PAPERmaking! FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TECHNOLOGY Volume 3, Number 2, 2017
Leading the Process Strategic change doesn’t happen on its own. Effective leaders guide the process from start to finish. Initiate . Effective change leaders begin by making the case for the change they seek. This can include evaluating the business context, understanding the purpose of the change, developing a clear vision and desired outcome, and identifying a common goal. Unsuccessful leaders say they didn’t focus on these tasks enough to reach a common understanding of the goal. Strategize . Successful leaders developed a strategy and a clear action plan, including priorities, timelines, tasks, structures, behaviours, and resources. They identified what would change, but also what would stay the same. Leaders who weren’t successful said they failed to listen enough to questions and concerns, and failed to define success from the beginning. Execute . Translating strategy into execution is one of the most important things leaders can do. In our study, successful change leaders focused on getting key people into key positions (or removing them, in some cases). They also broke big projects down into small wins to get early victories and build momentum. And they developed metrics and monitoring systems to measure progress. Unsuccessful change leaders sometimes began micromanaging, got mired in implementation details, and failed to consider the bigger picture. Leading People While change processes are well understood, too many leaders neglect the all-important human side of change. The most effective leaders devoted considerable effort to engaging everyone involved in the change effort.
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Article 14 – Change Leadership
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