If I were asked to provide one example of excellent change management, I would choose a process that I was exposed to some 8 months ago. The facilitator of this process was not a change manager in the conventional sense, but I would certainly classify what she did (and more importantly, how she did it) as top-notch change management.

Cathy is a nursing sister and registered midwife, and presented a series of ante-natal classes to my wife Yolande and I and a group of other expectant parents. She presented the classes in a uniquely quirky, personal and entertaining way, with so much passion, authenticity and real “I’ve been there and know what it is like” authority. She drew freely from both her own experience as a mother and from her formal training and experience as a health care professional.

I’ve been through the childbirth experience before when my teenage daughter was born during my first marriage, but this was Yolande’s first pregnancy. Consequently she approached the experience with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. While I increasingly shared her excitement with regard to the overall experience, I had a rather cynical been-there-before attitude to the ante-natal classes, somewhat grumpily resigning myself to spending several Monday nights hearing stuff I mostly already knew. In short, with regard to the ante-natal classes, I was the archetypal reluctant stakeholder!

But Cathy changed all of that. She loves her work, and it shows in buckets. Her enthusiasm and humour was infectious, and her classes were practical and insightful. She took the whole group on a journey, got us to ask questions and make comments. She skilfully dealt with fears and misconceptions, and had the ability to make us laugh at ourselves. We went through an alignment process, there was a proper setting of the context and lots of detailed communications. The change impacts were thoroughly clarified and made more real as she prepared participants in her class for the major life change they would soon experience. It was done so smoothly and so naturally that I didn’t become aware of the similarities between what Cathy was doing in her classes and what I do as a profession until the moment that she passed around the needles used for applying epidural anaesthetic – being able to hold these shiny, scary-looking needles in our hands, and openly sharing what we were feeling and thinking was one of the best possible ways one could prepare our group for one of the less pleasant aspects of the birth ahead. And Cathy didn’t sugar-coat any of the other more challenging aspects of becoming a new parent, sparing us none of the details regarding typical nappy smells, projectile vomiting, rashes, fevers and a host of other unpleasantries. She told it like it was. And after every session we left feeling slightly more prepared. The best for me – actually the clincher that turned me into a (hitherto only partially confessed) Cathy fan is that we could all sense that she was clearly on our side, sharing advice on diverse subjects like how to ensure the best (but more labour-intensive and therefore avoided by some doctors) stitches after a C-section, which nappy creams work well and which are rubbish, how the very best salve for preventing nappy rash is actually and surprisingly a product used by dairy farmers for the udders of their milk cows, and where to buy this at a good price.

Before I get too carried away, I must acknowledge that the circumstances of managing change in an organisational context are somewhat different – for starters our stakeholders are often not self-selected (those who attended Cathy’s classes were there of their own free will), and the case for change never quite as compelling! But I still see Cathy’s approach as an excellent example of effective change management. And there are also lessons (and encouragement) that I can take from this:

• Good change management doesn’t necessarily require a lot of time (in Cathy’s case all she needed was two hours a week of focused interaction with the people in her classes and then as much time as stakeholders wanted to spend to read up on the material they got)
• Simplicity is always better
• A large portion of change management must happen on a human scale to allow for interaction and the processing of emotion. People don’t change when they listen , are “Powerpointed” or when they read e-mails – they change through dialogue and interaction
• Practical assistance that addresses where stakeholders are actually at is priceless – and of course, misdirected effort in this regard (e.g. huge training programmes, websites, helplines, information sessions, and user guides that do not relate to actual stakeholder needs on the ground) is a waste of time and resources.
• Personal attributes of the change facilitator make a major difference – things like compassion, a sense of humour, extensive knowledge of the relevant subject matter, comeptence, a passion for the work, and the ability to sometimes let go of structure and just trust the process come to mind.
• Authenticity. Without this, the process becomes very shallow and true engagement unlikely. Meeting Cathy for the first time leaves you with a very clear impression that this is a no-nonsense lady and that, should you foolishly decide to cross swords with her, you do this at your own peril. No “bleeding heart” syndrome here, despite all the obvious care she feels. This “realness”, this bringing of her own true self into the situation imbues everything else she does with authenticity, and makes her so very effective at developing trust and enabling others to open up to her.

