Comment mener la conduite du changement en toute confiance ?

In my views, the more time you invest in assessing the situation, the more confident you are of leading the change management. The basic like doing homework by researching about the situation. Have a rough hypotheses to get started. Listening to stakeholders and their view of the situation will help fine tune (or even discard the hypothesis).

Three years ago, I rehearsed a career-changing speech. Today, I’m here to share the thrill of leading change! Imagine facing skeptics used to "changes" before. I believed in change as growth and infected my team with the same positivity. Together, we created our change plan. No endless meetings—just clear actions! Our mantra: Engage, empower, execute! With teamwork, fear of failure vanished. Mistakes became lessons, not setbacks. Politics? We nipped those in the bud - promoting transparency over shadow games. Transparency won. Each employee was valued as a dreamer. Together we cheered even for the tiniest victories because they were OUR victories. Amidst all this, empathy wasn't our buzzword—it was our compass.

Are you convinced that the change is need? You better be. 💡 Change can be unsettling for teams. But a clear vision and compassion inspire people. Identify why the change matters. Explain the benefits. Then support people through transitions. Celebrate small wins together. Adapt based on feedback. Keep communicating with empathy. Stay the course with quiet confidence.

📝To confidently lead change management in the current situation assessment phase: 1. Develop a thorough understanding of the current state. 2. Involve key stakeholders from the outset. 3. Clearly communicate the objectives and assessment process. 4. Utilize appropriate tools, such as SWOT analyses and surveys. 5. Focus on the needs and expectations of stakeholders. 6. Promote a collaborative approach in data collection. 7. Manage expectations and explain stakeholders' roles. 8. Conduct a systematic analysis of collected data. 9. Be open to continuous feedback during the assessment. 10. Be prepared for unexpected challenges, demonstrating resilient leadership.

Leading change management with confidence requires a clear vision, effective communication, and proactive engagement. Begin by articulating the benefits of change to instill motivation. Communicate openly, addressing concerns and emphasizing a shared purpose. Involve key stakeholders from the outset, fostering a sense of ownership. Anticipate resistance and provide continuous support, acknowledging the human side of change. Regularly assess progress and adjust strategies as needed. Confidence stems from adaptability, resilience, and a commitment to guiding the team through the complexities of transformation.

A clear, inspiring vision is pivotal for effective change management. It should encapsulate the desired outcome, align with organizational values, and motivate stakeholders. Communicating this vision widely ensures everyone understands the direction and purpose of the change, creating a shared sense of urgency and commitment. This approach is vital for guiding change with clarity and purpose, ensuring all efforts are strategically aligned towards a common goal.

Leading change confidently means talking openly with your team. Share what the change is about, explain what we want to achieve, and be clear about what to expect. Help everyone see why it's important to act quickly. This way, we all understand and can make the change together.

Where is this supposed to lead to? Knowing the vision (destination) is understanding the journey to the destination That vision must be clear and shared. I was supporting a client once on a change process. In our first session, it came to light that the team members (including the senior management team) did not know the vision of the company, the mission and the core values. I knew that was going to be one looooonnnggg journey. We are still on that journey.

Defining a clear, inspiring vision is crucial—it forms the cornerstone of an effective communication plan. If your team doesn't believe in or connect with the vision, executing the change plan becomes as challenging as wading through waist-high mud. To ensure successful change implementation, take the time to articulate a compelling vision and complement it with strategic branding. I've found that integrating branding not only communicates the vision effectively but also enhances the team's understanding and commitment. This approach transforms the vision from a mere statement into a dynamic force that propels the team forward, making the journey through change smoother and more purposeful.

I strongly encourage involving the stakeholders in the formulation of the vision. Their participation creates investment in the vision, and often times will lead to them helping to implement the change.

This step is the most important to get right. It involves creating a plan, and then being willing to change the plan if needed. There are a lot of change leaders that want everyone else to change but won’t change their own plans. Admit that when planning, you don’t know what you don’t know. Admit that external forces can impact the plan. Also plan to inspect progress on a cadence and adapt the plan as needed. I’ve led 4 transformations and no 2 have taken the same path.

Let people know that you expect to know about obstacles and constraints before project update meetings so that you can prioritize and act on issues before losing time.

Don’t go at change management with an attitude of ‘anything goes’. No one likes to follow what they don’t understand. Have a clear plan of what you want to do. Understand the people. Organisations do not change PEOPLE do. Ensure the core of the processes are with the people and not the structures only.

A successful change plan requires a solid foundation, encompassing: *Well-defined objectives *Targeted execution employing the 80/20 principle *Vigilant performance monitoring *Adaptable corrective mechanisms for necessary adjustments, and *Systematic documentation of improvements. The integration of these elements ensures the plan's resilience and eventual success. Through personal experience, I've found that this comprehensive process not only establishes a robust framework for change but also enhances the plan's effectiveness, making it agile and responsive to evolving needs.

