Leadership Development Consulting

Some Common beliefs about Change

A common misunderstanding about change efforts is that there is one big fix, a quantum leap forward that will let you "freeze" afterward and then rest for a few years. Unfortunately, this is only an illusion. What most leaders find is that as soon as they launch one effort, the marketplace forces them to change in other areas as well. Change becomes like a never ending marathon race.

Another misconception is that if ideas work well on paper everyone in the organization will quickly buy-in. So a lot of good thinking and energy goes into developing a strategy and designing the effort. After this phase, people assume that the implementation will soon follow. But in reality, real change works exactly the opposite way: The most difficult part is the implementation.

These false assumptions have triggered a move toward change in perspective. In the past, the focus was on process and technology, not people. Now, most leaders realize that the most important element of every change effort is to change the way people do business: change their behavior. For business to change, people must change. Unfortunately, this is also the most difficult part of every change effort.