So, Cathy, it’s taken me a while to get around to saying this as completely as I have here, but you have my gratitude for investing my own road back to becoming a new father with extra warmth and humanity, for helping Yolande to deal with childbirth and early parenthood as well as she has, and also for reminding me how much difference a good change manager can make to the lives of others.

Hello

My name is David McCormick I'm a Spanish to English Translator and Interpreter and a management consultant.

I'm interested in translating Change Management articles. My fee is very competitive One US Cent per Word. And I’m also interested in exchanging Ideas with Change Management practitioners from all over the world.

KindestRegards

David McCormick

"She said it grieves me so to see you in such pain
I wish there was something I could do to make you smile again
I said I appreciate that and would you please explain
About the fifty ways" (Paul Simon - 50 Ways to leave your lover)

As a change management consultant, I earn my living by minding other people's business. I spend much more waking time with my clients than with my loved ones. To my further discredit, sometimes when I am at home and supposed to be minding my own business - the business of loving, relating, laughing, conversing, caring and just simply living - I find my mind wandering back to my clients, like an errant tongue worrying at a chipped tooth.

Let me confess further: It's not just that working as a consultant has tended to absorb much of my time and even more of my attention, for me it is also true that the demands of change management work sometimes leaves me emotionally drained - when I return home after a day's work or a week away, I'm often kinda running on empty.

I suspect that my situation is not unique. Unless you take very special care in managing the boundaries between work and life, one sure-fire way of leaving your lover (and your children, your elderly parents, your faithful dog and pretty much everyone else who matters to you) can be by working as a change management consultant on a succession of large long-term projects. Of course, the damaging implications of not ensuring a healthy work-life balance extend even further - ultimately, it might prevent you from ever becoming the person you need to be, from realising your own unique potential. Being good at your chosen career might be ( might be) part of what you need to actualise yourself, but it is an absolute certainty that it would only form part of a much larger and more complex universe of what it really means to be you in the best possible way that you can. We all have to be clear on exactly how much we want to feed the beast called "work", and what we expect to receive in return. We also have to then stand firm on this, for the beast is greedy, devious, and unscrupulous.

But it’s not just about boundaries between you and the beast – it’s also how you relate to the beast, and specifically its keepers – your clients. My clients take up so much of my life, absorb so much of my attention, that it is important for me to understand how I relate to them and how they relate to me.

Let's begin with how I typically relate to clients: For me to contemplate doing the work at all, I have to engage authentically. I would not be able to spend this much time, effort and passion on something I don't care about. So in terms of my consulting career, it is fortunate that caring came naturally. Caring about the people I work with, the project, the company, the wider and longer-term implications of what we are doing. I can't help myself, I really "get with the program". I'm proud of the achievements, I worry if we're slipping on schedule. I'm deeply ashamed when the project behaves poorly or inconsiderately. I'm far more motivated by being part of a team, keeping up my end of making the project happen than by the formal commercial agreement. Actually, I'm quite comfortable to move away from what was agreed in the commercial arrangement if this will contribute more value to the project. Of course, this is anathema to people with a more clinical, arms-length approach to consulting. I've seen change management consulting teams delivering work that they privately admit will add no value, but feel bound to do because "it's in the proposal". In a nutshell then, I tend to really commit to clients and projects. There may be other ways, but for me this is the only sustainable way to do what I do.

It’s also an emotionally dangerous thing to do, for different clients relate in remarkably different ways to consultants. Although there tends to be patterns in this regard at organisational level (some organisations consistently engaging really effectively with consultants, others appearing to have a love/hate relationship with their consultants) the relationship between clients and consultants often is imbued with its sweetest or most bitter flavours at a more personal level:

In the sweeter part of the spectrum, individual client representatives are confident of their own abilities, have a realistic view of what you as consultant can offer, and treat you much as they would treat their other, more permanent colleagues. While they expect you to deliver, they also acknowledge and relate to the person doing the work. Here you will usually find consistency, openness, respect, and acceptance. Because this relationship tends to be authentic, it is easy to find personal meaning and value here, and it is also easy to make friends: One of my best friends (and the best man at my wedding) was my consultant and I his client more than a decade ago, and as a consultant I have developed deep and lasting friendships with clients that I have worked with – some are also colleagues in our consulting business now.

