So, how can you tell if your project is at risk to suffer a similar fate?  Watch out for these three telltale signs your initiative is headed out to pasture.

1.  Leaders are unhappy with progress

An organization’s leaders have limited tolerance for continuing to put resources into something that doesn’t generate tangible benefits.  If the initiative is not meeting expectations, they might make a decision to end it.

Example:  A process improvement effort met its goals for increasing ideas submitted by employees, but struggled to meet its financial objectives for cost reductions.  After 18 months, top executives pulled the plug.

Remedy:  Manage expectations.  Report progress.  Generate wins as soon as possible.

2.  People stick with the old way, even though it’s extra work

When implementing a new process, method or tool, it is common for people to duplicate the job in parallel (both the old and new) for a limited period of time.  If, after that time period is over, people still duplicate the same work with the old method, “just in case,” they are not yet convinced that it will work for them.  It is a sign that the new way will be dropped as soon as you turn your attention to something else.

Example:  A new reporting system made a production schedule maintained in an Excel spreadsheet redundant.  The plant scheduler continued to enter the information into both systems, even after the trial period.  Eventually, the new report was dropped.

Remedy:  Fix what doesn’t work in the new system.  Stick with it until the old tool is out of circulation.

3.  It falls off the agenda

If your change initiative is added to a meeting agenda as an afterthought, or is left to the end so it can be dropped if time runs out, watch out!  It’s a clear sign that the project has lost its priority.

Example:  An organization’s balanced scorecard was reliably the first thing on the agenda of monthly leadership team meetings.  Until one month, when it was scheduled for the end of the meeting.  The following month it was not on the agenda at all.  Then the scorecard was forgotten altogether.

Remedy:  Conduct separate meetings for your initiative.  Address underlying resistance.

It can be difficult, even impossible, to bring your initiative back from the brink.  To keep your initiative from ever getting to that point, apply the essential ingredients of change from the beginning and for the duration of the project.

Beyond buy-in, leadership support for change means they are committed to the implementation.  Their actions match their words. They hold people accountable.  They make decisions that are consistent with the change.  They communicate frequently.  They back you up as change agent.  In a nutshell, it means they are doing what needs to be done to implement change – and not doing things that contradict or obstruct it.

Leaders must understand the importance of their role in change and also agree to accept that role.  Without leadership support, the scope of your change relies on your own personal span of influence.  With disinterested leaders, it is only a matter of time before your initiative halts or fizzles away.

How might you get leadership support?*

Read more of the 99 Ways to Influence Change.

* I have an app for that!  Or rather, a workbook.  The Beyond Buy-in Workbook walks you through a 5-step process to figure out whose support you need and exactly what steps you can take to get it.

To think that everyone in the organization would instantly participate without hesitation is only a dream, of course.  If change were that easy, they wouldn’t need you to lead it!  Plus, the change and its outcomes are made better by understanding and working with the resistance that comes up.  However, it does help to have people on your side from the start, who don’t need much convincing to help you out.

Most likely, there are reflexive followers in your organization, people who only need to hear about your project and they want to know how they can help.  The following are three reasons people impulsively participate in change:

1.  They connect with the change.

Occasionally, your change initiative will trigger someone’s curiosity or passion.  The minute you say you are working on a [sustainability, innovation, leadership, Lean, you-name-it] initiative, they want to be involved.  The topic is part of their expertise, or perhaps they would like it to be.  They know the problem you are trying to solve, and they want to be part of the solution.

2.  They have nothing better to do.

Have you ever gone into somebody’s workspace and they seem relieved that you interrupted?  If you asked them to do anything at that moment besides what they were working on, they probably would.  Some employees stuck in the daily grind are looking for something more meaningful, interesting or just different to be involved in.  The opportunity to use their skills (or learn new ones) to help make a difference in the organization may be just what they have been waiting for to get them out of their rut.  Extend an invitation, and they will likely show up.

