PrimeFocus™ Mini-Assessment: Complete the Self-Assessment
Change-Readiness Indicator: Complete the Assessment
Author: Primeast
Date: 12/01/2017
When we discuss legacy, we tend to think of something that has been bequeathed from the past. A representation of history, not of the present or future. Yet an organization’s legacy is both current and constantly changing. It evolves with markets, customers, and even the organization’s leaders. Your legacy narrative has the power to energize change, and central to this is your brand’s storytelling strategy.
Few (if any) organizations remain unchanged through time. Continuing success is founded on being current and looking to the future, not by wallowing in past successes. Organizations must continually reinvent themselves and change to remain competitive, and this means reinventing brand, too. Here are a few examples of organizations that have rebranded:
Ahead of each reinvention, an organization must consider its brand, and how its story – past, present, and future – will help to engender the cultural shift that is required to fuel successful change.
Here are five steps that you should consider when developing your brand storytelling strategy as part of your strategy to overcome resistance to change:
Your values and beliefs are what defines your organization as a place where your people want to work. They dictate behaviors, and connect the organization, its leaders, employees, and customers. Values and beliefs of both organizations and individuals evolve – they don’t change overnight.
Once you have identified your values and beliefs, use these to guide how you do things. Consider what your people and customers expect, and enable your leaders to lead change within these expectations while simultaneously challenging them. Use your history of success as evidence of a future of success.
Trust your market intelligence to inform your change, and encourage your people to not only accept the change, but to embrace it. Sometimes risks will need to be taken to challenge the status quo. Nothing of any value has been achieved without an element of risk.
At GE, Jack Welch challenged his people to become fully engaged with change, encouraging them to be more innovative and inventive. Instead of measuring results internally, evaluation of success was referenced against external competition. He created a team of fully engaged executives committed to organizational values, and courageous enough to embrace the culture of change. These executives enthusiastically conveyed the new brand and change story to GE divisions and employees.
Inspire your people to embrace change by answering their most burning question: “What’s in it for me?”
Ensure your leaders understand how to encourage your employees to let go of the past and embrace change. Many employees will believe that the need for change is no more than a management initiative that will quickly be forgotten. It’s imperative that your people understand the evolution of your story, and your future vision. Ask them for help, encourage ideas, and ensure your change leadership is visible.
Creating your legacy requires everyone to buy into your brand story, and be its advocates. This story will reset your legacy from the past to the present, and prepare it for the future. It is everyone’s responsibility to innovate, iterate and refine as your brand story evolves. Make them accountable for the success of change, and thank them for their efforts.
Organizations must change and evolve to remain competitive and grow. A positive and future-facing brand story is essential to onboarding all stakeholders in the process of change.
To discover how a Change Agent Bootcamp and leadership coaching will help your organization and leaders produce lasting change, contact Primeast today.
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