Robert J. Haworth ~ Author
Smell the Bacon, Charlie!
Successful organizational change is hard, and the track record ain’t great. One of the main reasons that change is so hard is because – It’s All About People! By nature, most people resist change and all the uncertainty that comes with it. But you need your people to be on-board for your organizational change to be successful. Hey – nobody said this was easy!
In Smell the Bacon, Charlie! Robert guides you through fundamental principles that you need to get right, often using humorous metaphors to explain important management and leadership concepts.
Eight of these major concepts are briefly explained below.
Eggs & Bacon
This is all about executive commitment. In my experience, the number one reason for failure in an organizational change initiative is the LACK of executive commitment. It’s not good enough to be “responsible”…you have to be “committed”. In that eggs & bacon breakfast, guess which one was responsible, and which one was really committed!
The Burning Oil Platform...Jump!
Most people in any organization hate and resist change. But for any organization to be successful over time, these people must be convinced that the consequences for not changing…not taking the leap…far outweigh the perceived comfort of the status quo. The successful executive convinces his or her people that the oil platform is on fire!
Let's Wash that Rental Car
It’s human nature that people take better care of things that they own. Organizational change will be more successful when your team feels they have ownership in that change. So, let’s get a bucket of soap and wash that rental car.
What is Your “Culture for Change”?
Your organizational culture is the “soup” that all activities occur within. How ready is your culture for organizational change? It’s important that you know the answer to this question.
Ready…Aim…Fire!
Not much happens in an organization without making decisions. What is the decision-making process or culture in your organization? Let’s hope it’s not “Ready…Aim…Aim…Aim”, or “Ready…Fire…Aim”!
Keep Your Eyes on the Prize!
Poor scope management is the second leading cause of failure in organizational change. The business benefits expected from this change initiative will never be achieved if project fails. So, keep your eyes on the prize.
Keep the Plane Flying
Switching the engines out of a 747 at 37,000 feet is…well…hard! Large, complex organizational change initiatives can be all-consuming for an executive team. Don’t forget that during this major project you still need to be taking care of your customers, staying competitive, and…keeping the plane flying.
Where’s the Beef? Or…Is that an ugly ROI Gap I see growing?
It’s all about metrics! Your project might be over…it might have been successful...but how do you know your organization is getting the benefits and ROI that you were expecting?