasons, being open and honest is never a problem.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: Explain the why before making any changes.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Jess Coles.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: If you're new to this podcast, Enhanced.training provides resources, courses, and coaching for you to build management expertise and confidence to lead any team to their best performance.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: Take a look in the podcast description for links to more resources to help you manage Teams Through Change.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: This includes how to have those first corrective conversations and make them relatively stress-free, easy and straightforward to have while getting the improvements you need.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Alternatively, go to enhance.training and select resources from the menu.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: Second, to keep your team engaged through change, listen to your team and find their fears.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: We are all used to change.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: Most of us accept change as part of life.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: What individuals and teams fear is leaving behind what they know works to do something much less defined that could work.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: Or individuals might fear losing status, fear losing influence, losing power, losing a cut cushy role, or losing opaqueness, i.e., the fear of losing something that benefits them specifically.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: These fears create resistance if left unaddressed.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: Make the time to work out what individuals might have to give up and talk to them about it.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: Ask them targeted questions to work out what they really think and feel.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: Move yourself from a position of suspecting to a position of knowing through asking questions, listening, and gaining understanding.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: Just going through the process of asking questions, listening, and acknowledging an individual's sacrifice is often enough to diffuse anger, fear, and resistance.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: When you know what the fears and problems are at an individual level, you can then work out if and how you might mitigate or reduce their fears and the issues they face.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: Always work to find out the individuals and teams' fears involved with going through change.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: Third, to keep your team engaged through change, tackle their fears clearly and honestly.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: Tackling fears in your team can be a very scary prospect for a manager, particularly if those fears are strong or there is not a strong or clear business case for making the changes.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: A good starting point is contrasting the outcome gains by doing nothing and compare this with the outcome gains by making the changes.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: List out the pros and cons of each and quantify the differences where you can.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: This is a great approach when taking teams through change.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: Another option is asking leading questions and facilitating the team working out the pros and cons of the before and after positions by themselves.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: Take this approach and you'll keep engagement and ownership much higher compared to if you tell the team your views of the pros and cons.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: The lower your trust levels with the team or the newer you are to managing the team, the better and easier it is to get the team to work out the pros and cons of no change versus implementing the change.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: The clearer, more open and honest you are when explaining the why, the situation and the future state post-change, the higher the level of trust you'll gain from the team.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: The more open you are with your team, the easier it is to keep your team engaged through change.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, to keep your team engaged through change, break down change into manageable activities and tasks.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: Making a series of smaller changes is a lot less psychologically daunting than making one big change.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: Creating a set of smaller changes enables you to monitor progress more easily and keep the team engaged through the change management process by celebrating each milestone achieved.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: Going from a known current state into an unknown future state is daunting.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: Breaking the change down into smaller projects, activities, and tasks makes the journey a lot easier to understand and believe in.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: The team is much more likely to stay motivated and engaged during the change process.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: Having a clear plan to deliver the change with clear steps to take makes it a lot more likely that you will actually get the change you need.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: Be clear, firstly, on what each step is, you know, the mini project, the activity or the task.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, who is doing this step or who is responsible for making sure the step is completed.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Third, when the step needs to be completed by, and fourth, how you're going to measure progress and success or completion.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: Share each of these elements with the team.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: If there are a lot of steps, share the whole plan and then concentrate on the next one to three steps.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: Complete these first before talking about and focusing on the next set of steps.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: Break change down into manageable, smaller steps to keep engagement, ownership and progress high across the team.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: Fifth, to keep your team engaged through change, hold team members accountable for change.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: The last element needed to keep teams engaged through change is accountability.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: Create visibility of actions and results, ideally on an individual level, to enable you to hold team members accountable for delivering their part of the change process.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: Without visibility, creating accountability is hard.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: In my experience, without accountability, implementing change can be very hard.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: Breaking down any bigger changes into smaller steps enables you to spread a level of responsibility to each individual in the team.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: Plan for and expect there to be some resistance, or lack of knowledge, or insufficient skill, or a lack of will.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: Staying close to the activities delivering the change will enable you to spot resistance, holdups, and any issues quickly.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: Then you can offer help, coach, or remove barriers.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: Remove as many of the excuses stopping change as practical, and you are also much more likely to get the change that you planned for.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: Make change as easy as practical for your team members to undertake.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: It is a lot better, easier and less daunting to have the corrective conversations with those missing targets or falling below expectations as early as possible.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: The longer you leave it, the bigger the problems grow, the more established behavioural patterns become, and the harder it is to rectify any problems.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: Create visibility and provide a lot of feedback to help keep your team accountable and engaged through change.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: So, in summary, managing a team through change successfully and without a lot of drama is ten times more likely when you implement each of the key steps that we have discussed today.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: I use each of these when I am implementing change with a team.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: Taking these steps will make your life as a manager a lot easier, regardless of the size of the change that you're being asked to implement.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: As a reminder, the five ways to keep your team engaged through change and performing well are firstly explain the why around change and why it's important for them to make that change.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, listen to your team and find their fears.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: Third, tackle their fears clearly and honestly.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, break down change into manageable tasks and activities.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: And fifth, hold team members accountable for making the changes.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: Take a look in the podcast description for links to more resources to help you manage a team through change.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: This includes how to make having those initial corrective conversations relatively stress-free, easy and straightforward to have while getting the improvements that you need.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: If you have any questions on five ways to keep your team engaged through change and performing well, please email me at support at enhance.