It seems as though improving an organization ought to be straight forward. You find the flaws, apply the well documented fixes and watch productivity sky rocket. But let’s be honest… it’s never that easy is it?
Wanting to make a difference and affecting change seem to be worlds apart.
Making a change in a moving organization is scary. It takes courage and a lot of effort like trying to steer a herd of elephants in a different direction. There’s already a lot of momentum in the wrong direction.
Critical feedback
But to even start the process towards improving an organization you need to solicit feedback and have the tough conversations. You have to put trust in the people around you to give real critical feedback; not the pat-on-the-back ‘great job Bob’ yes-man kind of feedback. We’re talking about the kind of feedback that might sting the ego, the kind that may not look good for you or the organization.
And that’s the point. You need the kind of feedback that requires your team to feel like they can do so without fear of reprimand. In other words, the boss who wants a change needs to be open to critical feedback from subordinates, peers and the powers that be. Marvin Bower of McKinsey & Company established a culture where he made it an “obligation to dissent” for every employee. Ray Dalio of Bridgewater Associates ascribes his success to creating a culture of “radical truthfulness.”
“Watered-down feedback can be worse than no feedback at all because it’s deceptive and confusing to the recipient.”
Ben Horowitz – The Hard things about Hard things
Taking risks
Also, change that moves the organization forward requires you to allow team members to try new things; to experiment and to take risks. You need creativity which stems from team members feeling comfortable with the uncomfortable.
Making a change isn’t pretty. Remember the saying ‘making an omelette requires breaking a few eggs?’ Yea. That.
“It ought to be remembered that 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.
Niccolò Machiavelli
Toughing it out
You’ll have to have tough conversations. You’ll have to call a spade a spade. You’ll have to ask for help. Vulnerability will have to be on display. You’ll go with your gut. Make decisions without having all the answers will have to be fine. You’ll have sleepless nights and you’ll fight the good fight.
Above all, if you really want that change, you won’t quit.
If you truly want to improve the organization then are you ready and willing to do what it takes? There is a lot of introspection that needs to happen before you declare something as profound as ‘we need to improve.’
So then, do you really want to improve?