insist on rolling out larger significant changes the organization is not ready for and the project therefore fails . In failed transformations you often find plenty of plans , directives and programs but no vision . Without clear vision those affected by the change can become confused or feel alienated .
4 . Under-communicating the vision leads to de-prioritization of the mission . If the leadership does not “ live and breath ” the change they want to make , the vision is only partially communicated and this results in cynicism and belief in the vision . Employees will not make shortterm sacrifices , even if they are unhappy with the status quo , unless they believe that change is possible . Without credible communication , and lots of it , the hearts and minds of the troops are never captured . Leadership needs to drill the vision at all times , tie the vision in with every performance review process and Q & A session , everything must be constantly tied back into the vision and progress towards that end . Leadership must demonstrate their buy-in in both words and deeds . Nothing undermines change more than behavior by leadership that is inconsistent with their words .
5 . Failure to remove obstacles to the new vision hinders progress . Communication is never sufficient by itself . Renewal also requires the removal of obstacles . There may be many willing to move down the path but an obstacle appears to be blocking the path . In some cases the obstacle in in the persons head and they must be convinced that no external obstacle exists , in most cases the obstacles are real and are indeed inhibiting progress . If leadership allows obstacles to remain in place , those expected to support and rally for change will question the leadership ’ s commitment to renewal and change , cynicism will grow and the whole effort can collapse .
6 . Short-term wins are essential . If the organization does not continually feel positive movement toward the vision ’ s objectives by attaining achievable short-term goals , interest and momentum will be lost . People will not continue the long journey unless the process is yielding expected results . Without short-term wins , too many people give up or actively join the ranks of those people who have been resisting change . Don ’ t be over-anxious , it could well be 12-24 months before the change results become incontestable .
7 . Beware of declaring victory too soon . After many months or years of hard work , it may be tempting to declare a victory with the first clear sign of measurable performance improvement . Celebrating a win is fine , declaring the war won can be catastrophic . New practices are fragile and subject to regression if the change has yet to deeply root into the changing culture , see # 8 below . Ironically it is often a combination of change initiators and change resistors that creates a premature victory celebration . Enthusiastic change initiators can go overboard over a clear sign of progress , they are then joined by the change resistors who are quick to spot any opportunity to stop change . Once the celebration is over the resistors point to the victory as a sign the
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