SERIES: Part Four of a Four-Part Article

Tempers flare, emotions erupt, behaviors become non-productive and workplace violence can transition from anger to hostility far too quickly when “change” shows its unwanted face in the business place today!
 
In a climate of competing business interests, social and political pressures, combined with a need for both short term and lasting productivity and profitability, leaders must evaluate their priorities, decisions and assess how to engage others for sustained success. Being able to maintain a fair balance and address constructively those derailers will be a future pathway to success.
 

“I think it’s time for corporations to move away from the focus on
shareholder value and toward corporate responsibility.
It’s too easy to say shareholders rule without considering the loss of
confidence and cynicism that results from a breach of fairness.”
-Hank McKinnell, chairman and CEO of Pfizer, October 2002
(as reported in Chief Executive Magazine, March 2003)

 
Confronting these continual challenges, engaging the forces that may possess the capacity for implosion and explosion is critical of effective. To address these potential change-associated business derailers, consider three powerful tactical engagement steps:

1.   Acknowledge - the other person’s concerns over the change issue through sincere empathy statements and actions. Most people who resist change and demonstrate some degree of change resistance do so because they feel no one appreciates their position and no one will acknowledge or recognize them unless they act up in what you may perceive as unwanted behavior.

2.   Ownership – by accepting the responsibility to engage the other person(s), listen to them, interact with them and involve them in the change dialogue. This shows the potential change resister that you are not abdicating responsibility or excusing the reason for the change to someone else, but that you are an active agent of the change issue. Directly address any concerns and directly participate in the change process.

3.   Action – successful change that allows an organization to evolve and thrive is solely dependent upon someone being proactive from the stance of increasing productivity and focusing upon ways to either generate more revenue or save revenue!

As an effective managerial-leader today, your immediate behaviors and tactics will spell either success or stress for you and your team in the face of change.
 
To further enhance your effectiveness, examine what your “actions” are. Determine the best course of action necessary to create an environment conducive to increased change tolerance and eventual change acceptance by those you engage.
 

“Circumstances don’t just happen,
they happen because of the choices you make!”
- Damon Roberts, Coauthor
WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?
(ISBN #0-9718010-4-5/US $12.95)

 
While doing this, recognize your actions will be challenged by change resisters. Over time, however, you can cultivate their support if your approach to change involves:

1.   Patience in your demeanor with others and yourself.

2.   Persistence in your every action.

3.   Consistency in every action, every time and with every person.

By following these three powerful tactical engagement steps, you can counter, and possibly even eliminate, flaring tempers, erupting emotions, non-productive behaviors and workplace violence. These are all energy robbers and distract from the business of business – which is business.

What are your thoughts?