CHANGE ...5

Make Change Happen

Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation. – Robert F. Kennedy.

Those who prosper in our inconstant world accept change as a positive force and can persuade other to do the same. Those fearful of change or unable to rally others in new directions will be steamrollered with the volatility of modern organizations. You can get others to go along with useful change with a minimum of resistance.

Yes, You Can.

· Prepare for resistance. People fear change because they expect to lose something they value and because they have so often been victims of poorly administered change. Anticipate the exact concerns and objections you’re likely to hear.

· Don’t believe that resisters are being foolish or obstinate. Put yourself in their shoes to understand their fears. Then you’ll be in a much better position to reassure them.

· Whenever possible, involve employees in deciding on and planning for the change.

· Explain the change fully. Give a rationale for it, the roles employees will play in it, and its implications. Emphasize the benefits to employees and to the company.

· Provide venting forums. Listen without comment. Acknowledge concerns, don’t criticize or belittle them. Tell employees how you’ll address their objections.

· Demonstrate management’s commitment to the change. Do more than your share of work and accept more than your share of the sacrifices needed to implement the change.

· Make those organizational adjustments and resource allocations needed to accommodate the change.

· Train, coach, counsel, and reward employees throughout the implementation phase. Be there for them.

Get Organized

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you. – Carl Sandburg.

Disorganization is a major contributor to stress and one of the reasons we don’t achieve our goals. You can avoid the diseases of clutter, poor planning, and disarray.

Yes, You can.

· Make time to organize. Set yearly goals, monthly objectives, and weekly priorities.

· Don’t start a new task until you have everything you need – information, supplies, and so on – to get it underway.

· Plan ahead. Lay out the subtasks needed over the coming weeks in order to accomplish a master task.

· Keep a “to do” list with tasks listed according to their value: A= high; B = medium; C= low. Work on only high value tasks. Update your list at the end of the day.

· Do one of four things whenever you pick up a piece of paper – pitch it, send it to someone else, act on it. Or file it. Never put it down without performing any one of these actions.

· Stop being a collector. Put away papers, files, and other desk clutter than you haven’t looked at for two weeks.

· Divide complex projects into manageable pieces. Attack the project piece by piece. Solve one problem at a time.

· Write down every promise you make and everything you need to remember right away – never on slips of paper, always using a scheduling system and notetaking procedure that works for you. On this “master list” note the tasks you’ll complete today.

· Maintain an appointment calendar. Use a coordinated system to keep track of projects.

· Keep your desktop cleared for action.