Establishing a CAB(change Advisory Board) which meets weekly to evaluate proposed changes, blackout plans and preparations, for all dependencies alleviates many, but not all risks. Adjusting the plan can be important, but all stakeholders have to participate in the decision.

Sharing what is changing is obviously key but sharing what isn’t changing can help reassure team members. It’s easy to forget that when you’re delivering the news/change itself, you have had time to process and understand when others haven’t.

The number one way to shift culture and management to spend time I the trenches with the people. Get to know them- what they love, do t love, despise. Find the pain points and investigate what would lift the company culture. Go back and make it happen!

Get the perspectives of the process owners. That way solutions are informed by the people that need to make the change successful and reduces resistance that happens when they are simply informed of the change.

People change, not entities. You can change all you can if you don’t have a changed perspective on issues that crop up on the process, you will achieve close to nothing.

In my experience, even the best laid up plans are bound to change. To be a confident leader, it is imperative to be adaptable and nimble. Being rigid and expecting the team to stick to the original plan will lead to inefficiencies and wasted effort. Composure in the face of turbulence is key to guiding the project back on-track. Use the plan to guide decisions and planning, but flex and adapt around it to cater to the needs of the moment. A successful PM always has the ideal plan down to the last detail and understands where there are opportunities to flex and where to expend the contingencies. The ability to guide the team through changes inspires confidence and provides great opportunities to let the team display creativity and ownership.

Implementing the change is critical once buy-in has been secured. Because this is a phase where a leader and his/her champions (employees) are engaging fully and visibly, it is imperative that the leader walks his/her talk.

Again ask the process owners for their perspective and potential solutions. They live the processes being changed and need to be considered if we further adjustment is needed.

Eventually, a plan is only a plan when it’s implemented. Remember some elements may change as you go along the execution of the plan. Don’t be rock hard about your plan. In this age, agility is the key word. If you are not adapting to the right and nurturing environment, you and/ or your organisation will die

Don't declare victory at go live. Have you ever started a diet or workout routine on January 1st? What was your habit come February 1st? Maybe you are keeping up some things but others are starting to slide. What about March 1st? What about June? Change takes time, consistency and reinforcement. It takes measurement of success and demonstrating what behaviors got you to that success. This is the most under-resourced phase of change management and arguably the only phase that makes change become culture.

In change management, sustaining change is pivotal. As a leader responsible for change in my previous role, my focus was on reinforcing and rewarding the behaviors that align with the change, ensuring they become ingrained in our organizational culture. Consistently recognising these efforts helps prevent regression. Regular evaluations of the change process are crucial for understanding its impact and effectiveness. Documenting and sharing lessons learned and best practices not only fosters a culture of continuous improvement but also becomes a valuable resource for future initiatives. By embedding these learnings into our operations, we turn change into a stepping stone for ongoing innovation and development.

Keep measuring and reviewing metrics. It’s also good to launch a maintenance/continuous improvement phase that builds on what you have accomplished.

Confidence comes from a firm belief in team's ability to forge a way ahead in a way that makes sense for them and not following someone else's recipe. Leadership lies in trusting the team's combined skills and experience, specially when they hit a bump on the road.

The key is leading with self-awareness, empathy, consistency and strategic communication. Meet people where they are emotionally through the transition. Lead by example. As the leader driving the change, you need to model the behaviors and attitudes you want to see from your team. Walk the talk - if you expect your team to be adaptable, show your own flexibility. Involve resistors early. Seek out those likely to resist the change and engage them early on. Listen to their concerns, provide extra support, and see if you can convert resistors into champions who can influence others. Celebrate small wins. Change often happens gradually in increments. Recognize milestones achieved. Small wins can build confidence in the change!

Leading change management with confidence involves fostering a clear vision, communicating effectively, and engaging key stakeholders. Develop a compelling narrative that highlights the benefits of change. Address concerns proactively and involve employees in the process, making them feel valued and informed. Provide ongoing support, measure progress, and adapt strategies as needed. Confidence stems from a well-defined plan, open communication, and a commitment to navigating challenges collaboratively.

When talking about change and transformation I just want us to embrace the idea of implementation failure from the get-go. Sometimes no matter how good the story is, no matter how clear the vision and how motivating the rewards, at the end of the journey, some organizations will fail to complete the process and go back , when the first hurdle appears, to previous habits and behaviours. And most of the time, the justification is - We've just done it this way for 20 years and been successful, why change now. Get your confidence from that, lessons learned are better than smooth sailing.

Overall, leading change management with confidence entails creating a human-centered approach (employees are involved and in the driver seat, not in the backseat) for a particular change management initiative. Such an approach will help increase buy-in and thwart potential problems before they arise.