02 Oct FEELING OVERWHELMED – HERE IS A SIMPLE FRAMEWORK FOR LEADING CHANGE.
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As a young leader in a fast-moving organisation, in the absence of the CIO, I was leading a major change program for the first time. Merging two technology divisions into one. Information Technology and Telecoms Engineering.
I had never done anything on this scale before. Over 900 people affected, significant savings to be achieved, and some very big decisions to make. While continuing to deliver a flawless service to our 2 million customers.
At times it was overwhelming. Trying to determine how to navigate myself through significant and continuous change, while visibly leading people through this key transformation program.
I received some sage advice from an executive in another part of the business. He said, “It’s really about keeping your focus.” He then explained how he went about leading through exceptional periods of transformation and change.
- You need to figure out what it is that you’re trying to do.
- You need to find the right people to help you.
- Then you need to lead them.
That was it. And it saved me from overwhelm.
Over the years, I have applied the principles of this philosophy. Here is the KISS of change framework to help you navigate and lead change.
This is a cycle, it doesn’t stop. Continue to review it and assess each element, to make sure you are still on target.
WHY?
We start with why.
- Why are we doing this thing?
- Why are we chasing this change, transformation innovation or reinvention?
- Why does it matter?
- Why is it important?
- Why now?
The aim here is to get clarity. And create focus. Good for you, and good for the people you lead, to understand why.
WHERE?
The next stage, where?
- Where are we going with this?
- Where are we aiming?
- What is the target here?
- What will it be like when we get there?
- What does it look like?
- What does it feel like?
- What will the experience be like?
- How will we know when we have achieved the thing we are aiming at?
- How will we know when we have arrived where we are going?
So, where is about identifying and defining the destination.
WHAT?
Next is the WHAT. And this is, if you like, the high-level plan.
- What is it that we need to do to achieve this thing?
- What are the steps?
- What are the milestones?
- What are the decision gates along the way?
- What are the key phases we will work through or experience on our journey to where we are going?
HOW?
And with every WHAT, there needs to be a HOW. So, this is the next element to consider. How?
This is a critical and often overlooked element Once they have figured out WHAT needs to happen, people often quickly move into action, rather than figuring out the important factors of HOW. Without knowing HOW you will approach the change, you reduce the likelihood of success.
Here are some HOW questions to consider:
- How will we accomplish this thing?
- How will we achieve it?
- How will we approach it?
- What are the capabilities we need in order to be able to do this?
- How will we lead through it?
- How will we delegate?
- How will we make decisions?
- How will we escalate?
- How will we improve?
- How will we learn from the process?
- How will we make it better for the rest of the journey?
- How will we work with people?
- How will we solve problems?
- How will we do it?
- How will we collaborate?
- How will we journey to our destination?
WHO?
Now you are ready to figure out who you need on the journey. Who you need to be contributing to the change. You already know where you are going. You know what you need to do to get there, and you know how you want things to operate. So, who are these key people?
- Who has the capability?
- Who has the demeanour?
- Who has the capacity?
- Who has the will to be part of this?
- Who has the optimism?
- Who has the ability to learn and grow?
- Who will step up during the program?
- Who has the focus?
This is where you create your team. You create your tribe, your village, who are going to accomplish this thing. Over time, people may move in and out of this group, depending on how long this change program will take. Is it a six-month change? Is it a three- or five- or ten-year change? This is why you continue to revisit your KISS of Change elements.
Bringing this group of people together to activate your change is critical to your success.
You know that your people are going to determine how much you can accomplish, how you can accomplish it, and whether you can deliver.
YOU?
Now you have your people in place, you need to lead them. This is one of the biggest questions in this framework.
- Who do you need to be to lead this initiative?
That’s a big question. It requires reflection, and it requires being honest with yourself. It requires learning, and it requires growth. It requires perseverance and support.
This is key.
- Who do you need to be to lead this initiative to success?
- What do you need to succeed?
- How will you lead yourself?
- How will you ensure you are supported?
- How will you stay visible?
- How will you sustain yourself?
As dealing with change becomes a regular activity, leading it becomes a skill to hone, an internal capacity to master.
Arnaud Henneville-Wedholm entrepreneur, author and optimist
There you have it.
This is a simple framework with simple questions. Questions that, yes, you need to think about, yet very possible.
Sometimes when we get overwhelmed, things can seem like they are not very possible. So, I hope this framework helps you.
If you are in the middle of a transformation or a significant organisational change right now, then it may be useful to step back and assess each of these elements. Ask yourself:
- How clear are we about each of these elements?
- How on track are we with each of these elements?
- Which element needs a bit of attention to give us a greater chance of success?
Putting some focus on the elements of the KISS of change framework also provides you a way of framing up your change program so you can easily communicate it with people when you talk about: what is important; how we do things around here; who is on the journey with us, and why it matters.
I’d love to know your thoughts.
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