Lessons learned from a Change Management Professionals meetup
When change folk get together you can learn a lot. This was the case of one meetup of the Change Management Professionals (a Melbourne based community of practice, started in 2008).
We had a particularly insightful ice-breaker. The group broke into pairs – with one half of the pair having more than five years in the profession and the other less than five years.
The one with more experience had to share “What I wish I knew when I started [about change, communication and engagement]” and the “newbies” had to share what they thought it was that they needed to get to the next level.
I suspect the ice-breaker may have lasted as long as the main discussion – but didn’t it generate some insights!
Here’s the list ...in some ways they're like bookends!
What I think I need to know to get to the next level
How to get buy in from the top
How to move strategy to a practical implementation
How to articulate value
How to trust my gut
How to get the team on board
How is the project owner’s risks and issues different to the stakeholder risks and issues
How to influence
Understanding power (eg structural versus political)
How do people like to be communicates to about change
How is engagement different from communication
And from the other end …
What I wish I knew at the beginning that I know now
You need buy in from the top
Find a friend to help you understand
Create your own communications channels
Engagement is different to communications
You will continue to be surprised
It’s not about “me”
You need to identify who has influence
There needs to be a strong business case and change driver
You don’t need ‘hearts and minds’, just commitment
Document everything – metrics
Written communications has its limitations (info overload with multiple channels
There are two kinds of communications – stakeholder and end0users
Senior Leaders need to be onboard with engagement strategy
Everyone is learning together
And to you – what would you add to either list? Share in the comments. I'd love to hear.