"To improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often"

The current business environment is very volatile, things are always changing. Companies need to be able to change quickly in order to keep up with the market, or even better, in order to drive the market.

Winston Churchill said "To improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often". Another interesting quote about change comes from Charles Darwin, he said "It it snot the strongest of the species that survive, not the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change".

Organisational change management is something that not many professionals, including senior executives, know how to deal with it. I have encountered one too many executives that think that training is all there is to change management.

Wikipedia defines change management as an approach to shift organisations or individuals from a current state to a future desired state. It is an organisational process aimed at helping members of the organisation to embrace, or even desire, change in their business environment.

Change management uses structures and tools to control an organisational change effort. The goal is to maximise benefit and to minimise impact on workers to avoid distractions.

Responsibility for change management lies with executives and managers. They are responsible for introducing change that brings about improvement in a way that employees can cope with.

One classic mistake in change management occurs when managers spend months working on a change process and then expect everyone to accept it. Change needs to be gradual but constant.

John Kotter is a well regarded author of change management books. He recommmends the followwing steps for successful change.

•  Increase urgency. Explain and lead others into accepting and desiring the change.

• Build the guiding team. Gert the right people with time, commitment and the necessary skills to achieve the desired future state.

• Get the vision right.

• Communicate for buy in. Communicate the change often with the objective to get buy in. You want people to desire the change and see it as positive to their circumstances. Make communication simple and straight to the point. Although communication is important, getting the balance right is vital so you will not be overbearing and bore everyone to the point they don't want to hear about it.

• Empowerment actions. Senior management must empower  change agents into action, remove obstacles and do all they can to  support the process.

• Create short term wins. Gradual change is ideal and easier to process. Constant and positive change minimises the impact on the organisation and keeps the moment going.

• Don't let up. Long change process can be hard to achieve. Keep everyone motivated and working towards achieving the next milestone. Gradual change that can be achieve in bite-size chunks will keep everyone motivated and moving towards the final objective.

• Make change last. Make change part of company culture, employ workers that embrace change and always want to achieve new heights.

Business change is not only necessary but it is vital for businesses to survive in volatile business environments.

How to loose your job by being a good manager

If you have done any formal eduction in management and leadership you will know that these terms are different and have profound practical differences.

Let me give you an example. I once worked for an IT manager who was a very good manager. His planning skills were great, fantastic attention to detail, he was organised, he was able to get the team organised and he controlled the activities quite well, ensuring that deadlines were met and the department operated within the budget constraints. These are the basic functions from a manager, planning, organising and controlling.

This manager was always prepared for his meetings and he was very proud of being logical and getting people on his side using his critical thinking and argumentative skills. However what he didn't realised that he didn't win every argument because people agreed with him, instead, he was always right because nobody could argue him out of his views, even if they didn't agree. He was actually very good at presenting his views and getting others to "agree" with him.

I must confess that I thought that working under him was great. The team was producing good outcomes and delivering projects on time and within budget.

However something was happening in the background. Other mangers and directors were getting resented of
his approach and attitude. He was always right and never prepared to give up on his views, even when most people had differing opinions. To cut a long story short, he is a now a very happy man who got a very big redundancy package and, given his age, has retired.

He had very good management skills but very poor leadership and people management skills. His strong management skills, and lack of leadership, git him to a redundancy.

So what went wrong. I observed the entire thing trying to learn what to do and what not to do. Working under him I learned a lot about management and also learned a lot how not to deal with people.

Management skills are very important and managers need to be strong when necessary. However people need to be truly on the manager's side rather than compelled to do what he says just because he is always right.

So what are the differences between management and leadership? I have come across many articles that explain the difference. In his 1989 book “On Becoming a Leader,” Warren Bennis composed a list of the differences, as follows:

– The manager administers; the leader innovates.
– The manager is a copy; the leader is an original.
– The manager maintains; the leader develops.
– The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people.
– The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust.
– The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective.
– The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.
– The manager has his or her eye always on the bottom line; the leader’s eye is on the horizon.
– The manager imitates; the leader originates.
– The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.
– The manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is his or her own person.
– The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.

I don't necessarily agree with every point above. For example, I don't agree when he says that a manager has a short-range view and a leader a long-range perspective. A manager can be strategic as well as manage short term deadlines.

I often say that managers must lead their organisations to achieve the set objectives. A manager can also be a leader, and vice-verse.