Column: Doing better than just surviving change

It feels as though we”™re dodging lightning bolts, coming at us from every direction. I worry something unexpected could seriously harm or destroy the company I”™ve worked so hard to build. My sense is that it”™s getting harder and harder to steer clear of the storm clouds. How do we learn to adapt better and faster to change?

Thoughts of the Day: Staying ahead of the curve requires knowing where you”™re going, as well as knowing what ground you”™re going to have to cover to get there. Make sure you have the right tools and people to get where you want to go. Check that everyone is communicating opening and productively across all levels. Imagine and test new ways of doing things. Know what success looks like ”” set measures to strive for, both short and long term. Be a cheerleader without getting in the way of real change.

Pace of change is continuously accelerating. That leads to increasing uncertainty and confusion. Just because something works today, will it still be relevant tomorrow? As owner/leader of the organization, your job is to teach your team how to deal with constant change effectively.

Have a destination that everyone agrees to. Hash out any immediate disagreements over the final destination before setting off. Make sure everyone knows and is on board with the big picture. Building a roadmap helps people to stay on point. Lay out short, intermediate and long-term goals. Develop action steps and assign them due dates. Note who will be responsible for what.

Make it easier to deal with potential problems by preparing ahead of time. Use meetings to discuss what might disrupt plans. Gather ideas and encourage debate. While disagreements are okay, set a time limit to prevent participants from getting stuck. Put every idea possible on the table. Discuss critically what might and might not work. Demand that all participants do their homework and present suggestions as well as critiques.

Allow people to test ideas. Make sure they know ahead of time what it is they”™re trying to accomplish and how they expect to demonstrate if something is a success or a diversion. If the team runs out of ideas, can”™t see clearly what is coming at them or can”™t imagine how to deal with the challenges they”™re facing, encourage them to bring in outsiders to help. Whether you”™re looking at adding consultants or employees, make sure the candidates have experience dealing with the challenges your company is facing.

If budget is a concern, think about the costs of making a big mistake because your organization doesn”™t know enough about what it”™s trying to do. Usually the cost of mistakes is significantly greater than the cost of adding talent to avoid problems.

Know when to cut off the debate and get moving. Sometimes the perfect solution isn”™t obvious or available. Test multiple solutions by assigning people to groups. Demand all groups openly share what they”™re learning.

When one test fails or is stopped in favor of another, bring people back together onto one team. Hold a meeting to explain why one solution is being adopted and another abandoned.

Ask people from all teams to commit to supporting the selected direction. Make it clear that regardless of which team”™s solution is being selected, it”™s all one team going forward. Check to be certain everyone is on board.

Make sure you can access, record and track data ”” and then use it wisely to tell you how things are proceeding. Decide ahead of time what indicators will show if progress is being made. Figure out how to keep track of information real time. Convert data to graphs that are easy to read and post them where everyone can see.

Recognize the efforts of all team members. Avoid having winners and losers by celebrating the failures as well as the successes. Know that some ideas will succeed and some will fail ”” and that only by trying will the organization learn the difference. Thank everyone for their participation, dedication, and commitment. Stay on point with the long-term goals. Remind everyone of the rewards ”” personal, professional and organizational ”” to be had when those goals are achieved.

Looking for a good book? Try “Organizational Change: An Action Oriented Toolkit” by Thomas “Tupper” A. Cawsey, Gene Deszca and Cynthia Ingols.

Andi Gray is president of Strategy Leaders Inc., strategyleaders.com, a business-consulting firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurial firms grow. She can be reached by phone at 877-238-3535. Do you have a question for Andi? Please send it to her via email at AskAndi@StrategyLeaders.com. Visit www.AskAndi.com for an entire library of her articles.