Carlinde Kallianiotis’ Post

One of my clients was sharing just this recently about the challenges and complexities of change and communicating change. In fact - their company is investing thousands of dollars to fly hundreds of leaders to a summit to talk about this very topic below. Getting change right takes calculated decision making, effective communication, and more. But really it starts before the change. If your employees don’t trust you - they won’t believe you when the changes are communicated. John Maxwell has a great book called Everyone Communicates, Few Connect If your managers are great at managing the operation but poor at leading the people - it really doesn’t matter how many Prosci-certified consultants you have. You can see below the staggering statistics of what rumors of change do to plummeting productivity. During the consideration of change, the change itself, and the aftermath of change - it is critical to support your employees - which means also the people leaders. One key way to elevate your success for change and transformation is by engaging with qualified business and executive coaches. I am of course a big proponent of leadership development but let’s be clear - leadership development isn’t “a class”. It’s a continuous learning cycle that strengthens and grows your leaders full ability to engage, empower, and lead effective teams to great results. If you’re reading this and experiencing change - or never engaged with a coach - or have but its been ineffective - then why not just give it another chance. I have a network of hundreds of coaches around the globe that have extensive experience and multiple certifications in order to target in on how to best help you navigate and thrive in change. Message me here or email [email protected]

Prepare Your Organization for Change Who likes change? According to various surveys and research, around 20% of people are considered “change friendly”. So, if you are around the average, 80% of your employees are “change averse” and ready to dig in their heels even when changes are only in the rumor mill. One of the issues we see in our Pinwheel Partners consulting business is a failure to prepare the organization for change on the part of senior leaders. Far too often they spring the change announcement on their employees. People feel blindsided, and that there is a lack of respect for them and their contributions. The typical response on the part of employees is “I didn’t see this coming”. How does that make employees feel? Here are some responses we hear: • I was not important enough to be invited in under the tent • This change feels rushed; leadership is not taking the time to think this through • Open and timely communication is not a priority here • If asked, I could have helped in the creation of this change initiative As most of us have witnessed, the rumor mill is a highly effective form of communication. Research from Prosci, a leader in change management, shows that even a rumor of change can drop productivity as much as 70%. Is there a better method for launching change? Yes, a successful change project begins with helping employees understand that circumstances in their competitive landscape are changing, and in response some changes may be needed. It was Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric who said, “if the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is near.” I spent my career in the technology industry, one third with a semiconductor manufacturer and two thirds with an electronic components distributor. This is an industry that accepts constant change as a way of life. The industry is driven by faster, smaller, cheaper. Through town halls, emails, and other avenues, employees would often ask me, “Steve, do you think after we get through this change, we can slow down our rate of change for a while and take a few deep breaths?” My answer was always the same, “if you start to see us slow down our rate of change, that is when you should start getting nervous.” Change is a necessary ingredient for any organization that must change to thrive or survive, meaning all organizations. Prepare your employees for it. This is not one of those times when surprise is a good thing.

One of our clients was sharing just yesterday about the challenges and complexities of change and communicating change. In fact - their company is investing thousands of dollars to fly hundreds of leaders to a summit to talk about this very topic below. Getting change right takes calculated decision making, effective communication, and more. But really it starts before the change. If your employees don’t trust you - they won’t believe you when the changes are communicated. John Maxwell has a great book called Everyone Communicates, Few Connect If your managers are great at managing the operation but poor at leading the people - it really doesn’t matter how many Prosci-certified consultants you have. You can see below the staggering statistics of what rumors of change do to plummeting productivity. During the consideration of change, the change itself, and the aftermath of change - it is critical to support your employees - which means also the people leaders. One key way to elevate your success for change and transformation is by engaging with qualified business and executive coaches. We of course are big proponents of leadership development but let’s be clear - leadership development isn’t “a class”. It’s a continuous learning cycle that strengthens and grows your leaders full ability to engage, empower, and lead effective teams to great results. If you’re reading this and experiencing change - or never engaged with a coach - or have but its been ineffective - then why not just give it another chance. We have a network of hundreds of coaches around the globe that have extensive experience and multiple certifications in order to target in on how to best help you navigate and thrive in change. Message us here or email [email protected]

One of my clients was sharing just this past week about the challenges and complexities of change and communicating change. In fact - their company is investing thousands of dollars to fly hundreds of leaders to a summit to talk about this very topic below. Getting change right takes calculated decision making, effective communication, and more. But really it starts before the change. If your employees don’t trust you - they won’t believe you when the changes are communicated. John Maxwell has a great book called Everyone Communicates, Few Connect If your managers are great at managing the operation but poor at leading the people - it really doesn’t matter how many Prosci-certified consultants you have. You can see below the staggering statistics of what rumors of change do to plummeting productivity. During the consideration of change, the change itself, and the aftermath of change - it is critical to support your employees - which means also the people leaders. One key way to elevate your success for change and transformation is by engaging with qualified business and executive coaches. I am of course a big proponent of leadership development but let’s be clear - leadership development isn’t “a class”. It’s a continuous learning cycle that strengthens and grows your leaders full ability to engage, empower, and lead effective teams to great results. If you’re reading this and experiencing change - or never engaged with a coach - or have but its been ineffective - then why not just give it another chance. I have a network of hundreds of coaches around the globe that have extensive experience and multiple certifications in order to target in on how to best help you navigate and thrive in change. Message me here or email [email protected]

