Protect the time and money you’re spending on a large change program. Make sure your leadership team are ready to lead the change your business needs.
Feel confident that your leadership teams have clarity on what they are doing and plan to take them through the change program.
A practical 90 day program to set your senior leaders up for success on the change you are delivering.
Change Ready Leaders
“There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.”
- Machiavelli, The Prince
Change is hard to implement at the best of times
You’re spending a lot of time and money to make a big change, and you can’t have any delays, or a performance dip while you’re in the process of delivering it because your leaders and staff aren’t on board.
How do you find the balance between business outcome and care for your people?
Is it possible to get the outcome that’s needed for the organisation and the team?
And what is the impact you’re having on leaders in the process?
For many change programs, lack of clarity and poor expectation setting for leaders at the beginning of a change program cause real delays and damages further down the road.
Often senior leaders or middle managers who are impacted by the change and also expected to lead it become paralysed or overwhelmed by the change and feel disempowered, so the very people you need to own and lead the change become passengers. We also know that times of change can be really stressful for the people in your business, which can really impact their wellbeing – as well as the organisation’s performance.
It is possible to get it right
It is possible to deliver your business outcomes, empower your leaders and look after the wellbeing of your staff, all at the same time. But it takes genuine care about all three, and a commitment to all three, to find the balance. And it is simpler than you think.
We need to tell people what we want to do, engage the people in the organisation to help do it, and be willing to challenge the status quo to get there. Direction, engagement and challenge. But simple doesn’t mean easy.
Leading change is hard because of the people involved, and that means all of the people. Leaders, managers and team members alike are all continuously wrestling with questions of identity and security: what the change means for them, their job security, their role, how others see them, and what it means for their career and even their life.
By its nature, a change to the status quo changes how people are expected to work and how they work together. And everyone brings different priorities and agendas, depending on what else is happening in their lives.
To lead change as well as they can, leaders need to understand and address the concerns of their direct reports, which can be incredibly difficult when they have concerns of their own. Dealing with these issues upfront, and agreeing how information will be shared, is what creates the capacity and focus to lead the change. And it takes the willingness to challenge the status quo. This is what the adaptive change leaders framework represents: the balance between direction, engagement and challenge that addresses concerns and moves the organisation forward.
The Challenges You’re Facing
● You’re spending a lot of money on this and need to get it right first time.
● You’re worried about the costs of potential delays
● You have some leaders who haven’t done this before
● You’re worried about how the changes might land with your team
● You’re worried about maintaining performance during change
● You don’t want to carry the change alone - you need your team to help.
● You are worried your leaders don't have the capability to lead this change
● You’re worried you might lose good people because of the changes you’re making
● It’s your responsibility to get it right - you can't get it wrong
● You’re worried about what your staff, the unions and the press might say
This maturity framework shows the areas to focus on depending on where you and your leadership teams are currently, and what this means for your performance during change. I’ll work with you to understand where you are at the moment so we know what you need to focus on next.
The Journey
You’ll walk away from this program with….
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Clarity
Clarity on what the change means for your people, your processes and your systems
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Agreed Principles
Agreed Principles for how your leaders will work together through the change, a leadership cadence to deliver it, and a clear understanding of the decisions you'll need to make to create space.
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Leadership Capability
A leadership team who understand the key messages and the role they play in implementing the change.
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Understanding
An honest picture of the people and communication impacts, risks and assumptions your change has been built on.
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Communication
An agreed cascade so the same message reaches every level in the same shape.
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Confidence
Confidence that you have a plan to take you and your teams through the change
This program is ideal for you if:
● You genuinely care about getting outcomes for both the business and people
● You believe in the change you want to make and are ready to stand up for it
● You understand the importance of talking to your staff about what’s happening
● You are willing to have the difficult conversations to implement it (with support)
● We connect and know we can work in partnership
● You can commit the time for your leaders to work on this
This program is not ideal for you if:
● You can’t make the time to get your leaders together to work on this.
● You want someone to help you deliver or do it for you.
● You want to keep the change completely secret until you know everything
Direction. Where the organisation is going, and the focus, capability and momentum to get there.
Engagement. Whether people come with you, built on trust, clarity and empowerment.
Challenge. Whether the status quo is genuinely disturbed, through objectivity, rigour and conviction.
The Adaptive Change Leadership Model
How the change leadership program works
A series of workshops with you and your extended leadership team providing applied learning over a three-month period. Build your team's capability to deliver change as well as setting the change up for success from the outset.
I will work with you to agree the specific program that works for your transformation program or change and how best to builds your leadership team's capability and capacity for implementing change.
