The Danger in Dictating Change

I've been working for the past week or so on upgrades to my "Thriving on Change" seminar. Content revisions are in final draft, with much of yesterday's work involving the topics of "selling your ideas" and "gaining buy-in." Regarding those issues, some people may argue "Why should I? I'm the boss of my department or work group. If I have a good idea I should be able to tell people to put my idea into action. Besides, if I open it up to discussion, I'll probably have to contend with a lot of questions, comments, challenges and proposed changes. I know what I'm doing. This is the best way to go. So let's just do it."

Let's examine these arguments. Yes, you are the manager and that does make you a boss. But being the boss doesn't make you a leader. The manager who is a leader can get people to do things willingly, without having to rely on her or his authority as a boss.

When you develop an idea on your own, you fail to recognize that very few individuals can develop a perfect idea without the insights of others. You fail to realize that no one in your department, including you, can be more knowledgeable than all the people in your department put together.

Operating people can usually spot potential trouble spots in proposed changes, and usually have practical suggestions for overcoming these difficulties. They also have a vested interest in sharing their ideas so the change can be implemented smoothly. These sort of corrections, made to ideas during the discussion phase, are usually quite inexpensive as the idea is still "on paper." Corrections tend to be far more expensive during the implementation phase where money is being expended, time is being spent and resources are being consumed.

When you let others help you develop an idea for change; when you listen to their concerns; when you incorporate their suggestions; when you give them credit for their help and make them a partner in your idea, you'll have the best chance for successful implementation. Even if the idea isn't perfect, those who were involved in creating it will make every effort to work through problems, work around obstacles, patch holes and otherwise do whatever they can to see the idea, the idea they were part of creating, put into action as a successful change.

On the other hand, when a change is decreed without any input from the people impacted by the change, those people will feel resentful. They've been ignored, not included. Your actions indicate that you don't value their thoughts and suggestions. They think you are a know-it-all. And when it comes to implementing your idea, they have no vested interested in seeing it work. Indeed, many of them will hope that it fails, and takes you along with it.

Oh, don't worry. They will follow your instructions. To the letter. They'll let the problems confound them. They'll crash into obstacles and fall into holes. After all, you did say "just do it." And with each bump in the road they will look to you for the answer. After all, it's your idea. You didn't want their help. And that is the real danger of dictating change.


About me: Dan Pelley conducts seminars and teaches programs on topics of interest to managers. Recent additions to his offerings are a six hour seminar titled "Thriving on Change" and a sixteen hour program titled "Leadership in a Changing Environment."

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
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