Leading Change
OUR LEADERSHIP FORUMS BUILD CHANGE MANAGEMENT SKILLS
The Need
A pro-active Vice President of a national media company decided to upgrade his leadership team’s change management skills.
He could see big changes ahead that would affect department budgets, long standing work practices, and hierarchies. He wanted to make sure that his leadership team was prepared to effectively communicate the changes and handle the reactions of staff members, who sometimes resist changes, especially when they don’t understand it.
Another of the VP’s concerns: rapid change makes cooperation between department heads more important than ever. And that’s something they could stand to improve.
Our Solution
Our Needs Assessment included confidential conversations with every member of the leadership team. The situations they recounted helped us design a custom program with relevant Guided Improv™ scenarios to practice crucial communications skills.
In two sessions we introduced several key communications tools. Talk3i™ and 4MPATH™ help bring insights and planning to the “necessary conversations” surrounding change. The group practiced using these and other tools in Guided Improv™ scenes, and had fun doing it. The “laugh and learn” approach” was enthusiastically embraced!
We called these sessions “forums” because –– in addition to learning new skills –– these leaders needed to listen to, and learn from each other. In a safe and respectful learning space, they bonded as they shared stories about their own change challenges.
The Outcome
The Vice President said that the Forums had a “transformative effect” that went beyond the tools and training. “They actually got to know each other in a way I hadn’t thought possible.”
Today these leaders are using what they’ve learned to skillfully navigate the turbulent waters of change.
