"Houston, We have a problem." Diagnosing barriers to change

It happens at least a couple of times a year. I get an email or request to meet with a leader who finds themselves in a pinch. They waited too long to get help on the people side.

Sometimes, that's leaders who should know better. They're experienced IT professionals used to working in highly complex projects. They KNOW they'll need training support to roll out a new technology. But they wait until they have all of the answers to try to save money on the development of materials. 

Or it's a situation where the best intentions went awry. Such as finding out an internal team member assigned to support the change doesn't have the skills to navigate the complexity. The team discovers too late that they're underprepared, and now the leader needs to swoop in to help recover.

But most of the time, leaders don't know they're going to have a change problem.

They're not familiar with the early symptoms to recognize what's coming. Things like:

• Apathy. No or low engagement from the team as you talk about the bold vision.
• Fear. When questions do get raised, the tone is concern, doubt, apprehension, even anxiety or panic that what's being outlined isn't possible.
• Siloed work. The team members designing and building the new thing work in a vacuum. They're not building bridges with others who will use the new thing as part of their jobs. Often, this looks like IT operating separately from the business. Or, it might be team members dedicated to an effort who aren't actively sharing with colleagues (because they haven't been asked to do so or supported with tools to help them).
• Assuming (or asking) HR to take care of people issues. If an HR professional supports the team, often leaders assume somehow they'll handle supporting the change on top of their other responsibilities. Without resources like dedicated time, tools or guidance, this person is setup to fail.

Leaders who recognize these symptoms know they have a problem but don't have the time or energy to fix it. 

It feels like a no-win situation.

• Dealing with unpleasant emotions feels impossible. "I'm not the touchy-feely type, even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be good at it."
• Figuring out what needs to be done is difficult to navigate. Intentions are good for finding help, but finding "just right" help takes way too much time. Your current approach of doing nothing or of asking a team member to take on change doesn't feel tenable, but what else is there?
• In a high-stakes situation, you don't have time to waste.  Tackling the people side keeps falling to the bottom on the priority list when you're already busy negotiating contracts, delegating duties, and managing high expectations from your executive team or board. You're under extreme pressure to succeed, and people depend on you, so you tackle the tangible stuff first (which is NOT the people side in your mind).
• The expert you bought the "thing" from didn't tell you how hard the people side would be. And often, the tools they've provided are woefully off-mark to address the emotions that are keeping people from changing their behaviors.

Out of the chaos, you can find clarity.

An independent change advisor is like adding not just one new tool but an entire new set to your workbench. When I partner with businesses experiencing change, what matters foremost is the experience I have to recognize the situation quickly and bring the right tool for the moment. Fast. Effectively. Without breaking the bank.

I use three decades of experience helping world-class organizations implement change to diagnose what needs to be done quickly. What I've learned across those decades is that it doesn't matter what "it" is -- whether it's new technology, assimilating teams and work processes after an acquisition, launching a new product to help drive growth -- they all bring up emotions for people. Those emotions either make it easier or harder for people to change their behaviors.

My proprietary system helps leaders in organizations of all sizes and all kinds of change situations because people are people. We all have emotions. 

The right change advisor is free from bias. The only vested interest I have is in helping YOU realize your vision. I do that by bringing the people side into focus so you know what to do quickly and trust me to guide you through it.

Trust is earned through competence, reliability, and sincere selflessness. When you hire me, it feels like I'm almost part of your team. The almost part is essential because my independence allows me to bring forward issues that other vendors shy away from for fear it makes them look bad or that your team is afraid to bring up. I keep a little distance because it's healthy and allows me to maintain neutrality.

Find the clarity you seek and the partner to help you reduce the overwhelm and noise in your bold vision. Learn about my new program Momentum Change Advisory that allows you to customize with "just right" change support based on your situation. If you know you have a problem and want help diagnosing it quickly, book a Strategy Call. It's free, and you'll know where to start tackling the people side of your bold vision.