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10 CRITICAL QUESTIONS FOR CHANGE LEADERS
Guest Post by Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D.
Two or three years ago I read a news story about an executive who had been hired to turn around the fortunes of a business that was on the rocks. The product was bad. Morale was awful. Management appeared to be confused about what to do. And customers were staying away in droves.
Clearly, this fellow had been hired to make changes, and here’s what he said: “We gotta shake this place up and keep shaking until we get it right.”
He was a change manager, to be sure. He had been brought in because things were not working well and somebody had to make miracles happen quickly. And our guy did that in spades, firing middle managers with abandon, reversing policies that had served the organization well and establishing immediately that he was king. It worked—for a while. The operation seemed to take on a new focus, and customers returned. The product got better. Management relaxed and the teamwork that everyone had hoped for seemed to emerge once again. That’s the good news.
But I used that word “teamwork” advisedly because this organization indeed was a team, a minor-league baseball club in a large Southern city. Sports franchises make great cases for the study of change management because the results show up so quickly.
In this case, the “shaking up” of the organization worked for slightly less than one season and the new manager was summarily relieved even as his bravado still seemed to echo off the locker room walls. He was a bold manager of change, to be sure, but he was not a skilled one.
The lesson of this man’s forceful and narrow-minded attack on the company he set out to correct is critical for corporate managers: change cannot be mandated or forced. It has many constituents and these constituents count. Change managers need to ask themselves some difficult questions before they set out to “shake things up.” And they must listen to the answers.
If you are a sensitive change manager, here are some of the questions you must consider before you set out to make things better.
1. What is the employees’ perspective?
To mobilize a work force to transform itself, leaders must know what people in the organization are thinking, encourage them to articulate their points of view and their concerns and be ready to respond to them sincerely. Don’t rely on second-hand information or make assumptions about what you think employees think. Ask them—and keep asking them until the answer becomes clear. Only then can you begin to design a strategy that builds on synergies and fills in perception gaps.
2. Did you “set the stage” for change?
One of the most vital roles of leadership is to anticipate the corporation’s future and its place in the global arena, and then to formulate strategies for surmounting challenges that have not yet manifested. To proactively respond to these challenges, businesses must continually reinvent themselves. Leaders must encourage employees to join a constant questioning of the prevailing business assumptions—and to be ready to act upon new opportunities early in the game to maintain a competitive advantage.
3. Are you tracking employee perceptions throughout the change?
As important as it is to find out what employees are thinking before the change, it is just as crucial to have a system for monitoring employee perception throughout the process. George Bernard Shaw once said that the problem with communication is “the illusion that it has been accomplished.” When it comes to communicating change, leadership must be especially careful not to suffer that illusion. Strategies that include employee interaction and feedback systems help organizations track the level of work force comprehension. You will find the greatest advantages come when organizational feedback is gathered immediately after the delivery of every important message. One of my clients uses this short questionnaire to query her audiences before they leave the meeting room:
4. Are you giving honest answers to tough questions?
In the light of economic realities that offer little in the way of job security, employees must be able to rely on their employers to give them honest information that will allow them to make informed choices about their own jobs, careers and futures. When you can’t answer every question, it is best to tell people that you understand their concern but don’t know the answer. Or, say that you don’t have the information yet, but will get back to them as soon as decisions are made. It is even better to tell people that you have the information but can’t release it than to withhold or twist the truth.
5. Can you explain “what’s in it for them”?
I was in Sweden working with a county government agency that was completely revamping its health-care system. The leader of this enormous change was proud of the way he had communicated to the county’s residents. They had been given a thorough briefing—the reasons behind the change, the timing of the change and exactly how it was to be carried out. Then he turned to me with a frown and said, “But you know, there is still one question that I get asked all the time.” I interrupted. “Let me guess,” I said. “People want to know if the wait for a doctor’s appointment will be any shorter than it currently is. Am I right?” The man looked startled and asked, “How did you know that?” I told him that I knew to expect that question because it is the one I hear most often about change—“What’s in it for me?”
6. Is your communication “behavior-based”?
Organizations send two concurrent sets of messages about change. One set of messages goes through formal channels of communication—speeches, newsletters, corporate videos, values statements and so forth. The other set of messages is delivered informally through a combination of “off the record” remarks and daily activities. When I coach senior management teams, I begin with two questions: “What do you currently do that already supports the change?” and “What do you have to do differently to align with the change?” For today’s skeptical employee audience, rhetoric without action quickly disintegrates into empty slogans and company propaganda. In the words of Sue Swenson, president of Leap Wireless, “What you do in the hallway is more powerful than anything you say in the meeting room.”
7. Can you paint the big/little picture?
Vision is the big picture (we’ll look at this next), and it is crucial to the success of the enterprise. But along with the big picture, people also need the little picture:
Big Picture—Presenting the concept of transformation.
Little Picture—How are we going to do that?
Big Picture—Setting long-term corporate goals.
