Salute Friend

“I get by with a little help from my friends.” The words wafted
out of my car radio as I was listening to golden oldies.

It got me thinking about what we really need as we’re
challenged to change the way we work and how we work
together.

It’s what we need when we’re making changes, expecting
ourselves and others to be more than what we have been,
expecting our employees to respond. A little help from our
friends.

Changing how we do work is quicker and more effective
when we work together to make change happen.

Use these five steps when you need to change…or need
to ask someone else to change:

1. Get the big picture. George Bush, the father,
discounted even the idea of having a vision. But you need to
know what will be different after the change. Exactly what are
you trying to do, to change? What will be different? What will
the “new world order” look like? If you don’t know, or can’t
describe what you want, you won’t be able to get others to
share your vision, or go along with your plans.

2. Start sooner rather than later. People hate
surprises when it comes to their jobs, their responsibilities
and what they’re being held accountable for. By starting
sooner, including others in the planning and the decision
making, you’ll avert lots of hassles and uncooperative
behavior later. Ask for input, don’t tell others what they have
to do. You’ll just increase their resistance.

3. Listen…at least twice as much as you talk. For
those of us with big control issues…this is really hard. We
know better than anyone else the best way things should be
done. So we get into telling, and then are surprised when
folks don’t do what we tell them to do. Just because it works
great for you, doesn’t mean it will for others. More often than
not, the process experts are the front line folks. Listen to
their input, their experiences. Even if later you don’t
incorporate everything they said, they’ll be more likely to
cooperate because they’ve been heard.

4. Keep the focus on what’s right not who’s right.
Even the lowest person on the totem pole, or your least
favorite employee, can come up with super ideas. Beware of
letting your personal preferences or feelings about people
cloud your judgment of their ideas. Don’t sacrifice your
project, and your reputation, by choosing the person rather
than the solution.

5. Be visible. Paradoxically this is as important as
listening. There comes a time when the person in charge
(read manager) has to make a decision, stick the stake in
the ground and lead the charge. If you’ve done your work up
to this point: setting the vision, starting early and listening to
all the constituencies, people will be ready to come to a
decision and take action. The buck stops here…at your
desk. You’re the manager. You must take charge and be
responsible for making things happen.

Pat Wiklund is known as the One-Person Business
Turnaround Specialist. She works with professional
services
business owners so they can make more money and get
more personal satisfaction from their work. Start taking
charge of your business and your life with her TakingCharge
mini ecourse from her latest book, Taking Charge When
You’re Not in Control by sending a blank email to tcnic@1PersonBusiness.com

Contact Pat at
Pat@1PersonBusiness.com