Transformation Pillar: Ongoing Communication
About a 4 minute read
You have been meticulous in your planning. All the necessary conversations have been had and the purpose and direction of the impending change have been released to the masses. Now, the team is putting its collective head down to bring the change to fruition. Everything is good to go from here…
Well, now just hold up there, partner, there be some rumblings afoot! You may have had your fancy conversations and think once the necessary words are spoken they'll be cemented in the organization's collective consciousness. But what if I told you, all the care you put into those conversations, and all those words you so eloquently spoke went in one ear, had a nice short stay, and then left right out the other? Hate to say it, but that's your reality. So, what are you going to do about it?
The truth of any change, especially those that expand across an organization like a transformation, are not "real" until people must start adjusting their routines or approaches to how they work. Then, regardless of what information has been shared, questions will abound, and those questions will even leave the very leaders championing the change looking for answers. As a change leader, you may find yourself feeling as though you are losing it. You did all the necessary foundational work and then some, and now it seems as if there is a reset button being hit each day. You are not, however, losing it. Change is tough and disruptive, and if you are not the one leading the change and able to see all the pieces in motion, it can be disorienting. Combating the always surprising and ever present lack of change awareness does not need to be an exercise in futility.
Once again, communication is the key and its ubiquitous presence is the focus of the fifth transformation pillar: Ongoing Communication. All the upfront communication is great and necessary, but it can be quickly be forgotten. In order to maintain organizational awareness of the change's purpose, roadmap, and outcomes, those topics needs to be communicated frequently throughout the change process with repetition, repetition, and more repetition. You are going to feel as though you are having the same conversation over and over, and that will probably still not be enough. There are, however, areas where your personality and experience as a leader can breathe life into what otherwise seems like an exercise in tedium.
The paramount consideration to the ongoing communication during a change process is ensuring certain pieces are always present. These components are:
Repetition of the "what" and "why"
Visibility of change roadmap - what's the plan
Progress updates
Let's briefly touch on each of those above items. Repetition of the "what" and "why" is the most important communication piece because it helps keep the change and its purpose on everyone's radar to make maintaining alignment manageable. Roadmap visibility allows individuals to see where they have been (what has been accomplished), where they are currently at in the change process, and where they are going. Ideally, having this information, coupled with continually reinforced purpose, will encourage greater individual ownership (more "skin in the game"). Progress updates, then, wrap together how specific endeavors are advancing since the last update and give leaders the opportunity to share encouraging sentiments or other guiding thoughts.
Once the communication staples are taken care of, there is an opportunity to inject some creativity to make each communication issuance worthwhile. Even though change is disruptive and work is work, fun and lighthearted moments can still be had. I promise it is possible with good leadership. For example, perhaps the change was introduced around a theme, something generic like "Building the Future of Business". Each update, then, can play itself as adding another brick to what is being built (e.g., "This brick was gathering customer sentiment", "The next stage, or brick, was structuring teams around the established value pipelines", etc.). My personal favorite for creating regular, yet unique, communication is having a new, focused topic with each iteration. The next pillar, "Feedback Vehicle", is instrumental in supporting being able to address the topics on which individuals want more information. Gathered feedback highlights those threads that should be addressed by leadership whether it is touching upon pain points or areas that require greater clarification. Including a desired topic with earnest commentary in each communication builds goodwill and shows that feedback is discussed. The main thing to keep in mind: including something unique in each communication will help encourage greater engagement throughout the change process.
Okay, okay, partner, I think you've rooted out some of those rumblings. I like your plan. A steady stream of familiar and purposeful communication is going to go a long way to keeping folks on the right path. It certainly helps me remember what's going on and where things are headed. Just remember, you've got to keep it going and make sure there's a lot of it!