Bill Mann - Change Leadership: how to lead people through change

Organisations are constantly changing. It could be something small such as a change to a single team or individual, or a change to working processes. It may be something larger such as a restructure or reorganisation. It may even be something all-encompassing such as a merger, acquisition, or a full-scale transformation programme. Whatever it is, changes are commonplace but they all usually miss one vital ingredient. Formal Change Management processes will ensure the analysis is done, designs completed, and implementation plans are executed. They will even include communication plans and mapping of roles and resources. All that is missing is the most important component winning the hearts and minds of the people involved so they are fully committed to making it happen. Without this there will be resistance. And if the resistance is not overcome, the change programme will fail.

Change can be imposed but it is a costly, painful, and nave approach. Losing key resources and the drain on management time alone is to be avoided. Treating staff as people rather than resources, managing impacts with humanity, and managing relationships with emotional intelligence, will deliver results, respect, and loyalty that will long outlive the change project. By securing the full commitment of everyone involved change can be made quickly and with ease.

If you have picked up this book the chances are you are facing change in your organisation, or perhaps you are the one leading the change. Either way it isnt easy. Whether it is a full-scale reorganisation, perhaps as the result of a merger or acquisition, or simply redeploying individuals where the business needs it, getting the buy-in and support of all involved is difficult for even the most enlightened leaders. Even routine activities such as managing a pay review can stir up a tidal wave of emotions if not handled with care. The consequences of simply imposing change can lead to months of lost productivity, damage to morale and motivation, and ultimately impacts customer service and delivery. All of this can be mitigated if not avoided by skilful handling and the use of emotional intelligence. Getting it right can save businesses a fortune in management time, recruitment fees, and lost productivity. It can avoid damaging relationships and trust. Add to that the motivation of an engaged and loyal workforce and the benefits last for many years.

When we go to work and enter the office door we put on our professional persona and adopt the role we were slotted in to. Yet we cannot separate this from who we are as a person and neither can our colleagues or staff. To manage change purely in the context of the business structure and professional roles is to deny the fact we are dealing with people with deeply personal cares and worries, and missing the key ingredient to managing change successfully.

Bill Mann has spent a long career in businesses of vastly different sizes and in many different countries. He has managed change from the individual all the way through to M&A scale restructuring. He has seen it all. In this book he explains the critical ingredient to success, often overlooked by many keeping staff fully engaged all the way through the process. The pain that usually accompanies major change the uncertainty, dip in morale and productivity, loss of key people, and inevitable impact on customer service, can be avoided with skilful handling.

On the 7th July 2005 Bill was caught up in the London bombings when he was in the carriage of the Circle Line train at Edgware Road that was targeted by a suicide bomber. He was fortunate to escape with his life, but little did he know that it would never be the same again. A few years later he was still grappling with the aftereffects of this trauma when his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. Left alone to bring up his young family Bills life was turned upside down. It is testament to his inner strength and emotional intelligence that he, and his family, came through this period of his life successfully. Bill has learnt a lot about change the hard way, and it is described with a refreshing honesty and clarity in his previous book How to Keep Calm and Carry On.

In this book Bill shows us we can use emotional intelligence to lead any size of change in business. Unfortunately, in many organisations change is implemented by simply being imposed a blunt instrument that has many unintended consequences. With the tools, techniques, and behaviours described in the following chapters the same change, no matter how unpalatable to some staff, can be made with the minimum of disruption, but also with care, empathy, and understanding. I recommend it to any executive or manager responsible for making change in their organisation, or anyone simply wishing to develop their emotional intelligence.