Another senior change professional and I were grabbing lunch recently and shared some experiences in 'rainmaker' cultures - think for example investment banking, stockbroking or financial advisory firms. In our experience rainmaker cultures were difficult to convince about the need for change because they rely on strong individual results to bring in revenues. While the revenue results are continuing, change behaviours can be lower on the list of priorities and individuals can be left to operate in ignorance of team goals.
One of the most resistant cultures and, conversely, one of the most satisfying conversations about sustainability I've had, was with a rainmaker culture.
Rainmakers and change resistance
This group was resistant from the start, often talking over me, deflecting and avoiding the actions being asked of them and very difficult to gain traction with. Their organisation was implementing Lean Business and they objected to being compared to blue collar workers. Their process was so large, so mysterious and so special that it could not be defined, documented nor improved. Attempts to have them work more visibly made them thoroughly miserable.
Now my future self can take some of the mystery out - since this experience I've learned that large processes like this are actually just one, single, high-level process with a flexible product solution that can be combined and customised to meet client needs.
Naturally as a keen change manager at the time, I tried a number of approaches working with the the Senior Partner and gaining the endorsement of the Managing Partner. I sat with individuals as much as possible to discuss their adoption of the tools and any setbacks or questions. I made formal presentations and attended team meetings.
I got the distinct impression of being humoured.
When most of the rollout and information transfer had been completed, there was still time in the coaching schedule dedicated to sustainability measures - sometimes known as reinforcement.
I was still concerned that their overall reaction was lack of acceptance, so I scheduled a meeting with the team. I let them know it would be a feedback session about how the program had run. During the session everyone went around the room and spoke about what they thought went well and what could be improved and I recorded their comments.
At the end, I summed up their comments which, predictably, were directed at me and intended as a critique of how I'd handled the program.
The Sustainability Honey Trap
I rephrased the criticisms into neutral language and made them into an action list, feeding back to the group and asking for a volunteer from around the table to handle each action point. The job of the volunteer would be to ensure full handover was achieved against every action point raised.
The team members now owned those action points and it was firmly the responsibility of their team to follow up on them; and their manager's responsibility to handle the repercussions if they didn't.
Interestingly at that meeting, it was the only time I was asked by any of the Senior Partners involved in the change program to give feedback to the group on my experience working with them.
For a few moments I considered glossing over it, not mentioning their rainmaker culture, or change resistance. After all, the sustainability honey trap seemed like it had landed perfectly!
But there had been a strong performer in their team, so I decided instead to let them know my observations of him as a strong change champion. I singled him out and praised how he'd performed his role throughout the 8 week program. Then I tactfully let them know it was unfortunate he'd not had more support and acceptance from his colleagues and that they had made their team-mate's job quite difficult - because of their resistance.
This group of rainmakers took the feedback on the chin and the Senior Partner thanked me for my comments. This ultimately represented fairness on their behalf and gave me a glimmer of hope that the change leadership would sustain according to the plan we'd just co-developed.
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