Transformation
2018.11.17
Transforming an organization also means transforming its managers
With over 20 years of management experience, I am fully aware that a manager’s role is to adhere to an organization’s vision of change and to constantly adapt to it. Today, change is not an option, it’s just part of the normal routine.
You might find it demanding, at times overwhelming, or you might have the impression that you’re getting nowhere, putting out fires, and wondering what to do and where to start.
If this sounds familiar, then allow me to share a few thoughts on the matter.
When I’m guiding organizations through a transformation, one of my first assessments is that managers work very hard. They’re overloaded, tired and slowly running out of steam.
In this context, I always ask myself the same question: instead of working so hard, shouldn’t they be working differently?
When you work as a manager in an organization that’s in the midst of a transformation, you should be questioning how you work, as well as challenging your capacity to develop new skills and use new strategies.
As a manager, you should be asking yourself the following questions:
- If my organization is changing, should I be changing as well?
- What’s expected of me?
- How should my role change?
Here are a few questions to help your thought process:
- Do I need to develop my communication skills?
- Should I change my conflict resolution methods?
- Should I learn to delegate more?
- Should I learn to give more constructive feedback?
- Should my communications have more impact?
- Do I need to drop certain habits or reflexes (e.g.: procrastination, fear of failure, resistance to change)?
- Should I increase my power of influence?
Once this analysis is done, you’re ready to get your transformation underway, either through training, mentoring, co-development or coaching. This last option is a powerful professional development tool, because coaching has the advantage of focusing on your needs without any biases, and guiding you towards your own solutions in keeping with your values. In addition, it keeps you in charge – an essential asset for any manager.
Choosing a coach implies a determination to get results, keep active, make the right decisions and use your talents as leverage for development.
A coach will help you establish solid and realistic objectives, and give you feedback as well. He or she will help you see what you need to succeed, to go further, to be more efficient, and to more easily overcome obstacles.
The coaching process will also help you make the most of your development project. Here are the winning conditions I propose for optimal change:
1. Establish clear goals and development targets
- You’ll get results more quickly if you establish clear objectives based on your needs vis-à-vis a certain target
2. Embrace the idea of change
- Don’t be surprised to discover new facets of yourself
- Take your time and persevere
- Change your paradigms
3. Get involved in your transformation
- Give yourself progressive goals, step by step
- Experiment with new things
- Be introspective
4. Optimize and prioritize your development
- Organize your agenda
- Make time for your coaching-related activities
- Prioritize your development activities
- Invest in your future
5. Have fun transforming and evolving
- Be inquisitive
- Take some time to notice changes and understand their benefits
- Evaluate your results
6. Reap the rewards of your transformation
- Get some feedback
- Celebrate the new manager you’ve become
It’s interesting to look at change as an opportunity to move forward and evolve.
Initiating change means embarking on a journey and contributing to your success. Why not take advantage of this opportunity?
“The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.” – Charles F. Kettering, American inventor (1876-1958)
