“The only people who like change are wet babies and consultants.” I’ve heard this adage for years, and it never fails to get a chuckle from healthcare leaders. But as a consultant there’s truth behind the humor. People call on us when they need to make significant and sustainable change.
Leaders are certainly positioned to manage change effectively yet aren’t immune to the challenges that come with organizational transformation. So they need someone from the outside to help them navigate. Here are the three things every leader must do to be an effective change agent.
1. Expect Resistance:
While leaders can inspire and motivate others by articulating compelling visions and guiding teams through uncertainty, they’ll still encounter resistance. You can bet that if change is being presented, there will be resistance to that change. The art and science of change management clearly lies in your ability to anticipate that resistance and work through it.
This means reminding people of the “why”—why the change is necessary, what’s in it for them, and how the benefits will impact those most directly involved.
2. Enlist the Support of Influencers / Change Champions:
I’m a strong believer in the power of peer influence when it comes to fostering change. In one of my first books on service excellence in healthcare, I talked about a grassroots approach to creating a culture of service excellence.
Since then, I’ve learned even more about the critical importance of influencers—and when it comes to change management, change champions can make all the difference in the world.
You can call them ambassadors, you can call them champions, you can call them any number of things. But basically, it’s the principle that you’ve got people on the front line who are trusted by their peers and can be strong influencers.
I will be expanding more on the subject of Change Champions in my LinkedIn Newsletter.
3. Communicate To Build Trust and Ownership
It takes strong communication to navigate change effectively. With the help of your change champions you can consistently disseminate information about the change, why it’s beneficial, and what is in it for them. This requires two-way communication that builds trust and reinforces engagement by helping your employees feel heard and valued.
Get out of your office, round, and talk to people face-to-face. Ask how they are feeling about the change and listen without judgement. Show empathy and remember that change can be difficult.
In addition to direct communication, your change champions can help by keeping an ear out for rumors or misinformation that can take over if you are not kept aware.
Practicing these three tips will help you and your team maneuver change like pros.
Want to see change champions in action? Download our new white paper: “Elevating the Patient Experience Through Embedded Nurse Coaches” to discover how CommonSpirit Health used embedded coaches as change champions to boost HCAHPS scores from the 30th to the 80th percentile in just months. Download the white paper now.
Tags: change agent, change champion, change management, Culture Change, healthcare leadership, leading through change