At the other, more bitter extreme, individual client representatives may be resentful of the fees that their organisation has had to pay for your services (in disregard of normal market forces and irrespective of the fact that your fees might be eminently reasonable), and they then make a point of expecting you to pull rabbits out of your briefcase with regular consistency. And they don’t just want super-extraordinary work, they also want lots of it - they insist on their pound of flesh, but unlike Shakespeare’s Shylock, they want a pound every week. If it were not for the demeaning tone that is normally taken by such clients, this would be still be OK with me, for I also feel that I must justify my rates and that I need to deliver at a significantly above average level.

It can even get worse: Some clients may also see you as a threat – operating from a deep sense of insecurity, they are afraid that you might expose their limitations and weaknesses or that by delivering value to their organisation, you might steal their limelight and undermine their opportunities for advancement. They may also secretly (and very unrealistically!) be envious of the prestige and money associated with consulting. Here you will usually find inconsistency, hidden agendas, distrust and a lack of respect.

As consultants we have a major influence in how our clients relate to us – how we conduct ourselves today will determine at least part of how our clients will treat us tomorrow. But there are many things we cannot influence, that we just have to live with (or choose not to live with).

Due to the nature of our work as change management consultants, we usually have to go to where this particular fire is the hottest, and it is us, more than most other project team members, who are the most exposed to client relationships. So, as change practitioners we need even more than others to understand how to deal with the keepers of our work beast, and sometimes in exceptional cases when to choose not to deal with them at all.

Four years ago, I created the Change Facilitation Associates Network. My intend was to bring together a highly skilled group of people from all around the world who share the passion for change and the responsibility to make things happen.

I guided the association for three years. When I saw it maturing, I handed over to a Board of Associates and a President, who is now Tanja Vermeer. The Board has revised the membership guidelines. The good news is: The membership fees have been reduced significantly, allowing more people to join this group. Download the membership brochure here.

An Invitation
We invite you to join the global Change Facilitation Associates Network. So far, 30 experts and companies from all over the world have decided to combine forces and to form an international network for learning and sharing their knowledge amongst themselves and other change makers in the world.

Our Mission
CFAN aims to refine and co-create the craft of facilitating organizational and individual change and to share the knowledge with change makers around the world.

Our Vision
CFAN is a global community of people who explore and advance change facilitation to collectively create profound collaborative change in a profit and non for profit manner. This connects us deeply, both within ourselves and within this changing world.

Why do people join us? Because...

• it is an opportunity to build international partnerships with other associates.
• it gives them a great feeling of connectedness.
• it is an opportunity to sell and distribute own tools to other associates (and change leaders).
• it provides access to tools on Knowledge: articles and discussions on interesting topics.
• it gives access to experience: virtual conversations with other change facilitators around the world.
• it provides ample opportunities to embrace and celebrate change.
• members share knowledge and experience on change facilitation in a profit and not for profit manner.

simple is better when you want[need] the core principle - simple is worse when it requires two(2) or more factors to understand.

logic - change can sometimes be explained by matter of induction when

          we provide additional irrelevent information[ideology]

deduction - the simplest explenation uses the least amount of info[reality]

See my latest blog entry:

http://www.growth-coach.com/blogs/leadblog/walk_unafraid

Play to win

What makes a good change manager? This is a question that my senior colleagues and I have asked ourselves on several occasions - when trying to figure out how to improve the recruitment and development processes in our change management consulting company, when helping clients develop their own internal change capacity, when figuring out what courses to offer through our change management training company.

I suppose the answer to this question very much depends on what meaning is ascribed to “change manager” and “good” – i.e. what are the role requirements, and to what level must these requirements be met?