3.  They believe in you.

Some of your colleagues will get involved simply because it’s you.  If you were not involved, they may not have considered it.  There may be a variety of sources of this adulation.  Some may view it as an opportunity to learn from you.  Some see that you are headed toward great things and want to follow in your footsteps.  Others may just know that if you are involved, it must be a good idea.  Your friends will naturally want to work with you on a project that you are passionate about.

You may think that in order to have that kind of magnetism, you must be charismatic.  When you are passionate about your project, your charisma appears.  Far more important traits, however, are integrity and respect.  If colleagues believe you are trustworthy and that your intentions are noble, they will honor you with their time and attention.

Locate people in your organization who connect with what you are doing, who crave something new, or who are your personal fans, and you will have found instant followers for your change initiative.

People do not follow someone who says, “Go that way.”  Instead, a leader says, “Come this way.”  You can’t expect someone else to test the waters.  A leader needs to step forward, to try it out, and show that it’s going to be okay – or at least that the people who follow will not be alone.

Even as you lead change from the middle, you have the opportunity to go first.  You can step forward and demonstrate to people at your own level in the organization that it is safe to speak up and take action to make a difference.  Anything you create to help people change the way they work you must be willing to try first.  Also, use your own influence with organizational leaders to help them go first.

Where do  you need to go first?

Read more of the 99 Ways to Influence Change.

The trouble is, leaders often don’t do what is needed to implement change, even if they agree it should happen. You may think, If only they would (fill in the blank), you would be able to make some real progress.

This lack of proper leadership support is the top challenge for most change agents.  It frequently stays that way because change agents get stuck by the following traps.

1.  “It’s not my place.”

Allison was a supervisor who had been given a special assignment to implement the recommendations that resulted from an employee survey.  The biggest roadblock to improvement, she decided, was her boss’s boss, the very person who had commissioned the survey.  Allison’s boss agreed but would not do anything about it.  “What can I do?” Allison asked, “It’s not my place to address the issues with my boss’s boss.”

The organizational hierarchy can seem like an insurmountable hurdle over which to affect change.  When the person whose support you need is outside of one degree of authority, it can seem like political suicide to attempt to do something about it.  From this position of helplessness, it is easy to get stuck hoping he will figure it out on his own.

2.  “That’s just the way they are.”

Dan was a senior manager who worked directly for the CEO.  Dan’s key initiative to improve the company was to develop and solidify accountability to procedures.  The CEO, while supporting the initiative verbally, did not want to abide by procedures himself.  It was the CEO who had embodied the previously lackadaisical culture.  “I can’t do anything about it.  That’s just the way he is,” Dan lamented.

We often assume that the behaviors of others reflect an inner character trait.  This assumption is so common that psychologists call it the fundamental attribution error.  When you consider that someone will not support you because it is part of his DNA, of course you would automatically chalk it up as a lost cause.  You get trapped knowing it is impossible to change someone else.

3.  “He just doesn’t like me.”

John was a project manager who needed key data from the manager of another department.  However, John’s phone calls and e-mails requesting the information were repeatedly ignored.  John asked his boss to request the same information, and it was immediately handed over.  “Maybe she just doesn’t like me,” was John’s reasoning.

This trap is the mirror image of the fundamental attribution error.  Instead of thinking the lack of support is caused by her character, you think the lack of support is your own fault.  Whenever you interpret her behavior as a personal slight – she doesn’t respect you, she doesn’t like you, she doesn’t trust you – it traps you with self-doubt.  Insecurity is a lousy place from which to exert influence as a change agent.

Allison, Dan and John are composites of real change agents who were stuck.  But none of their traps were inherently real.  The traps were assumptions they made about the leaders and the organization.

The first step in getting out of a trap is to recognize that you may be in one.   Separate the facts from your assumptions about them.  From there, you can select a new point of view and step out of the trap, so you can find new ways to get the support you need to implement change.

You can get the support you need for change!

