Another secret for effective transformation shared in last week’s interview on Talk of the Nation was how important listening is. Employees are the eyes and ears of your business. Listening to your people for what needs to change, how to change, and even what’s wrong with change, can save you time and wasted effort.
Today’s secret for successful change:
Listen to your people!
For change to work, the plan needs to be based in reality. Nobody knows the everyday reality of the business better than your employees. Listening communicates you trust them and value their input. Listen to your people!
For people to be willing to invest time and effort in any change, they need to feel that the leadership understands not only the situation, but them as persons. You need to develop relationships. This is possible only by sitting down with people and having conversations in which you listen a lot more than you talk. Listen to your people!
- Listen to what they do
- Listen to what they think is going well
- Listen to their dreams and hopes
- Listen to their frustrations
- Listening to what is bothering them about the proposed change
- Listen to what they they don’t want to change and why
- Listen to what they are thinking
- Listen to their feelings
You need to see listening as a way to find facts. As the change program progresses you will encounter less problems if you are listening to the results of the actions taken. You want to make sure the outcome is on target. Only your people can tell you how the change is affecting the results. Listen to your people!
Remember. . .
People want to be proud of their jobs. They also want connection. By reaching out and listening you will strengthen their connection and commitment to the business. It will be easier to plan change together, and to implement change together. They will feel less isolated and less afraid of change. They will work with you to make change possible. For effective change, listen to your people!
Share your thoughts
What would happen if you listened more to your people? Leave your answers in the Comments area below, and let’s get a conversation going.
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Photo by: iluster