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Obstacles and Objections

3/18/2013

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The March 2013 edition of Fast Company magazine included articles on, “The World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies.” One company highlighted was Birchbox.  Launched in 2010, this company created a simple way for customers to discover, sample, shop, and learn about top beauty, grooming, and lifestyle products in the comfort of their own homes.  One of their co-founders was quoted as saying, “We were asking both sides (consumers and producers) to change their behavior and it has really amazed us how willing they were.”

High performance organizations have learned, like Birchbox, that changing behavior is a major element in innovation and achieving break through results.  They realize there are two major sets of barriers to change - obstacles and objections.  According to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), nine out of ten of the key barriers to the success of change programs are people related.  Here are three critical lessons we’ve learned through multiple change initiatives:
  1. Obstacles are easy to see and identify.  People typically articulate obstacles by saying something like, “I can’t make that change because ‘you’ have not done or provided ______” (fill in the blank). Obstacles are usually tangible things like time, resources, training, documentation, etc. Responsibility is solely placed on the leader or process owner to fix these obstacles before change can proceed.  People try to maintain their current behaviors until the perfect solution and ‘all’ obstacles are eliminated.  
  2. Objections, on the other hand, are less overt.  They are typically exhibited – not by words but by attitude and behavior that send the strong message – “I don’t want to change the way I currently do it.”   It’s here where personal beliefs, priorities, authority, and behavior are challenged.  Objectives are powerful - can wreck change initiatives – and create distractions & execution waste.    
  3. Behavior change goes through multiple phases including compliance, commitment, and finally creation of a new norm.  A cultural ‘pinch point’ occurs between the commitment phase (some people doing the desired organizational behavior - some of the time) and the norm creation phase (everyone doing it all of the time).  It’s a ‘pinch point’ because many people figuratively say “OUCH” – my personal behavior must change and it doesn’t feel good to me. 
    Real culture change takes place by pushing through the pain of the cultural pinch point.  It happens when organizations pro-actively address those individuals (employees and leaders) who only superficially embrace the desired change.  It’s when desired behavior change is no longer optional, nice to do, or only done when it’s convenient.

So unless both change obstacles and objections are acknowledged, assessed, and actively worked on - great ideas, initiatives, and strategies fall short of their potential.  Birchbox has been described as “redefining the beauty and lifestyle products retail process”.  Part of their success has been through changing behaviors.  Bet your success is too!
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Activity Versus Results

3/5/2013

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Last week, one of our area’s small town community newspapers ran an article about a Good Samaritan (GS) trying to locate the owner of an Iphone he found in a store.  What caught my attention was the string of ‘activities’ between the GS and the Iphone owner’s son.  Here is a quick recap:
  • Using the call list, the GS redialed the last call made which was to “ICE-HOME”.  A teenager answered and confirmed it was his Mom’s phone.  The GS asked the teenager to let his Mom know her Iphone had been found and it would be at the store’s Customer Service counter.    Teenager confirmed the instructions.
  • Almost immediately, the Mom’s Iphone rang again.  The GS noticed the call was coming from the same number that he had just called – so he answered it.  Without knowing who was answering the phone, the son asked if the person on the other end could tell his Mom that she lost her phone.  When he discovered it was the guy who had just called him – he hung up.
  • Thirty seconds later the iPhone rang again.  Same number on the screen.  The GS decided to let this one go to voicemail.
  • As the GS arrived at the Customer Service counter to drop off the lost I-phone the following text message appeared on the screen – “U lost ur phone.  It’s @ cust service.”

This story illustrates a classic employee engagement challenge in many businesses today - simply go through lots of “engagement” activities but falling short on generating positive, sustainable results.  Many focus on processes, technology, and procedures versus accountability and changing behaviors.    

Here are some common engagement activities, I’ve seen business struggle with:
  • Conducting employee opinion surveys; BUT creating no accountability for feedback, action planning and execution after the results are tabulated.
  • Re-engineering performance management rating scales, descriptors, competencies, etc.; BUT lacking discipline to hold multiple, two-way dialogs with employees throughout the year on goals, successes, challenges, and improvement opportunities.
  • Sending everyone to training and development classes; BUT doing minimal follow-up and application of what was taught.  
  • Automating job opening/posting processes to increase visibility; BUT providing generic, minimal, or no feedback to applicants who were not selected.
  • Initiating employee recognition programs; BUT forgetting the importance of recognition being sincere, timely, specific, and ideally aligned to the ‘receivers’ wants or needs.
  • Creating more ‘high tech’ communication; BUT reducing the amount of ‘high touch’ opportunities.

Like our iPhone story, lots of activities can create busyness and a false sense of accomplishment.  High performance organizations know that flawless execution of “how” things are done is as important as “what” is done.  High performance organizations get results because they do not settle for any “if’s, ands, or buts.”
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    Brian Gareau is a Speaker, Author and Consultant.

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