Help! Our Change Champion Has Stopped Championing

What does a change management team do when the “champions” of the change stop championing?

A participant at a workshop asked me this question. The change management team was frustrated because the leaders who launched the change initiative had stopped championing it. Yet, they were still expected to implement the change.

I have been asked this or a similar question many times. The message I receive is always the same—the change management or project team feels abandoned by the change sponsor. Once this feeling emerges the team starts to question how they can successfully implement the change, or even why they should continue when it appears the change sponsor is not supporting the change.

When this happens both the specific change initiative, and your organization’s success with future changes is at risk.

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10 Reasons Organizational Change is Like a Marathon

This Sunday, in Winnipeg, thousands of people will participate in the Manitoba Marathon. Congratulations to everyone who will be running. It takes determination, courage, and commitment to run a marathon. Organizational change can be like running a marathon. 

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My top ten reasons why organizational change is like a marathon:

  1. You are doubtful in the beginning, excited at the start line, exhausted in the middle, and really (and I mean really) proud when you cross the finish line.
  2. It can destroy you if you haven’t prepared properly, but when you are prepared it can build your capacity for even greater accomplishments.
  3. It is as much a mental and emotional endeavor as it is physical.
  4. It requires involvement; no one can run the race for someone else and have them receive the benefits.
  5. You need the commitment to persevere. Buy-in isn’t enough to get you through race.
  6. How quickly you recover after the race depends on how well you prepared before the race.
  7. Celebrating your success is part of the process.
  8. You can only complete the race at the speed of your own readiness and ability.
  9. Support and encouragement along the route can make the difference between quitting or completing.
  10. You can only successfully complete one race at a time.

Regards,

Dr. Dawn-Marie Turner

Helping you launch, lead and live change more successfully.

Organizational Change at Rosings Park

Every summer I make time to read at least one novel. This summer I chose Diane Morris’s Rosings Park.

In the interest of full disclosure, Diane Morris has been my dearest friend for over 20 years. She is an accomplished technical writer and has published two university textbooks and numerous articles and other papers on nutrition. I was thrilled when I received a copy of her first novel, Rosings Park. I just knew it was going to be a great story. What I didn’t expect was to get a lesson in organizational change. Read more

Getting Leaders Ready: One key to successful organizational change

Summer is almost over and already you can see early signs that fall is on its way. The days are getting shorter, there is an evening chill that lingers a little longer in the morning and maybe the surest sign – the stores have begun to advertise their back to school specials.

As fall approaches and you get back into a more regular routine you may be thinking about rebooting and re-initiating work that you put off to let staff enjoy the summer or because you weren’t ready to get started. If any of that work involves change—whether it’s a software implementation, a new product launch, business expansion, new business process or any other type of change—it’s never too early to ensure your leaders and managers have the knowledge and skills to implement and sustain the changes your organization needs to be successful. Read more

Are your employees ready for change?

Organizational Versus People Readiness Excerpt from DM Turner Launch Lead Live: The executive’s guide to preventing resistance and succeeding with organizational change  “We’re ready. All the hardware and software is installed and the employees have been trained.”  That was a comment from a manager who was implementing a large system change in his organization. It […]

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