Team Building Tips

Effective leaders look for the opportunities in an environment of change, rather than looking for stability in a fast changing marketplace. The ability to keep a strong foothold in a market as the sand shifts around your feet leads to long term success.

It is vital to have a plan when facing change. However, because of a shifting environment and marketplace demands, your plan may require adjustment throughout the change process.

A leader in a fast changing environment must be open to:

Adjusting a plan when the majority of your trusted staff and managers disagree with the approach and believe it will not be successful.  Sometimes unexpected circumstances or internal or external influences over time can make a well thought out plan unworkable. When this occurs, rely on your managers and staff and listen to their thoughts on how to adjust the plan.

Accepting feedback from every level in the organization about how a change is progressing and being flexible and creative in addressing the needs of staff during the change process. Changes are often felt most immediately and deeply by your front-line staff. This can cause a great deal of stress and even result in staff loss. Listening to staff will help a leader know when and how the plan must be adjusted, as well as assisting the leader to understand staff feelings about the change as the plan progresses. By listening, the leader can also ensure the appropriate support and rewards are available for staff.

Accepting feedback from customers about how the change is progressing and finding ways to minimize any negative impact on customer relationships. Suppose a customer is unhappy with the service they have received during the implementation of a new computer system, he or she could be offered a credit for services to be used in the future. This gesture makes it more likely that they will remain a loyal customer after the change is completed. It is vital to ensure that the change is, or will improve, service to your customers. If not, you are changing in the wrong direction.

Tasha Cogan Nguyen, a senior consultant with Piurek & Associates, provides specialty services to organizations for work flow design, policy and procedure development, and business development. Piurek & Associates is a values-based firm specializing in the delivery of management consulting services to health and human service organizations. Tasha can be contacted through Piurek & Associates' website at: http://www.piurek.com