We may have top management support, a great team driving the change and a well equipped toolbox but it won't help much if there's no real sense of urgency.
Often referred to as "The burning platform" it is the fuel that's going to get people on all levels in the organization moving and keep going when the going get's tough.
As change managers, it's first of all our task to discover - not develop - where the true source of the "reason why", our raison d'etre, is. And if it's not really there, you better backtrack a step or two or prepare to push the car all the way home...
So how do we raise the level of urgency? In my experience, there could be several sources:
Translate and expose
What would happen if we did nothing? Find the answer and translate into the favorite business lingo: Figures. Put the figures into perspective and make a bold event through a strong metaphor, visualization etc.
Raising the bar
Making sure that the business targets or KPI's are set so high that business as usual simply is not possible and progress is monitored closely. This could be revenue, productivity, customer satisfaction, cycle-time etc.
Bring in the customers
Nothing seems to speed up the process more than facing customers or end users - walk a mile in their shoes and experience your service first hand or set up a simple platform for listening and engaging in dialog. It will work wonders, I promise.
Salute the competition
Demonstrate the competition on your market. You could build up a strategy canvas displaying your weaknesses, visit the competitors' stores or use other creative methods to make it clear that we're on a burning platform.
Inspire
Can you paint a clear picture on what the world could look like if you just took advantage of the possibilities right in front of you? If so, this is also a good wa to go about it. Again, it's imperative that you use other means than merely rational arguments but also use emotional experiences and personal value drivers to motivate and move people in the right direction.
What can you do that is bold, creative and relevant to the business to raise the awareness and get a flying start?
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