MANAGING CHANGE IN YOUR BUSINESS
I want things to change around here in future –
HOW
Change is a key component of business
ownership. Business owners who successfully manage change in their
business and their own approach tend to build a strong, vibrant company
culture that attracts talent. Changing management styles and
approaches is challenging for every manager, but the results can be
very rewarding. Here is some tips and tricks you can use:
Self Awareness
Business owners need to understand their
own style and then decide whether it is appropriate and if they are
willing to adapt and change it. The first place to start is to get a
reasonable insight into your own style and preferences, your own
strengths and also your own blind spots. The simplest way to do this
is seek feedback from employees, colleagues and peers. During
performance reviews, managers and employees can and must ask what
would make them more effective.
Psychological profiling tools
Many companies put candidates through tests
to see how they will measure up. The Birkman
method is a 298-point personality assessment tool that looks at such
areas as how people deal with relationships and tasks, what their
needs are, how they cope with stress and how they approach problem
solving.
'It helps me understand how people are
going to operate and it gives people enough room so that they can
self manage and not get overloaded.' The
beauty of the tool is that it helps show how people are different and
how to manage those differences. Used across different departments,
it also promotes collaborative management and working.
Change meeting style
Meetings need to be constructive, rather
than repetitive rituals, according to management consultant Kevin
Dwyer from Change Factory.
'If the meeting is regarded to be useful
but it's lost a lot of its constructive zing then change
the environment,' Dwyer says. 'You can hold it off-site. If it used
to be hour-long meetings every week then make it a two-hour meeting
once a month. Or you can change who leads it. 'Another way to improve
meeting productivity is to hold debriefing sessions to openly discuss
what is or isn’t working.
Generate ideas
When small business owners expand and take
on employees, it can be difficult for them to change their approach
to generating business ideas. It is important to encourage employees
to provide insight and contribute new ideas. Shannon Cooper and Steve
Sanmartino, who own eBay rental company Rentoid, set aside time during meetings to allow
staff to brainstorm ideas. 'We talk about how we could do things
better, what we could improve on and what new things people are
seeing. All ideas are welcome.'
Change staff communication
Good staff communication is essential for
business success and to put it bluntly, employees who don't know
what's expected of them will not perform well. Managers who want to
connect better with staff might need to change communication
channels, and find the communication channel that works. They need to
examine the tools and methods and see whether they are appropriate or
whether they can be improved. Some companies rely heavily on Intranet
systems; others have a CEO or company blog. Some use staff forums
where the manager regularly meets with staff to talk about issues.
Not all of them work, and managers need to identify what suits their
staff.
Conclusion
Change yourself, think differently and the
impact on business will be self realised.
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