One of the most interesting challenges I face when I work with leaders and teams who are preparing to communicate change, is what I call the “I’m here, where are you?” question.
This is my shorthand for describing how leaders who have been working on a change concept, project or programme, often that they’ve not been able to share with their teams – something like a restructure or a merger for example - are ahead of the information curve.
They are full of knowledge about the ‘change thing’ they’re working on.
Image: Nick Fewings, Unsplash
They’ve often been steeped in ‘it’ for months. They know the financials inside out, they could recite the business case in their sleep and the jargon isn’t jargon for them any more – it’s the way they talk about the ‘thing’. They’ve often been in groups (‘tribes’) with other people who know all about the ‘thing’ too, so it’s a common language for them all.
So, when they begin their communication about the ‘thing’ to people who are outside their tribe and they haven’t deeply considered their ‘thing’ from the perspective of these ‘outsiders’, I often see them get surprised, frustrated or even angry that people don’t know what they’re talking about or don’t seem as engaged as they are.
In turn, those people on the receiving end of that message can switch off pretty quickly as they don’t really understand what’s going on. Or, they may valiantly try to stick with it but either don’t fundamentally get it or, if they have to do something, won’t deliver to the best of their ability as it’s not clear what they need to do.
This is where the “I’m here, where are you?” question comes in for these leaders. They’re looking over their shoulders at their teams and are often genuinely confused as to what’s gone wrong as no-one is really with them.
Ironically, no-one is in a great place at a time when you’re kicking off big change and you really need everyone to be operating at their best.
So, how can you avoid this happening?
1. Start at the very beginning
You may be very familiar with what you’ve been working on, but you must, must, must remember that not everyone else is. They haven’t been in the same tribe as you and won’t know what you know, so you need to go back to the start and imagine that you’re talking to someone who knows nothing about this subject. There’s a nuance here – at all costs, avoid being patronising in your delivery so test it out before you share.
2. Get an outside view
You would probably expect me to say this, wouldn’t you? Your outside view doesn’t necessarily need to be an external consultant (although we can of course offer a great outside perspective). It does however need to be someone you trust who is one step removed from the detail, can give you an honest view of where you are now, understand where you’re heading and what you might need to share or communicate to get there.
3. Get focused on your objective
Too often, I get into discussions that are too far ahead – which words do we use? what tool will we use to communicate? Start with the basics – what is it that you’re aiming to achieve by communicating? That way, you’ll be clear on what you need to share and what people will need and want to know.
4.Get clear on where everyone is (including you)
There is an emotional aspect to change of any sort, including organisation change, that can often get overlooked (I’ve written about this before).
We all have to go through this process of change – through each of the phases – as part of the transition in change. And that includes you. When you share an idea of change with your teams, they will have to go through the same emotional process. That takes time and it’s not plain sailing – you can expect to see different emotional responses at work a result.
Remember you need to plan to communicate change, especially when you’re sharing messages about something you haven’t been able to engage your teams or colleagues in earlier.
This is not something you can ‘wing’ – especially when it’s something that impacts people’s livelihoods. If you bear in mind that you might just be ahead of everyone else and you’ll need to explain clearly what’s going on, then you won’t go far wrong.
If an outside view would help you to plan to communicate your change and stop you wondering where your people are, then get in touch. I’d love to chat.