How To Establish The Need For Change

Stacking the Deck: How to Lead Breakthrough Change Against Any Odds, is as relevant today as it was when published two years ago. That's because the pace of change in business is just as fast as it was two years ago.

Unfortunately, even when business leaders know they need to make changes at their company, many struggle with how to start making that change. And, how to create a sense of urgency around that need.

Author David S. Pottruck offers these 14 action items for establishing the need to change and a sense of urgency. Ask these questions and take these steps:

What is your company's mission statement? Do employees believe the company is committed to this mission?
What is your perspective on the problem you need to solve or the opportunity you need to capture?
What evidence do you have of this problem or opportunity?
How is this problem or opportunity connected to the company's purpose and mission?
Define your stakeholders (customers, employees, leadership, shareholders, vendors).
What are your key stakeholders' perspectives on the current state of the business?
What customer or employee stories have you heard that articulate these perspectives?
Why does the company need to make this change?
Why is it important to make this change now rather than later? What exactly would be the impact of a delay in moving forward?
Are your competitors making similar changes? What are they?
What are the potential repercussions--both positive and negative--if you do not make this change?
Prepare a concise statement with your inner circle and test its resonance with them. Does it inspire action? If not, how can you improve the statement?
Discuss this statement with your inner circle and test its resonance with them. Does it inspire action? If not, how can you improve the statement?
Begin thinking about sharing the statement with a much broader audience and gauging what their reactions may be.

In the book, you'll learn how to take the next steps to make the needed change, including:

Assembling and unifying your leadership team
Developing and communicating a clear and compelling vision of the future
Planning ahead for known and unknown barriers
Creating a workable plan
Partitioning the project and building momentum with early wins
Defining metrics, developing analytics, and communicating results

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