Start with the Beyond Buy-in Workbook.

Or, for more hands-on help, please contact me to see how we might work together.

The trouble is, leaders often don’t do what is needed to implement change, even if they agree it should happen.  This lack of proper leadership support is the top challenge for most change agents.

Introducing a 2-part online course that will help you get the leadership support you need for successful change:

The Proper Care and Feeding of Leaders

So They Help You Implement Change

Dates:  Thursday, May 20 & 27, 2010

Time:  11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern

Cost:  $149  ($99 for the first 5 people who register!)

Maximum attendees:  20

Course Description

During this 2-part online training session, you will learn:

• Whose support you really need, and who you ignore at your own risk
• What leaders need from you most as a change agent
• How to tell which of five levels of support you have, and which you need
• Six reasons why leaders don’t do what you need them to do, even if they want change to happen
• What you can personally do to gain the support you need to successfully implement change

All attendees will receive:

• Two 90-minute interactive webinar sessions
• Access to the webinar video recordings
• Influence Factors: A checklist of 99 strategies to help people change
• Two article reprints:  “Tips for Getting Your Project Approved” and “How to Deal With a Clueless Boss”

• BONUS:  You will receive the Beyond Buy-in Workbook, a $34.95 value, when you register to attend.

Who Should Attend

Mid- to senior-level managers and individual contributors who are responsible for implementing change in their organizations won’t want to miss this series.  Specifically, this webinar series will help people who need to influence change without having direct authority over people going through the change.  Examples of roles that typically require the support of leadership to get things done include (but are not limited to): IT, engineering, human resources, strategic planning, internal communications, process improvement, and project management.

Without real leadership support, your change initiative will have diminished impact.  Register today to learn practical ways to help leaders help you implement change.

Tickets are regularly priced at $149.  The first 5 people who register will pay only $99!

1.  Change Knowledge

Change agents are the people in their organizations who understand how change works – or at least how it is supposed to work.  Your own change knowledge helps you know what to expect and understand what is really happening.  When the initiative is stuck in a rut, your knowledge helps you generate ideas for what to do next.

2.  Clarity

A lot is said about the importance of a clear vision.  In addition to making sure leadership has a vision and that it is clear, change agents also assess current reality and identify the barriers that stand in the way of achieving the vision.

3.  Your Role

When used correctly, your role as change agent can be a powerful tool.  As trusted advisor, you help leaders fill in the gaps to ensure that change happens.  It is necessary to strike a balance of ownership of the initiative and to manage relationships.

4.  Power

People who have power are able to take action, make decisions that affect other people, model behavior and open minds.  Since change agents don’t have direct authority, they need to build up indirect authority to influence others.

5.  Leadership Support

Also, since you don’t have direct authority as a change agent, you need to gain a partner who does have it.  When you have leadership support, you need to make sure it manifests as behaviors and activities that drive the change forward.  If you don’t have support, you will eventually need to get it.

6.  Conversations

The one-on-one conversations you have as a change agent will help get beyond fear and develop mutual understanding.  Conversations are a means of providing feedback and preserving relationships.  The most important conversations are the ones you don’t really want to have.

7.  Meetings

Most meetings are seen as drudgery, or necessary evils; however, when effective they can be a key means of moving a change initiative forward.  Whether you are meeting with a project team, a leadership team, or a work group or a steering committee, your job as the change agent is to make sure people are collaborating for results.

8.  Accountability

Without having direct authority, you will most likely not hold people accountable yourself.  As a change agent, your responsibility is to make sure a system of accountability is in place.

9.  Incentives

Although incentives can be tricky because they frequently have unintended consequences, effective change agents find ways to motivate desired behaviors or results.  The best motivation techniques are not external rewards but psychology-based nudges in the right direction.

10.  Communication

Some say the first law of change is communicate, communicate, communicate.  To be more specific, the key activity for change agents is to get the appropriate message to the right person and to have them do something about it.