However, a typical set of generic attributes for middle-level change managers that work in the project context would probably include:

• A passion for doing the work
• An ability to work to deadlines and a commitment to deliver on time
• An above-average “people ability” including communication skills, empathy, ability to establish trust and rapport, etc.
• A very good understanding of change management principles and associated theory, methodology, techniques and tools, and the ability to apply these in a practical and flexible manner
• Good analytic ability
• A good understanding of the project process
• Well-developed PC productivity skills in the major desktop software applications
• At least a basic level of general business acumen
• A good basic understanding of the client industry

We’ve developed somewhat more formal and complete definitions which we use for recruitment and development purposes, and have developed an extensive competency model for our training business. I think we’ve made good progress towards answering the question – in any event that we’ve reached the level where our answers yield practical, value adding direction and structure to our endeavours.

But there is another question that I find to be even more interesting: What makes a great change manager? For the moment, these are my “top five” attributes of a great change manager:

1. Ability to "make things happen".
Much of the practice of change management is intangible, and most of the meaningful results can only be achieved by working through other people who have their own priorities and who may not share the urgency that you have with regard to any particular deliverable. In the course of change management work on any project, there are always many small barriers to overcome - for example:

• The most recent list of stakeholder contact details sourced from the HR system is hopelessly outdated and everyone looks to you, the external consultant, to somehow fix this
• Workshop delegates accept meeting requests and then simply don't pitch on the day.
• Project team members routinely wait until the eleventh hour to provide you with the information you requested well in advance
• Four senior managers all insist on approving your newsletter articles, resulting in four different (and occasionally conflicting) sets of changes that have to be consolidated and then re-submitted for approval, with the happy possibility that this may result in further changes to changes...

Of course this is all just noise, the small stuff that we really shouldn’t sweat. But individually these small barriers can trip you up, and collectively they can dramatically slow your progress on a project.

There are also usually far larger challenges to “making things happen” – for example dealing with a situation where there is a lot of lip service to proper involvement of stakeholders in the project, but in reality business resources always seem to find some pressing but convenient operational crisis to deal with and the project team actually prefers to focus on technical aspects and avoid stakeholder interaction. Both groups say they want involvement, but both groups actually subtly resist this.

To deliver the required change management outcomes despite such typical challenges, a great change manager has to have an ability to make things happen that is way above the average - this includes the practical ability to do what it takes to get things done (often this requires plain “slog” and getting your hands dirty at the detail level), yet also the ability to think outside of the box, to challenge the known and the seemingly unchangeable to find very creative workarounds.

2. Grit

The going often gets somewhat tough on projects. This is not just necessarily in terms of the change management challenges – the physical environment can be uncomfortable (for example working in a temporary office constructed from a converted shipping container in the midst of a faintly toxic and occasionally explosive chemical plant in sub-zero temperatures), the project timeline can exert huge pressures requiring very long workdays with very early and/or very late meetings, you can end up sometimes working far away from home and only being able to go home on weekends (and not even necessarily every weekend), projects can extend for 18 months or more and require sustained effort and unflagging commitment, and to top it all off, you can be landed with a Mr Bean on your change team or an aspirant Attila the Hun as your project manager.

The reason life savers are able to rescue bathers who are swept away by strong currents is primarily because they are able to stay calm under pressure, and also because they are such strong swimmers that they can generate more capacity than they themselves need to stay afloat and make progress through the water. A great change manager needs to be able to hold her own, both physically and emotionally, and to generate significant surplus capacity, often despite very trying circumstances. Therefore, I believe great change managers need to have true grit, and lots of it.

3. Conceptual ability and agility

By this I mean the ability to rapidly reach deeper understanding through effective analysis and to quickly grasp new concepts – sometimes despite significant complexity - and then to apply these concepts in a flexible and creative yet practical manner. Also, the ability to develop new concepts where required.

That sounds rather theoretical. More plainly put, great change managers are able to quickly “get” what their projects are really about – to perceive the true shape of change though the thickets of available data, terminology and acronyms. This enables them to develop appropriate change management strategies and plans, to translate the “real change” into communication that all stakeholders will understand, to come to grips more rapidly with what will be required to enable and sustain the change, and also allows them to engage in a constructive manner with the project team with regard to the change management implications of the project process and technical issues.

