Change and Thrive: A Modern Approach to Change Leadership

By Wendy L. Heckelman Ph. D.

As a leader in an organization, you face many challenges and critical decisions to successfully navigate change. The very essence of change is that it can happen quickly, right before your eyes. By its nature, change is disruptive and can throw even the most skilled leaders and individuals off balance. Fortunately, with proper planning and prepa

• Language: English
• Publisher: WLH Consulting, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9780578666556

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Change and Thrive

A Modern Approach to Change Leadership

A Modern Approach to Change Leadership

Wendy L. Heckelman, Ph.D.

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy L. Heckelman, Ph.D.

Book Design by Kat Hargrave

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing, 2020

ISBN 978-1-7344880-0-5 (hardcover)

Acknowledgements

It’s a wild but wonderful experience to write a book. This one represents many years of work on a universal but often misunderstood topic: change leadership. Change is constant. Leadership is essential. Both are widely sliced and diced as subject matter worth reading about, but key figures made this book distinguished.

First, I must thank Sheryl Unger, who has worked alongside me for the last twenty years. She was instrumental in helping me shape the 5C’s framework which has been the basis for a very successful practice that has profoundly helped dozens of clients. Sheryl has been a trusted and exceptional partner and without her, this book would not have been possible.

Thank you, Tianna Tye, for organizing and cheering on the very process of writing this book. You kept your eyes on the prize and did not waver, up-leveling the quality of content for the masses.

Thank you to my entire team at WLH—your knowledge, creative fuel, and dedication always remind me why I do what I do. You are the best group of professionals and I value each and every one of you!  

Thank you to the many clients who I’ve had the privilege to serve over the last twenty-eight years. You are all the change agents of the future and the motivation for this book!

Thank you, Candi Cross, for bringing superb beautifying skills, spirited partnership and a few Sundays to this project.

Finally, whenever I think of my journey, I think of my tribe. Harris and Adam, we have been through a lot together and you are, without question, the light of my life. Skyla, you are the daughter I never had and my best friend. Adam, you are an amazing, committed partner and have helped me see and grow. Jolie, you are the path forward and I know you will become a fiercely independent and empowered woman. All of you are the heart of my soul!

Introduction

The Change Age

Your success in life isn’t based on your ability to simply change.It is based on your ability to change faster than your competition, customers, and business.

―Mark Sanborn

There is power and pain in change. Most importantly, there is continuity. And if you are fortunate enough to hit the jackpot, there is gratification and renewal. I have the privilege of working in the life sciences and pharmaceutical industry, and I frequently witness stunning transformations.

Remember that economic downturn in 2008-2010 that rocked the globe? Organizations had to swiftly endure change. They were downsizing, refocusing, and trying many different strategies to jump-start services and products.

Chartered Management Institute in the UK, with frequent contributor, Paul Arnold, describe the RBS Group turnaround as one of the greatest examples of change management in business history:

Following the 2008 financial crisis, RBS Group was ordered to sell its insurance business by European Union regulators, as a condition of RBS receiving billions of dollars in state aid. RBS’s insurance business, led by Paul Geddes, was tasked with separating its operations from RBS Group into a standalone company, in order to be ready for either a trade sale to a competitor, or listing on the stock market.

Geddes and the insurance business’s leadership at the time jumped into a large-scale change event action and turned the opportunity into a positive exercise, using the separation process to create a viable, standalone, rebranded insurance organization, now known as Direct Line Group. It took eighteen months to distinguish every single strand of the business, from customer data, to independent functions and governance.

The entire approach had to be one of controlled urgency—there was no plan B and the leadership teams embraced the need to shift their people on to the next step as rapidly and as efficiently as possible. Once the separation had been effected, the focus was on creating a new brand and rapidly building the business into a viable standalone operation.

Primer on Failure and Change Fitness

If you are a leader of teams, not just projects, you have a choice to make before any change engagement. Will you demonstrate strength not just internally but outwardly in order to get this type of initiative off the ground? Ownership of the responsibilities tied to such a holistic program is fundamental. Then, in order to improve, you must be willing to challenge your current circumstances. The very essence of change is that it can happen quickly, right before your eyes. Will you be ready for its significance?

The minute that you announce change is coming, everyone will shift in their seats with a range of emotions. Some of them will have had personal dealings with another transition leader and developed negative views concerning change. Others cooperated in the past and landed on successful results that still make them smile. Some had simply stayed clear of a transition leader in intimidation, with their nose to the grind, hoping they would never be called for a one-on-one. A handful didn’t collaborate at all and they know it. Be ready for all of this change baggage. As long as you are aware of this, your display of solidarity and transparent communication will be like a new coat of paint—fresh and interesting…but it may take time to get used to it.

Change is leading people on steroids! It is the extreme of leadership. Everybody will have their own issues they’ll need to work through. If you are an inept leader to begin with, you’ll certainly be a damaging leader through change. This book doesn’t revolve around building and cultivating leadership, though there are natural pieces reminiscent of personal and professional development. With this caveat out of the way, you’ve arrived at these pages and are at least open to thriving through change.

Speed, Grit, Grace

We all get that change is the new constant, but what does this really mean in the throes of an actual program to shift departments, strategy, service or product suite, and in some cases, entire infrastructure?

Based on my experience, one thing I will continue to press throughout Change and Thrive is that change agility is one of the critical components of leadership. At its core, change agility is the ability of a business to realize and sustain its full potential both in terms of its profits and its people, regardless of internal changes, such as interruptions to your supply chain, outdated IT systems, and being heavily reliant on one customer, or external environment changes: demographic, economic, political, ecological, socio-cultural, and technological forces.  

Change agility delivers better competitive advantage, higher customer satisfaction and retention, increased employee productivity and retention, and faster time to work on new opportunities.

Recognizing that change agility is defined as the ability to move with balance, speed, and flexibility to achieve a competitive advantage, consider yourself in