I had an interesting conversation this morning with the director of a Project Management Office. One of the key points of the discussion was a distressing paradox:
If you want organization change to stick, you need someone with authority to take ownership of the change.
When they take ownership, they tend to want to do it their own way, or at least add their personal stamp to it.
Being a change agent ultimately means letting go of what you are trying to implement in order for it to actually happen. If the new state requires your presence for it to continue, then nothing has really changed.
What might you do to give up control of your change initiative to someone who can carry it forward?
For an external change agent this is natural. Everything you do must be sustainable and in support of the local leaders. For the internal change agent I would suggest that what this comes down to is their definition of leadership versus management. A true leader knows that their purpose is not about themselves but about their direct reports. Therefore everything they do is to enable and empower their people to own the specifics of the change whilst following the direction and vision that they have given.
As for personal stamp, we all have one. Its only a problem if only one persons personal stamp is allowed!