7-2-10 Change and the Newly-Minted Executive

Just because you now have the “executive badge” emblazoned on your chest, doesn’t mean that you should charge in and make a whole bunch of changes. What?!? I bet you are thinking, “well, sheesh, isn’t that what they promoted me for?” Yeah, probably, but it won’t do you any good to make changes the day after you start your new job.

One of my survey participants put it very nicely.

“I think it is important to learn the team and gain some respect. By doing this your new team will be more willing to support the changes you need to make.” He went on to explain that he had been promoted to an area that was new to him -- and that the team in place didn’t know him very well. “I believed they did not trust me yet because of this. So before I made any major change I took my time to let them get to know me. Then when I did make the change they all stuck behind it.”

The issue here is managing change, a key skill in the execution portion of the Executive Skills and Traits model (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model). And while not specifically called out in the model, patience is an important factor in managing change. It is imperative that you take your time -- and not try to change everything overnight.

You probably have the skills to make all kinds of changes in a very short period of time. But as this executive wisely understood, the changes probably wouldn’t “stick” because the people involved with it didn’t trust him yet -- and by extension, probably wouldn’t trust the motive behind the changes or even the changes themselves. Patience is required -- the patience to learn about the team and the patience to allow them time to learn about you.

Change is difficult, even in ideal circumstances. And, despite the fact that you allow time for the team to adjust to you, not all of them will agree with or support the change. But if you have earned their trust, they will at least not block the needed changes.

So yes, you might have been hired or promoted to effect change in an organization. But you have to balance this with the willingness and ability of your new organization to accept and implement the change.

Cheers!

Shoulda Told Me #2

You know the current airline commercial….. The one where a guy volunteers to get on a plane every time the boss asks? Well, he’s got it right. Travel is an important part of the business world…. For many reasons. I sure wish someone had told me that early on in my career.

Travel will benefit you on many levels.

First, it will teach you resilience. Let’s face it, when you travel, your bags WILL get lost, your flights WILL be delayed or cancelled, you WILL get lost as you drive, your hotel reservation WILL get messed up, etc. And if you are a “controlling type” (like I’m known to be), those challenges will certainly test you. To respond, you’ll have to learn how to sit back and let the world pass by --- people watching, reading, doing your crossword, etc. --- patience is a learned virtue, in my opinion.

Second, as your travels take you outside your country’s borders, you will have the opportunity to learn about other nations’ cultures and activities. How fascinating that can be! From a banquet in China to touring a business in Rio, you’ll see and hear many concepts and ideas that will open your mind (and sometimes appall you!). Perhaps, they are ideas that you can bring home and put to work for you or your company.

Finally, it makes you the “go to guy” (guy, in the generic sense, of course! ). As you volunteer to take on travel “missions” over and over, your boss(es) come to think of you as the person they can go to. And over time, it won’t just be going to you for travel, he or she will begin to go to you for all sorts of interesting assignments.

Having said all of that, yes, you should travel when you have the chance. But there is one caveat. Don’t forget where home is. It is ironic that, for many years, I wished that I lived anywhere but the Midwest. And now, after all of the traveling, I’ve learned that this little slice of the world is pretty darned nice to come home to.

Cheers!