How to Make and Embrace Changes
Doing this the right way will ensure that the organization and the people thrive!
Intro
We live in a world where changes are becoming a constant in our lives. The speed at which technology is changing and the way that markets are changing.
It’s really important for organizations and people to be resilient and prepared for changes. And changes are something that we often don’t have control of.
2 weeks ago, I received a lot of great feedback regarding the article How to develop a great tech strategy. The feedback that particularly stood out was: How to implement the changes in the tech strategy and how to embrace them if they are outside of your control.
So, in this article I’ll be sharing my experience and what is the best way of creating positive changes. And also what is the best way to embrace them if they are outside of your control.
Why are changes being made in organizations?
Here are the 3 most common reasons for changes being made in organizations:
✅ The business is changing direction from industry A to industry B.
✅ The business is either growing or the customer base is decreasing.
❌ The leadership team has changed, therefore there must be changes as well.
The first two reasons are very much valid, but the last one is far from that. There should never be a change made just for the sake of changing.
A common misconception is that new hires, especially in leadership positions, tend to feel that: “The more changes you make, the more productive you are”. That couldn’t be more far from the truth. Being a great leader means that you are making improvements that make sense, not making them just because you can.
When you are a new engineering leader these are the steps you should take, before making any changes:
Understand the situation thoroughly.
Build relationships with your team, manager, peers and stakeholders.
Develop a clear plan and get the buy-in from everyone. Read more about this in the article: How to develop a great tech strategy.
Only after that, you should communicate that plan and make the changes needed. You can read more about these steps in this article: The first 90 days when starting a new engineering leadership position (paid article).
Now let’s get into how to properly ensure that the implementation of the plan is going to be on point.
Creating positive changes in the organization
As mentioned above, the first step and the most important one is to make the RIGHT changes. You can have the best process in the world, but if the changes you are making, are not going to improve something, you are wasting everyone’s time and effort. The bigger the company, much bigger impact it’s going to have. Great preparation is always the key here.
❌ What not to do
When you wish to make a change, especially if it’s impacting a lot of people. the last thing you want to do is to just make a change, notify everyone either through email or on the all-hands meeting and expect that everything is going to work out.
I’ve been there and have felt the impact that kind of communication can have on the team. Even if the change is for the better, people need to understand the context and the reasons behind it. Changes alone are hard for people and if the reasons are not clear, it’s going to be even harder for everyone to embrace them.
✅ What to do