Whether you are executing strategy, implementing technology, designing process improvements, or transforming culture, your role as change agent is fraught with challenges.  Use these ten tools to help navigate them successfully.

For a more in-depth look at the 10 Essential Tools, check out:

• The 10 Essential Tools webinar
• The INflux Change Agent Network

While people who are in leadership positions are not the same as the people who are change agents, change agents themselves must demonstrate leadership qualities to be effective.  In that sense, change agents are leaders.

Because trust is essential for change agents, the same standards of integrity and credibility apply.

To gain buy-in, change agents consistently communicate the vision and purpose of the initiative.

Change agents frequently gain their own tribe of followers who also believe in the vision and want to be involved.

Savvy change agents may even be leading the leaders!

The tagline for Enclaria is “Equipping individuals to lead organizational change.”  I frequently add “from the middle” in conversations, because my focus is building up the capability of change agents to influence their organizations.  To that end, I believe it is important to distinguish between the leadership position in a change initiative, and the leadership characteristics that change agents must have to increase their power and influence.

If this post was useful, you may also enjoy:

• Traits and skills of effective change agents

Leaders have power and authority within their organizations primarily due to their position.  They are able to hold people accountable for changing their behaviors and activities.  The organization watches and listens to leaders to see what is true and what is expected.

Change agents, on the other hand, need to enlist leaders to help them make change happen.  As a change agent, you do not have the same authority to get things done as leaders.  Instead you rely on your ability to influence the organization indirectly.  Leaders look to change agents to do the legwork.

This difference does not mean that a senior manager or executive cannot be the change agent for an initiative.  The change agent role is not defined by position, but by the relationships to the leader of the change initiative and to those going through the change.  You can be a leader within your own department and still be a change agent for a broader initiative (think IT, Strategic Planning, Lean Six Sigma, Communications, Organization Development, etc.).

With which role do you identify the most?

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post:  Change agents are leaders.

Myth #1:  The goal is change.

Perhaps we are victims of language.  Organizational change practitioners commonly talk as though the end goal is change itself.  It is common to say “implement change” as if the change itself is the goal.  It’s not!  Change is the process of bringing about the desired future state.

One of the first to study organization development, Kurt Lewin described the change process as Unfreeze > Change > Freeze.  It is commonly misinterpreted that the thing you are freezing is the change itself.  That is, you permanently affix the initiative you are implementing.  In fact, it means that the state you freeze is the true desired future that continues as “normal” after the initiative ends.

To see this myth in action, ask yourself this:  How does what you really want to happen differ from how you are accomplishing it?

Myth #2:  Change must start at the top.

No one will deny the importance of leadership driving and reinforcing the change process throughout the organization.

But does change need to start with leadership?  The answer is a definite “no.”  There are numerous examples of large-scale organizational changes that started as either grass-roots efforts or small trials without much leadership involvement.  Plus, ideas for change initiatives frequently come from people lower on the org chart who are more directly affected by the problems and challenges of the organization.

When we believe that change only starts at the top, any lack of leadership commitment can make us feel like our efforts are fruitless.  The truth is that change can start with you.  Your job is to help the leaders to drive and reinforce the change process.

Myth #3:  People behave rationally.

You knew this was a myth already, didn’t you?  And yet as change agents we frequently assume that we can predict what the reaction will be to our initiative based on what we think a rational human being would do.

We believe that if we provide a monetary incentive to accomplish something, it will motivate people to do it.  We assume that if we list all the benefits of the initiative, people will get on board.  We think that if we put a group in a room together with a goal they will work as a team to get it done.

The good news is that although people do not always behave rationally, their irrational behavior is actually fairly predictable.  When you think through the impact of your initiative, consider whether your plan is based on the assumption that people will behave the way you want them to behave or that people will behave as they will actually behave.

If you feel like your change initiative is getting stuck, challenge these myths and look at change from a new perspective.