Page 241 - Just Promoted A 12 Month Road Map for Success in Your New Leadership Role

226 Just Promoted!

top management’s support. Overwhelmed by their own product deadlines, for
which Rob’s bosses would hold them accountable, they had little stomach for
a major renewal effort. Like Jim’s organization at the end of the renewal
process, Rob’s was exhausted as well—but it had not yet begun the effort.
Already working long hours and under lots of pressure, they had no patience
for the extra time and effort needed for examination and renewal.
Based on Rob’s needs and the contrasting demands of his leaders, Rob real-
ized the dilemma he was in. He lacked a well-designed corporate renewal strat-
egy, with agreements from top and middle managers in key functions to make
it happen. His strategy would allow the operations people to plan for a slightly
longer wait for new products, while product development rebuilt itself. Rob’s
lesson was painful, one he should have realized before he took the job. In
organization renewal, the pace and timing of change are often as important as
the buy-in and involvement throughout the organization. Sometimes two feet
are needed on the accelerator to strengthen the organization. Other times
intermittent cruising speeds or even pauses will be in order, while the organ-
ization tends to the work.
Both these leaders, Jim and Rob, were faced with similar issues. Jim’s was
how to prevent stagnation in an organization wearied by the organizational
improvement process. Rob’s was how to overcome stagnation in an organiza-
tion exhausted from the day-to-day work. Managing the ongoing change will
be one of your most difficult challenges, and there is no driver’s manual to
ensure success. Here are a few rules of thumb that can help, however:

1. Try to achieve the difficult balance between, on the one hand, combating
the forces of stagnation and, on the other hand, overextending people. This takes
constant attention to timelines and progress, communication about delays and
problems, openness to suggestions, and sensitivity to people’s needs.
Juliette knew her group of data analysts was seriously backlogged, yet she
knew they needed to have a better way to manage the work. So she decided to
ease them into a process of change. They started with a series of once-a-week
working lunches in the conference room, which Juliette paid for out of her travel
budget. After two meetings, a core group of interested people formed, who con-
tinued to meet once a week for Juliette’s lunch; others were invited to the open
meeting, but Juliette’s group committed themselves to continued meetings. As
they discussed their needs and wants, they slowly began to develop a set of goals,
and as interest grew, Juliette encouraged them to set a timeline.