Little Picture—Where do we begin?
Big Picture—Developing the overall objectives of the transformation.
Little Picture— What are the priorities?
Big Picture—Creating the mission of the organization.
Little Picture—Where does my contribution fit in?
Big Picture—Communicating organizational values.
Little Picture—What does this mean in my daily life?
8. Is it your vision or our vision?
Leaders understand the power of vision to imbue people with a sense of purpose, direction and energy. A compelling vision of the future pulls people out of the seductive hold of the past and inspires them to set and reach ambitious corporate goals. Of even greater importance is the sense of meaning that people derive from their jobs when they can tie their contributions to the fulfillment of a clear, compelling vision. Leaders must therefore be able to paint the big picture. But if the vision belongs only to top management, it will never be an effective force for transformation. The power of a vision comes truly into play only when the employees themselves have had some part in its creation. So the crucial question becomes, “Whose vision is it?” Leaders must create a master narrative that coherently articulates the company’s identity and ideals and is embraced by every member of the company. If you want employees to feel the same kind of connection to their work that the executives felt at the retreat, then you have to get them involved. Up your leadership skills even further and take our course on Preparing for Leadership: What it Takes to Take the Lead.
9. Are you emotionally literate?
To be a consummate manager of change, it is not enough to engage people’s logic; you also have to appeal to their emotions. As leaders gain the insight that people skills (the “soft stuff” of business) hold the key to organizational change, human emotions take on new significance. Large-scale organizational change almost invariably triggers the same sequence of reactions—denial, negativity, a choice point, tentative acceptance and commitment. Leadership can facilitate this emotional process or, ignored, it can erode the transformation effort.
10. Do you know what shouldn’t change?
The greatest challenge for leaders is to know the difference between what has to be preserved and what needs to be changed. The “genius” of leadership is being able to preserve an organization’s core values, and yet change and adapt as times require. The product of that kind of leadership is an organization that goes on for a very long time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D. is an international keynote speaker and executive coach. Her latest book is “STAND OUT: How to Build Your Leadership Presence.”
From colleague and friend Cody Lorance -
Cody - Thanks for sharing His Work in your ministry.
Phil - Thanks for the special E-mail sharing of this message this morning (Jul 11).
Praise God for Prompting me to share this message with my pastor and church leaders at this particular troubled time.
24 Discover creative ways to encourage others[a] and to motivate them toward acts of compassion, doing beautiful works as expressions of love.
10:24 The Aramaic can be translated “Let us look on one another with the excitement of love.”Footnotes
Richard H. Skiba, Jr. said:
#ItSeemsToMe...
The fact that the Church has protected core biblical truth while adapting to diverse cultures and different eras is an historical indicator of how the Holy Spirit leads and shapes the Body of Christ across geography and history.
Our rapidly changing times and our radically changing culture are no threat to the Holy Spirit.
We need to constantly strive to be Spirit-led and Scripture-fed.
And pray without ceasing for an increase in faith so that when the Spirit sets a new direction, we have the courage to stop conforming to what we have been doing ... so that ... we become transformed by renewed ways of thinking about the application of Scripture and the design of systems of disciple-making and evangelism.
Phil Miglioratti
The http://Reimagine.Network
Network Creator / Coordinator said:
Our thanks to Scott McConnell for permission to post his article on why we need to #reimagine . . .
2 Questions Every Pastor and Church Leader Must Ask
to Be Successful in Modern Ministry
Insights| Church Life & Ministry | Jul 13, 2021
By Scott McConnell
Have you ever imagined what it was like to live in another century or a completely different point in history? As a kid, my family always drove for family vacations, and I would often daydream looking out the window at the scenery. I would see a factory and dream of managing the assembly line and making improvements to the process. Each daydream was quick, because new cities, buildings, or farms would trigger more possibilities.
When I went to college, my dreams of managing a business still reflected elements of those factories I had seen from our car. In my first management class at Wharton, however, we basically spent the entire course learning the age of American manufacturing had passed. I was born in the wrong century.
The American Church Growth Movement Is Church History
For many pastors today, the seminary courses or books they have read about American church growth are beginning to have the same feel. These classes and books are more about church history than they are about leading today.
Books and seminary classes on American church growth can feel more ...CLICK TO TWEETIt is easy to look at church life today and long to be serving in the days of rapid church expansion after World War II. Many of the principles of the Church Growth Movement contain helpful wisdom. But these tips were for an era when the most important thing was not messing up the fact that people would come to your church.
Now, many struggle with the reality that people won’t come to your church. We go long stretches before anyone arrives spontaneously. We are not in danger of running out of parking spots. There is little chance we will hit the 80% full mark in our worship center. We almost have to pick our jaw up off the floor when we meet a new person at church.
That’s not to say that God cannot bring growth to churches. But this is a different generation than the one our mentors and teachers served. This is a different cultural climate that is less accepting of churches and their beliefs. But even more common is the conviction that church is simply not relevant today. So how are we to lead and serve in this post-church growth period? The answer to two questions should help guide us.