4. Humility

A good friend and ex colleague often liked to remind us (but mostly himself too, I think) that for us as change managers, “it is more important to win than to be right”. A large ego inevitably gets in the way of the effective practice of change management, for not only will it inevitably create issues with project role players, the client and other stakeholders, it will also result in significant and probably unsustainable levels of personal distress for the egoistical change practitioner.

A fundamental aspect of change management is that we work through people to achieve results – the better the results, and the less visible our hand in the process of achieving those results, the more successful we are.

It can be very difficult to operate in the wings, for me personally not so much because I’m yearning for the limelight, but rather because of those instances when the person in the limelight makes a careless mess of your painstakingly prepared work. Another good friend (and at that stage a client of mine) used to get very frustrated in this regard, and he would often say: “We are making the very finest Cabernet, and you know what, the bastards don’t care – they just open the casks and let it all run out onto the floor.” My standard reponse was always “Yes, but at least we are making damn fine Cabernet!”, but I felt just as frustrated as he did.

However, even if you do crave the limelight, working in the wings is by far not the most severe test of the change manager’s humility – there are at least two other activities that change managers must perform that are far more challenging:

• Apologising on behalf of the project and taking (even if just by association) the blame for stuff other people did or didn’t do.
• Biting your tongue as you listen empathetically to a stakeholder in the throes of resistance who is very unfairly and inaccurately attacking you and is verging on making this personal.

Humility alone will not make you a great change manager, but without it, the odds are that you will never be a great change manager.

5. The ability to engage authentically

This seems like an easy one, but it is probably the hardest of all. Why did you just make eye contact and smile at that stakeholder? Is it because you just feel friendly and you like the person? Did you smile because you wanted to create the impression that you like the person but actually you loathe having to interact with him because he is creepy and furtively tries to look down your blouse at every opportunity? Why are you listening so attentively and empathetically to that poor woman who just lost her job? Are you leaning forward and responding to her because you care, or because you want to appear to her as if you care so that you can keep your job and keep up with your bond payments? Does it matter?

Of course it does!

The fact that people know (they always eventually know at some level even if they can’t quite put their finger on it) when you are faking is not even the most important point. What is far more important is that you know. And why on earth would you want to spend most of your waking hours doing a job that you have to slip on like a cold rubber mask every morning before you start work?

So, if you want to be a great change manager you can’t really get away with faking it, and even if you could, that’s a pretty dumb way to spend your life. And not faking it means that you will have to show people how you really feel. This could have major implications for your career as a change manager…

It’s is hard to separate out all the individual threads of the things that motivate us. And it becomes even harder – if not impossible – to determine to what extent we do things because of self-interest and to what extent there are other, more noble ends that drive us. We can even unravel something as fragile and seemingly selfless as romantic love to the point where the underlying motivational dynamics and self-interest becomes dismayingly unromantic and selfish.

Engaging authentically does not necessarily equate to being selfless, or that you need to carry all the cares of the world on your shoulders. However, you do need to find and maintain your own authentic position within yourself with regard to the work that you do as a change manager, and if this position does not tend strongly towards caring about what happens to others, seeing your own shared destiny in the destiny of others or some other similar position that the people you will work with can recognise and relate to, it’s time to think seriously about another career.

Authentic engagement in this context means bringing yourself – your real self - into the work that you do. It requires honesty, openness, congruence, self-insight and that you are basically OK enough with who you are to share that with the people you deal with in your work as a change manager.

So in summary, my current (it changes a little from time to time) “top 5” attributes of a great change manager are:

1. Ability to make things happen
2. Grit
3. Conceptual ability/agility
4. Humility
5. Ability to engage authentically

For me the particularly interesting thing about my current “top 5” is that, while most of these attributes can be honed to some extent by training and development, change practitioners will either be born with them, or develop them over fairly extensive periods of time. It is fairly straightforward (but by no means easy) to develop good change managers through training and development initiatives, but if there is some validity in my “top 5”, it would suggest that great change managers are found rather than developed.