INSPERITY Leading through change: Your guide to successful change initiatives EXCERPT: "When leading through change, you must manage your team’s progress toward your goal as well as your employees’ attitudes throughout the experience. Sometimes managing change calls for grace periods as your staff absorbs and understands a transition. Sometimes it calls for realism that’s not too sugarcoated. At all times, change calls for strong, consistent communication from the top of the organization before, during and after a change cycle." https://lnkd.in/gPNajFNZ

Change often meets resistance, but leaders can help teams overcome it by focusing on five essentials: 1.) A clear vision of success. 2.) Transparent communication. 3.) Engagement at all levels. 4.) Celebrating milestones. 5.) Reinforcing the message consistently. By reframing change as a continuous process, we can turn resistance into progress. How does your team navigate change? #ChangeManagement https://lnkd.in/eVgzkchi

Implementing change in your business? Feel overwhelmed by how to encourage your people to adopt the change? Here’s how you can lead change, rather than managing it.  💡 Cultivate a culture where new ideas are encouraged and welcome, involving people in HOW and not just WHAT. 💡 Stay ahead by continuously evolving with an organization-wide change capability. 💡 Build a workspace that anticipates and prepares for changes. Our experts, with decades of experience in guiding organizations through change, have insights that can help. Discover their secrets and learn how to master the art of change in our latest article: https://lnkd.in/gJvjwtrN

I often find that when change doesn't work well, it's typically because the people driving it are not the ones with the power or authority to make the decisions that underpin its success. This is why Executive Sponsorship for change is so important. However, with many decisions to make and the inherent ambiguity in the decision-making process, many Executives struggle to understand where they can add the most value or why the change is needed. This is why they need to collaborate with their people and those in change management to lead effectively and ensure they are leveraging their power and authority to its fullest potential. If we want meaningful change to occur, we need to: 1. Clearly define the need for change. Look at the challenge or opportunity through a system lens, recognise what is contributing to or causing it, and what the change needs to look like in order to be successful (typically more than one of the following: process change, system change, behaviour change, legislative change). 2. Understand who is needed to deliver the change. Define the roles needed to support the change - who has the power or authority to make the key decisions needed? Who holds influence with the decision-makers to help incentivise and prioritise the case for change? Who needs to exercise their personal agency to change behaviours or actions to support the implementation of the change? 3. Gain agreement and take action. Craft a compelling case for change depending on the role each person has in the change process and get to work bringing them on board and taking the action needed. We can only introduce meaningful change when we bring all the parties together that can make the right decisions, get the right people in the room to influence outcomes and take personal responsibility for changing behaviours and actions. What strategies have you found most effective in aligning power, influence and agency to drive successful change? #change #management #accountability #power #influence #agency

WHAT IF I WROTE ABOUT ANY RANDOM THING PER DAY FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER? Day 21 of 30 Hello LinkedIn, Today, let’s talk about Lewin’s Change Management Process. I first learned about this during my MBA at Nexford University. While it seemed familiar, it was explained in a new way, and I want to share that with you. It became my go-to model during my strategy course. Lewin's change management process is a simple model for implementing changes in an organization. Developed by psychologist Kurt Lewin in the 1940s, it has three main steps: Unfreeze, Change, and Refreeze. Each step is crucial for ensuring the change is effective and sustainable. The first step, Unfreeze, prepares the organization for change. It involves questioning the current way of doing things and creating a sense of urgency for change. Leaders need to clearly explain why the change is necessary and address any concerns employees may have. By preparing people to let go of old habits, the organization sets the stage for effective change. The second step, Change, is where the actual transformation takes place. New processes or behaviors are introduced. It’s important to involve employees and provide them with support and resources to help them adjust. Clear communication and training are key to avoiding confusion and ensuring everyone understands their new roles. Finally, the Refreeze step ensures the changes become permanent. This involves embedding the new practices into the organization’s culture so they are sustained long-term. Leaders should celebrate successes and remind employees of the benefits of the change, helping them feel comfortable and committed. This prevents a return to old ways and ensures the change is lasting. Overall, Lewin's model emphasizes the importance of having a structured approach to managing change. By following these three steps, organizations can increase their chances of successful change and foster a workforce that is adaptable and resilient. #30DaysofWriting

This article captures one of the most frequent problems with change that I encounter in client organizations. Simply that leaders don't pause or create safe space for change. Instead, they design change behind closed doors, rush to implement it and then wander why they encounter resistance. As suggested in the article, shift the conversation from “I drive the vision” to “I create space for things to emerge”.