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Writer's pictureKerrie Smit

Go Slow to Go Fast: Slowing down to build relationships makes change faster



A tortoise running a race in the middle of the pack turning into a hare as its running

As a change manager, change leader or sponsor, have you ever wondered why your ideas aren't getting traction? Your vision for change is clear and urgent. With such an obvious urgency, why are you finding yourself ahead of the rest of the team? Are there stakeholders looking around frantically trying to find someone else to deliver their outcomes? After all the explanations, conversations, meetings, papers, memos, why don't we seem to be getting anywhere?


You may be working too fast. And - ironically - you wouldn't be alone. The change makers who hold the vision see it clearly, but there are many others who need to be aligned in order for your vision to properly hit it's tipping point.


While working for an Australian education institution I was smashing through the process: impact analyses, stakeholder assessments, operating model adjustment and alignment. Change management tools are so good at summing up the nature of the change and leading to specific action plans that it was clear to me, the change team and the small group of stakeholders we'd engaged in the process. We were ready to mobilise.


But the Implementation Manager was going through their own version of the process in near perfect duplication of effort, while questioning and (dare I say) micromanaging the team. This was not only potentially damaging to team health, it also served to slow us down significantly. You see, the Implementation Manager knew a little secret.


Going slower gives more time and space for stakeholders to become familiar with the change through informal channels: corridor conversations, coffee and catch ups. And informal conversations often elicit more honest feedback than formal channels. It may seem counterintuitive that slowing down to build relationships makes change faster.


Naturally, there's a balance between 'venting' and constructive comment; and this needs to be managed closely. But this can be why when we launch comms to our audience we get a lukewarm reception. People aren't sure yet how they feel about the change, and they may not fully understand it.


If informal networking isn't your natural strength, there's probably an ear-to-the-ground type in your team already. If you're the diligent, organised change maker, chances are you're on top of impacts, readiness plans, strategic alignment, key messages, stakeholder awareness. You've probably given it a lot of thought and you're prepared, ahead of the game. But if you launch your ideas without any intelligence from the available back channels, you won't have all the available information.


The same is true in start-ups and in any new endeavour: don't over-prepare until you know how to sell it. This includes knowing what the objections are going to be. Taking the time to validate early, will definitely slow you down - particularly if it's via informal networking. But slowing down now to match the pace of the audience will build trust and relationships for the future that will not only prove essential to overall success, they are so often the fuel that gets a successful project across the line.


You can, and probably should, attempt to bring the informal feedback into some kind of formalised structure. You can do this through reviewing your stakeholder list and determining whether it's complete, and whether you've allowed enough time to engage with influential people. Your main aim here is not to get them to agree to the vision, but to build a relationship. If people genuinely 'like' you, and appreciate your efforts to treat them as individuals, they'll be more likely to suspend disbelief about the change until they've fully understood your vision as clearly as you do.


Don't give up. Incredibly, some stakeholders don't want to open up to a complete stranger about a significant change at work! You may need to find people who know people who can put you in better range of the informal feedback you're looking for.


Remember, you need to understand how the change audience truly feels about the disruption you're about to cause in their lives. The fastest implementation is a successful one. In order to get to the final outcome, you may need to slow down and drink more coffee.


Agencia Change is an online change management and communications agency offering consulting by the day or in blocks of days. Our flexible solutions are scalable to put you in control of the change you want to create. From mentoring individuals experiencing change, through to coaching leaders and professionals for skills uplift, or sitting on your project board to advise on the state of the transformation; Agencia Change is here to help every step of the way.


To find out more about how we can help you, book a free 15 minute introduction to Agencia Change.



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