Listen First: Lessons in Making Successful Changes

“I had an amazing idea while I was on vacation and I need help making it happen.” 

This invitation came from a client of one of my former organizations. He came to my boss with this statement, bright eyed and excited to plow ahead, ready to overhaul one of his organization's signature programs, which had become outdated. My boss brought me into the project as a second consultant and I was wary from the get go.

Here’s how the conversation went (identifying details intentionally removed): 

Boss: “I met with Client yesterday. He told me he came up with this great idea to completely change the Program while on vacation and he wants our help to make it happen.”

Anna: “He came up with the idea himself? Alone? For a program that he doesn’t run? Has he asked anyone at the Organization what they think of it?”

“Yes. He asked the person who runs the program. She didn’t seem to like it. And he asked a few other leaders who basically said they’ll support whatever his vision is.”

“I see. Did he ask any of the Program Users - the people who will actually be affected by the change?”

“Not yet.”

“Okay. So the job we’re being hired to do is to help implement an idea that is in its infancy, has not been vetted, and has not been asked for?”

“Yes.”

“Umm….” 

It Doesn’t Work Out

When I tell the story in this way, I know it’s quite obvious this idea is not going to work out well. But from the perspective of our client and his well-meaning supporters, they truly believed that they had the perfect solution to what they perceived was a pressing problem. 

I went about helping my boss design a process that both had the opportunity to bring the idea to life and also to bring the real concerns to the forefront.

Our client learned through this process that his idea in fact did not have any legs in the organization. It was disappointing for him, of course. But we also saved him from a lot of agony in the long run. By holding open discussion groups and creating a financial model for the change, we learned that the users of the program did not want this change in this way. They were ready for the program to change, but the idea met very few of their real needs.

We also uncovered that while the new model was intended to save the organization money, it would in fact incur more costs than the existing program. 

The Lesson

What is important about this story is to remember that successful positive change begins with listening. Unlike the popular mythology of the singular innovator who dreams up an idea all their own and brings it to life, real change and innovation comes from deep understanding about the people for whom you are making the changes. Seth Godin calls this Radical Empathy. 

The best leaders understand that their job isn’t to create ideas. Their job is to listen deeply to the needs of their constituents and do their best to serve those needs. It takes a lot of humility as a leader of an organization to acknowledge that your job is simply to serve. 

Oftentimes in the midst of these kinds of situations, it’s difficult to realize that you’re pushing a change on someone else. We can get so caught up in the dreamy vision that we forget to check-in on the reality. 

One way to check yourself when making such changes is to refer to the Formula for Change. There’s much more explanation about the formula and how to use it in my blog and on LinkedIn. Essentially, it is a tool to use to make sure you are creating the right environment for your stakeholders so that the change can successfully take place. 

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