How to Lead Strategic Change

Many good operational managers are paralysed by the apparent complexity of strategic change. This paralysis, coupled with the everyday pressures of keeping the business running, means that organisations have skipped this crucial activity in favour of thrusting leadership and rigorous management. However, the problem with this approach is that organisations are pursuing incremental efficiency gains in preference to the more radical and profitable step change offered by effective strategic implementation.

So, how do the best operational managers make the transition between the two roles of manager and leader? The answer is that they adopt new ways of thinking in advance of new ways of working. In this article we will explore four key skills that, if mastered, can help you make those first tentative steps towards the Boardroom.

The effective strategic executive displays four foundational skills:
- Dual Focus
- Involving Communication
- Collaboration
- Professional Effectiveness

Dual Focus
The most common complaint you will hear from Board members as they review the next generation of talent in their organisation is “they just don’t think strategically”. So, how do you develop the ability to raise your head up and consider the strategic landscape?

One quick routine to boost your strategic capability is to force yourself to answer “5W” questions whenever you are faced with a new issue, initiative or proposal. Who, When, Where, Why and What? It is also critical to think beyond your particular area of responsibility during your initial consideration of the questions and force yourself to think more broadly. So, let’s say you are the UK Marketing Manager for New Products and you have been asked to review a proposal for an extension to your core range of products - this is how you might tackle the process:
Who? Particularly, Who Else will be interested in reviewing and discussing this issue?
When? Is this something we need to consider now? When would be a better time, given the other projects on the horizon?
Where? This is a particularly useful question if you work for a multi-national organisation. It forces you to consider options beyond your local geography.
Why? Arguably the most important of the five questions. Seeking clarity on this at an early stage will save the organisation time, money and effort. Seek input from the groups identified when you asked “Who Else?”
What? Make no assumptions. Err on the side of caution initially but be clear where your judgements are not based on actual experience. Also asking What If? will open minds to endless possibilities and expose weak thinking.

Involving Communication
Whenever we ask our clients to recall why previous change projects may have failed, more than 90% cite poor communication as the main cause. However, further analysis reveals that most change projects have been accompanied by a communication plan, so what is going wrong? Again the answer lies in the propensity for people to look inward instead of out when it comes to developing their plans. A typical phrase you will hear is; “I know I would like to know this, so let’s make sure it’s a key part of the communication.”

The key is to involve all groups affected in the change as soon as possible. Usually, that should be after the goal has been set. On he face of it, this may seem at odds with the general philosophy but in reality, it is very difficult to effect substantial change by committee and very few people have either the enthusiasm or capacity to define a change that will impact them directly. Nevertheless, once the goal has been set, identify your key change agents and seek guidance from all relevant stakeholders immediately. Involvement reduces the need for broadcasting and engenders greater levels of trust in the leadership as well as belief in a positive outcome.

Collaboration
You will be familiar with the phrase “Stay close to your allies and even closer to your enemies”. In the context of managing strategic change, think of anyone who has something to lose in the process as your “enemy” and seek out ways of collaborating with them to achieve mutually acceptable outcomes. This is not compromise where both parties have to give up something, this is about finding ways for both parties to win. Treat your “enemy” with respect. Anticipate their likely responses to your strategy and create your pre-emptive plans to either reduce the impact of their reactions or eliminate it all together. Ignoring key stakeholders because they may not like what you have to tell them will not help. Get them on-board as quick as possible and you will achieve better, more sustainable results.

Thus, the correct thinking pattern is not “What will I need to give up to make this acceptable?” but “How can we change the process/inputs/resources to achieve the same or better result?” With the right strategic glasses on, your enemy can become your window of opportunity and potentially a long-term ally.

Professional Effectiveness
Look around your organisation, particularly at Board level, and ask yourself, “Who is the best professional?” Then ask yourself “Why?” Write down a list of all the attributes that contribute to your assessment of this individual and then rate yourself out of ten (where the other person is a ten) on each attribute. Can you spot any areas that need your focus? As we remind people in our workshops, if efficiency is doing things right and effectiveness is doing the right things then the professional does the right things right. Select one item from your list of attributes and start to model the behaviour you would like to emulate. Don’t be afraid to copy key phrases or mannerisms that your target uses (as long as they are positive) because this will give you access to some of the unconscious thoughts and feelings this person accesses to exhibit competence. Overall, you are looking to acquire the mindset of the professional you have chosen to model.

Balance this approach with a more ego-centric exercise, focused on what you want out of life and what you are prepared to give. Statistics show that the number one reason senior executives leave their employer is for lifestyle reasons. However, being clear on what you want from your career, need not result in leaving your current employer. Think collaboration. How can you collaborate with your organisation to devise a role or a working framework that meets your needs whilst making a valued contribution to the organisational strategy?

As I mentioned earlier, these are just foundational skills. However, start acquiring a level of conscious competence in these areas and you will see a significant improvement in the way you are perceived at the highest levels in the organisation.

A True Strategic Leader - Helen Franklin (The Wrigley Company)

Upon returning from the UK Skills National Training Awards dinner I was reflecting on what had gone well with the project to see what I could learn and take with me to future clients. Whichever way I looked at it, I kept coming back to one answer (well one person actually) - Helen Franklin, the PLD Director at The Wrigley Company. However, whilst it would be great to take Helen with us to our new clients, I suspect she might have other ideas, and certainly lots of work to do to maintain Wrigley's reputation for being one of the best, if not the best, company to work for in the South West!

From Day 1 on the project, Helen understood that the introduction of New Ways of Working would take more than just a new policy and some awareness sessions. Helen was not interested in a "quick fix", she wanted the change to make an impact on the business and for it to be sustainable. Typically, many people in her role (at the time Helen was the Manager of Personnel Development), would see the change as "more work" or something that needed to be done quickly to tick the box and get on with the real work of training and development.

The very best clients know that to get the best out of their consultants though, it's better to work with them and explore all of the opportunities. As such, the programme we devised jointly was both integrated and comprehensive. Helen has a knack for spotting the potential overlaps between intiatives and this was instrumental in the success that was achieved. In particular, Helen was championing a new approach to training and development and quickly identified a specific set of masterclasses that would not only enhance her training programme but would also, critically, support the new ways of working initiative.

Once the programme was designed, Helen was instrumental in achieving the top-level buy-in that is often missing from major change programmes. Admittedly, her task was made easier by the fact that the Managing Director is Gharry Eccles - positively one of the most forward looking MD's I've ever had the pleasure to work with. Nevertheless, not everyone on the Board had bought in to the proposals, so Helen still needed to display her passion to get the green light and proceed.

Throughout the change programme, Helen monitored progress, stayed on top of the details and remained open to new ideas. In particular, she was flexible enough to try different formats of the designed programme if she felt it would deliver a better outcome. Consequently, one of the key programmes, Personal Effectiveness, was delivered with whole teams, with individuals that required some focused coaching as well as in it's original open workshop format. Again, the focus was on the result not how pretty the schedule might look on the wall.

In addition to challenging us to deliver on the promises that we had all made, Helen was taking on more and more responsibility internally. Unsurprisingly, this obvious energy and commitment to excellence meant that she also managed to achieve two promotions during the period.

Somewhere in here I know there are several pointers as to what it takes to drive through strategic change, but the key one for me is one that I haven't mentioned yet - Helen's ability to take her team with her. As Helen's career continues to develop I know that even though the size of the team will change, her talent for building professional and nurturing relationships will not.