Photo Credit: Lööv; Unsplash
Status Quo is the enemy of an organization's growth, we all know this intuitively. However, how are you practically guarding against this?
I believe you need to create a culture that creates "change agents."
This term scares leaders for different reasons and causes them to ask certain questions. Such as...
These are all great questions.
In fact they are wise questions. Because you should never change just for the sake of changing. This is not where the power comes from.
However, when you set a compelling vision that people what to be apart of.
You establish a powerful mission and allocate the proper resources to complete this mission.
Then, your people will want to make quality and necessary changes to complete this mission and reach the vision that the leadership team has established.
Your workforce will become strong "change agents."
This is where the power comes from!
It is very important for the organization's leadership to understand how to do two things very well or else this energy and momentum will not be realized.
Equip
First, the job of the organizations leadership is to ensure that the teams have what they need to become "change agents."
For example
If you consistently try to inspire your teams to take ownership of the organization's success but don't equip them then your efforts will all be in vain.
Empower
Second, you must empower your people to in order to create a culture of producing "change agents."
This simply means, that once you have equipped your people properly then you give them space to develop strong processes and freedom to develop those processes in their own ways.
Now, does this mean that you blindly trust and don't do anything and hope for the best?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
In fact, the leadership teams will also be a part of inserting themselves into the processes to ensure the organization's success.
After all everyone on a team has a job to help the team win.
This process includes:
Everyone will know exactly how things are going without controlling and restricting the team's energy, creativity and ultimately their productivity.
Lead your executive leadership team to establish healthy ways to equip and empower all the teams across the organization.
Vet them and then roll them out to the organization, so that everyone is on the same page and working together.
Lastly, you will need to establish healthy expectations.
Perfection is unattainable so if you expect this then nothing will be good enough and you will exasperate your people and drain their energy and production will fall.
Quick results are not necessarily always going to be sustainable ones.
So, be sure you help your teams understand that good "change agents" create lasting results that benefit the entire organization not just them or their teams.
If you properly equip and empower your people you will reach next level and sustainable growth in your company.
This is not magic but it does take diligent and consistent effort from the leadership teams to create healthy expectations that will, in turn, create amazing "change agents" for the good of the organization and the people.
Don't be scared of change.
Instead embrace it and enjoy the exponential growth!