What Is the Right Assessment of My Current Situation?
Amidst these historical changes, the mission of the church has not changed, and Lifeway Research exists to help you navigate these changes and to understand the changing ministry dynamics around us. We believe one of the most important things for a pastor to come to grips with is their own attitude about the time in which we live.
What if God called you
to serve Him in a time of declining faith?
Would you serve Him gladly?
What if He asked you
to serve in a dark season?
Would you give your all to spreading His light?
What if His calling came
during a time of pain and suffering?
Would you consider it an honor to endure such trouble?
What if the place you were called
was long past its glory days?
Would your zeal for the task be any less?
What if your time to serve
came when your people were oppressed?
Who would you look to for deliverance?
What if the God of the hill country
was also the God of the valleys of life?
Would you trust him in both?
In 1 Kings 20, Israel had just defeated King Ben-hadad and armies of Aram. The king’s servants suggested strategic changes, including fighting the war on the plain instead of the hills. While this new strategy was an improvement, the leaders of Aram made a key miscalculation. They spoke of Israel saying, “their gods are gods of the hill country. That’s why they were stronger than we were” (1 Kings 20:23).
The next spring, Aram came ready for battle on the plains. But a prophet told the king of Israel, “Because the Arameans have said, ‘The Lord is god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,’ I will hand over all this whole huge army to you. Then you will know I am the Lord” (1 Kings 20:28). Despite the strategic improvements and refortified army of the Arameans, they were defeated.
The Lord is God of cultures that are majority Christian and those t...CLICK TO TWEETAs we consider ministry today, it is easy to see the forces that oppose the church as coming with superior numbers, greater tactics, and real advantages on today’s battlefield. But the Lord is God of cultures that are majority Christian and those that are majority non-Christian. Jesus Christ is head of His Church during times of numerical growth and times of numerical decline. The Lord is seated on His throne whether people in our society are turning toward Him or away from Him.
If our position in society or our position in our church depend on whether we are “winning” numerical trendlines, then our anxiety levels should be off the chart. If our credibility as teachers of the truth depends on how many people believe the truth, then prepare for your reputation to be a constant roller-coaster. But if our legitimacy as pastors or church leaders is based on Who we are pointing people to, then we stand on an unchanging rock and in a peaceful place in the midst of any storm.
As children of God, we do not live in a democracy. The Lord’s power and His place do not depend on the number of people who acknowledge His name. He is Lord, and there is no other.
Am I Rightly Dependent on God?
Pastoring in the 2020s requires a consistent focus on the Lord’s position. Our love for Him, our devotion to Him, our fear of Him, compel us to share with others who He is and how they can have a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.
Asa, king of Judah, did what was good and right in the sight of the Lord. Unlike most of the kings of Israel and Judah, the writer of 2 Chronicles specifically says “the Lord his God.” Asa came to power when following God was not popular. He remained focused on who God is and made it clear to others that this unpopular God was his God.
In 2 Chronicles 14, a long period of peace ends for Asa when a Cushite army that outnumbered his 3 to 1 and who possessed superior technology (chariots) came against his army. Asa appealed to God saying, “Lord, there is none besides you to help the mighty and those without strength. Help us, Lord our God, for we depend on you” (2 Chronicles 14:11).
There is no better pastoral perspective for the 2020s than looking ...CLICK TO TWEETThis prayer is a prayer for pastors this decade. Whether you pastor a church that is relatively strong or completely without strength, you can depend on the Lord. Whether followers of Christ are outnumbered 3 to 1 in your community or 20 to 1, you can depend on the Lord.
There is no better pastoral perspective for the 2020s than looking to the only One who has been worth turning to at any point in history. This can be a decade of dependance as we acknowledge the Lord is God and there is none besides Him. We can appeal for His help as we depend completely on Him.
Scott McConnell
@smcconn
Scott is the executive director of Lifeway Research.
May God spread this word from his Word to pastors and congregations ...
Richard H. Skiba, Jr. said:
Can foster care be a context for disciple-making?
How a Church Can Make a Difference in Foster Care
By Maggie Schade
About a decade ago when we at Christ’s Church of Oronogo began exploring what it would look like to take a more intentional step into the world of foster care, there seemed to be an endless list of questions. Where would we start? What could we even do? How would we work with the government? Isn’t foster care . . . messy?
Since then, we have explored several opportunities within the foster care system: We’ve hosted “Foster Parent Nights Out,” we’ve provided training opportunities for foster parents, and we’ve hosted weekly supervised visits between kids in foster care and their biological parents, among other things.
While this ministry can indeed be complicated, it’s been an incredible privilege to witness restoration firsthand . . .
+ Read more
The future Church is already multi-ethnic, decentralized, and on the move. The question is whether the American Church will join it, or keep trying to manage yesterday’s map.
Rob Wegner
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