I’ve worked on some significant change programmes during my career, from mergers and acquisitions to digital transformations.
Every time, some common pitfalls can cause the change to fail or stall. Here are my top three.
1) Over-selling the change. Yes, it’s essential to maintain a level of optimism, but I always say that you need a bucketful of realism with a sprinkling of optimism, not the other way around. Be realistic with what’s achievable and stick to the facts. Be cautious with words like world-leading, remarkable, and life-changing – unless it truly is.
2) Not aligning tactics to strategy. I’ve lost count of the number of comms plans I’ve reviewed that don’t have strategic objectives with clear outcomes. You can’t measure impact if you don’t have these. You also can’t hold people accountable, and you’re in danger of being a content postbox rather than a trusted advisor.
3) Sharing lessons too late. Lessons learnt should be a continuous process throughout the duration of the change programme. Every month, gather and share what went well and what could be better so you can immediately make adjustments.
Comms on change programmes need to start with the why, have clear objectives with achievable outcomes and robust measures in place to track progress. If you don’t have this, you’ll struggle to articulate the value-add you’re bringing to the programme.
What has been a big lesson for you when supporting change programmes?
Originally posted on LinkedIn, Follow me for more curious moments.
–//–
CommsRebel can help you revolutionise workplace cultures from inside out. If you would like to cultivate a thriving inclusive culture so colleagues unleash their full potential, we can help! Please get in touch and let’s have a chat.