Program Components
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Direction
To begin with we'll hold a full day workshop with your senior leadership team to make sure everyone has the same understanding of what good looks like on the program. We'll agree key principles on how you'll work going forward and how you'll show progress. This builds the clarity essential to leadership of change going forward.
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Engagement
One month in, we'll hold a full day workshop with your extended leadership team to build on the information gathered in the first workshop. The objective of this workshop is to make sure everyone has the same starting point and understanding of the change, and to set expectations regarding their leadership and communication responsibilities. This session focusses on creating the engagement and excitement about the potential for the change and the capability for leaders to do this with their teams.
Includes a component on Storytelling for Change.
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Challenge
At the two-month mark we'll hold a workshop with your key operational leader and subject matter experts or project leaders to complete a high-level impact or risk assessment which looks specifically at the people and communication issues your organisation needs to address. This session also highlights the consequences of misalignment and challenges the status quo.
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Safety
Fortnightly drop-in sessions of 90 minutes for your leaders, to work through whatever they're dealing with at the time. Makes sure your leaders feel comfortable to raise issues in a safe space.
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Commitment
A half-day checkpoint with the senior leaders accountable for delivering the change to check in on progress, revisit the principles we agreed at the outset and assess any risks or issues. An opportunity to reflect on progress and create ongoing ownership.
What’s included:
The Standard Program Includes:
Direction. A full day workshop with your senior leadership team to understand the importance and fundamentals of setting direction, as well as agreeing what good looks like and the principles you'll work to.
Engagement. A full day communications and storytelling workshop with your extended leadership team setting the fundamental principles of good communication and how to create engagement, while workshopping the key messages for you and your team.
Challenge. A half day impact and risk workshop with your operational leaders and their subject matter experts outlining the importance of constructive challenge and showcasing what it looks like.
Commitment. A half day quarterly review with the senior leaders accountable for delivering the change.
Safety: A fortnightly drop in session for your leaders to ask questions and get support on their issues.
Progress. Monthly checkpoints with me in between the workshops.
Supporting Collateral:
The Change Ready Leaders workbook, one per leader
The Storytelling for Change ebook, one per leader.
A short email series after each workshop to reinforce learning
The Adaptive Change Leadership Diagnostic for every leader.
The Communicating Change ebook, one per leader.
A one page framework card for every leader.
What People Are Saying
“Thank you for helping us with the transition and for your savvy advice. The transition has been a learning experience, very much assisted by the care and concern you showed for everyone involved. Much water to still go under the bridge, but we are all much better equipped for the journey ahead because of your input.”
— Nicki, Executive Leader, Perth
“Thank you so much for your help, understanding and support. I have really appreciated it. It's been a hard road, not yet over, but made much easier by having you on the journey.”
— Deputy Director General, WA Government Agency, Perth
“I thought the presentation was very good in terms of content, duration and your delivery style. The three themes of creating clarity, caring enough to tell the truth, and everyone having a role to play are easy to digest and start the thought process of how to apply. For a 45-odd minute session I got so much out of it and am already planning the application for my team.”
— Scott, Senior Manager, Perth
About Dr Luella Forbes
I've spent 25 years delivering and consulting on large transformations, mergers and restructures for global organisations including KPMG, Chevron, Prudential and Mercer. I was a Program Director for one of Australia's largest super-fund mergers, led part of the COVID response for WA and I've helped organisations create engagement, and commitment to deliver significant change my whole career.
What makes me unique. I bring my experience as a leader, program director and organisational change thought leader to find the balance between delivery and culture that creates the best environment for change.
Key achievements. Australian lead for KPMG's global Change Management and Change Leadership methodology for 8 years, now used across all KPMG member firms. Program Director for Mercer's acquisition of BT Super and Advance, a $60m programme moving $65bn of AUM and 880,000 members. Program Director, VaccinateWA, winner of the IPAA WA award for Best Practice in Digital Transformation 2021. At least 15 formal consultation processes run with employees and unions, with no formal issues raised and no delays to implementation. Coached more than 100 leaders through implementing organisational restructures, including KPMG's national Partner in Charge and 60 lead partners through its own 1,400 FTE restructure. Led KPMG's Perth People and Change practice for two years, with a 97 per cent engagement score, the highest nationally.
Change and storytelling expertise. 2 x Doctorates in Change, Leadership and Storytelling. Thesis title: “Storytelling for Change: Telling Trusted Change Stories”.
Media. Reviews from ANZOG and IPAA on the role my leadership played in the VaccinateWA program. Thought leadership on organisational transformation from my KPMG days.