Organizational transformation is difficult work. Beyond leadership mandates, planning and roadmaps are human beings who are still needed to implement the changes. Sometimes this requires them to make lasting changes to their own behaviour and ways of working.
This is why getting stakeholder buy-in matters. During a transformation, you know you have buy-in when people believe in the change and are willing to actively participate in it.
Momentum for change is the result of consistent actions that produce visible results. These visible results increase buy-in, with more people actively joining your initiative.
Below are three questions that you can use as a diagnostic tool to track the momentum of your change initiative:
Question 1: Do you have early wins that are visible, valuable and verifiable?
To be effective early wins have to be relevant to the change you are trying to drive. You must measurably solve a real business problem. This creates legitimacy, credibility and energizes the organization.
Question 2: Have you been celebrating your wins through storytelling?
Early wins are not effective if nobody knows about them. So tell your success stories. You can do things like, host events, run demos days, write blog posts or have leaders talk about the wins.
Question 3: How many people are joining without being asked?
This is the ultimate measure of momentum. You know you have traction when people start voluntarily showing up. Create space for the newcomers and make it easy for them to contribute.
If you answered “no” to any of these questions, then you may have a momentum problem.
The fix isn’t more pitching and pushing people to join. Instead, create a movement that people are happy to become a part of.
So what are you going to do this month so you can answer “yes” to all three questions?
Tendayi Viki