Changing and Succeeding

S cceeding Under Any

An Conditions

Tammy Aagard
University of Wyoming
Session Overview
y Story time
y The Eight Step Process of Successful Change
y Building the Team – Using Strengths to Build and Manage
the
h TTeam
y The Role of Thinking and Feeling in the Change Process
y Implications for Your Organization
y Safeguarding your Penguins
y Questions
The Fable of
th P
the Penguins
i
Eight Step Process of Successful
Change
Set the Stage
1. Create a Sense of Urgency
2. Pull together the Guiding Team
Decide What to Do
3. Develop the Change Vision and Strategy
Make it Happen
4. Communicate for Understanding and Buy-in
5. Empower Others to Act
6. Produce Short-Term Wins
7. Don’t Let Up
Make it Stick
8. Create a New Culture
Create a Sense of Urgency
y Help others see the need for change
and the importance of acting immediately

Gather and Present

Your Facts
Pull Together a Guiding Team
Make sure there is
a powerful group
guiding the
change – one with
leadership
skills, credibility, c
ommunications
ability, authority, a
nalytical skills and
a sense of urgency
Identifying the Penguin Team
y What strengths does each member bring to
the team?
y The Head Penguin
y Respect from the colony
y Decision-maker
y Delegator
y Enough experience to be wise
y Patience
y Not easily flustered
y Smart (but not intellectual heavyweight)
More Penguins
y Alice
y Practical

y Aggressive

y Makes things happen

y Doesn
Doesn’tt care about status and treats everyone the same
y Impossible to intimidate so don’t even try

y Smart (but not intellectual heavyweight)

y Fred
y Younger

y Amazingly curious and creative

y Level-headed
Still More Penguins
y The Professor
y Logical

y Well read

y Fascinated by interesting questions

y Not the most social of birds

y Buddy
y Not the slightest bit ambitious

y Well trusted and liked

y Relates well with the average bird

Managing to Strengths
Executing Influencing Relationship Strategic
Building Thinking
Ali
Alice F d
Fred B dd
Buddy P f
Professor
Professor (No-No) Alice Head Penguin

Source: Rath, T., & Conchie, B. (2008) Strengths-Based Leadership. NY: Gallup Press.
Decide What to Do
y Develop the Change Vision and Strategy
y Clarify how the future will be
different from the past and how
you can make the future a reality
Make it Happen
Communicate for
Understanding
and Buy-in
Make sure as
many others
as possible
understand
and accept
the vision and Don’t Rely on Facts Alone
Speak to the heart and dispel
the strategy rumors
Make it Happen
Empower Others
to Act Enough with

Remove as the talk, let’s do

something

many barriers
as possible
ibl so
that those
who want to
make the
vision a
reality can do
so
Make it Happen
Produce Short-
Term Wins
Create some
visible,, unam
Recognize the quiet heroes
biguous along with the visible ones
successes as
soon as
possible
Make it Happen
y Don’t Let Up
y Press harder and faster after
the first successes
y Be relentless with initiating
change after change until the
vision is a reality
 Make it
Stick
Create a New Culture
y Hold on to the new
ways of
behaving and make
behaving,
sure they
succeed, until they
become strong
enough to replace
old traditions
The Role of Thinking
y Thinking differently can help change behavior and lead to
better results
y Collect data, analyze it
y Present information logically to change people’s thinking
y Changed thinking, in turn, can change behavior
The Role of Feeling
y Feeling differently can help change behavior MORE and
lead to even better results
y Create surprising, compelling, and if possible visual
experiences
y The experiences change how people feel about the
situation
y A change in feelings can lead to a significant change in
behavior
Implications for Your Organization
y Follow the 8 Steps
y What is the most challenging for you?
1. Create a Sense of Urgency
2. Pull together the Guiding Team
3. Develop the Change Vision and Strategy
4 Communicate for Understanding and Buy-in
4. Buy in
5. Empower Others to Act
6. Produce Short-Term Wins
7. Don’t Let Up
8. Create a New Culture

y Dealing with No No’s in your Organization

Don’t forget to safeguard your
penguins!
Questions?
Kotter, J. & Rathgeber, H. (2005) Our
Iceberg is Melting: Changing and Succeeding
Under Any Conditions. NY: St. Martin’s
Press.

Rath, T., & Conchie, B. (2008) Strengths-

Based Leadership. NY: Gallup Press.