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OPINION
To integrate effective change management, identify needs, understand deeply, honor the past, mandate change, and provide a precise, optimistic roadmap forward. A new change management approach
A s we start a new year and strategic planning is in full swing, I believe it is crucial to be intentional about integrating change management strategies into the process. Anticipating, planning, and embracing change fuels growth. In my experience leading teams in the engineering industry, I have found that introducing change can result in resistance and challenges. Everyone responds to change differently. To address this, I have found it helpful to approach change management with honesty, empathy, sensitivity, positivity, and accountability.
Leisbel Lam, PE, LC, MBA
This simple, five-step approach has allowed me to craft a clear and compelling story that motivates people toward change: 1. Name what needs to change. The first step is to identify what needs to change. For example, when I joined MCE in 2021 to lead a newly created sector serving the government, higher education, and workspace markets, I encountered a challenging situation in which I was tasked with turning around and growing a sector with low sales volume, several underperforming projects ranking at the lowest net multipliers in the organization, low client satisfaction rates, and an understaffed team.
2. Deep understanding, simple description. It is crucial to gain a deep understanding of the situation so you can craft a simple, clear, and concise message that builds a compelling story. I dedicated four months to understanding MCE’s culture, history, values, vision, and strategy framework so that I could develop this message. It is important to test the simplicity and stickiness of your message by distilling the vision down to a sentence that is so clear and concise everyone can see it, understand it, and articulate it. By describing our sector as “a start-up team
See LEISBEL LAM, page 8
THE ZWEIG LETTER FEBRUARY 5, 2024, ISSUE 1523
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