Page 237 - How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations That Win

HOW DO I RESPOND TO DISPOSABILITY AND CHANGE? (GROWTH, LEARNING, AND RESILIENCE)

work, we have synthesized a number of keys to successful
change, including the following:

• • Leadership. Change requires a strong leader who spon-
sors and champions the change.
• • Felt need. When the need for change is palpable, it
helps overcome the natural resistance to change.
• • Vision. A clear and compelling vision based on clear
values and with specific goals and action steps facilitates
change.
• • Commitment. Get people to act as if they are commit-
ted, and commitment will follow.
• • Decisions. Build a decision protocol that breaks the
vision of tomorrow into decisions today; start with small,
visible changes to let success build success.
• • Systems. Institutionalize a change through wise invest-
ments in people, communication, rewards, information
and data, and budget.
• • Measures. Monitor how the change is going to ensure
learning and adaptation.

Knowing what it takes to make change happen does not
mean we will do it, however. Leaders help people turn what
they know into what they do by bringing the discipline of
a change checklist to any project and initiative. Pilots, sur-
geons, merger specialists, and fast-food restaurant managers
all use checklists to ensure consistent performance. Leaders
can use a change checklist to determine what keys to suc-
cessful change are already in place or where to invest more
resources. For example, in one company, the first three keys
to change from the preceding list (leader, need, and vision)

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