In this life and in this work, the only constant is change…
So, why does it often seem to sneak up and surprise us? Or why do we SIT on making the change we know we need to make, for so very long? Where is the training on this topic? How is it that even when the change is positive, it can be bungled and become a mess?
First, let’s tackle feelings and mindset. These are the biggest opportunities and obstacles to making a change. Let’s not mince words here – change can be scary, destabilizing, and actually negative. This is why so many of us cling to what exists versus letting go and leaping to what could be.
HOW IT STARTED…
Okay, going way back, to very early career-20-something-Glennda, change was flat-out scary to me. Joan reminded me of a time when I had to move apartments in Brooklyn, and I was practically paralyzed with anxiety about it. Now, moving apartments in New York City is not easy, as anyone who has done it will tell you, but it should not be a heart-stopper before you even begin to do it. I share this story to demonstrate how much a chance could rattle me.
I remember my first years as a new Executive Director, I was not, as you now know, a fan of change, but I had to embrace it. There was no choice. I needed to figure out how to do one of our biggest fundraising events completely in-house, after it had been externally produced for years. I had to eliminate positions and restructure for financial reasons and greater impact. And, I had to stop doing some things so we could focus that attention on others.
It. Was. Not. Easy. However, there was an upside that I eventually recognized. Case-in-point: We had so much more control to focus on what was important when we brought that event in-house. It helped train the organization’s biggest cheerleaders. The restructuring helped empower some people who had been waiting in the wings to succeed, and by stopping doing so many things, we were able to do fewer things, better.
HOW IT’S GOING…
The truth is, I did not have a set framework for change management at the time. But over 14 years of leading changes as an Executive Director – some well, and some less well – I did develop a fuzzy framework. After I actually left the organization and became CEO of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab (the Lab), I have now been able to articulate a clear, simple framework that will help any nonprofit leader be able to tackle the change they know they need to make.
At the Lab, we’re hosting a workshop on this topic, so no one has to wander in the scary darkness and wonder what to do next. If you are already a member of the Lab, mark your calendar for March 16-20, 3-4 pm ET. If you are not, consider joining the Lab or just this workshop.
Now, let’s start at the beginning. There are different kinds of changes. Many different kinds, actually, but for our purposes here, it’s most important to know if the change is reactive or proactive. The change itself can be positive, negative, or mixed in its results, but proactive and reactive refer to the motivation behind the change.
PROACTIVE CHANGE
Proactive change refers to an organization anticipating the future and making necessary adjustments to better address or capitalize on that future. Organizations that adopt a proactive stance introduce changes ahead of time to avoid future crises and take advantage of future opportunities. An example of a proactive change is when you realize, “We need to diversify our revenue streams, because we are overly reliant on government grants. There has not been a funding cut, but we want to be prepared if there is, and there seems to be a real earned income opportunity we could explore.”
REACTIVE CHANGE
Reactive change occurs when organizations are compelled to make changes due to internal or external pressures. These changes are often, though not always, initiated in response to problems or challenges that arise suddenly. An example of a reactive change is, “Our government funding was eliminated, and we now have a 50% hole in our budget. We need to find a way to make that up quickly. Can we start charging for space rentals or something?”
Today, I’m talking about the proactive kind of change. The one that you as a leader initiate, not because you have to, to survive, but because you want to. These are often the changes that linger on your metaphorical to-do list. The ones you know are important, but something else always seems to take precedence, and when that “something” is gone, the change begging to be made remains.
AN EXAMPLE OF CHANGE LEADERSHIP
When I signed what I knew might likely be my last two-year contract, the clock started ticking on my ability to influence things at my organization. And when I looked around, we had a healthy financial reserve, robust fundraising, growing programs, and a strong senior leadership team. Years earlier, we had initiated a racial equity transformation at the organization and implemented changes to support this top-to-bottom across staff and programs.
The board had supported the staff effort, but had not gone through this training and transformation themselves, and I knew it was time. Especially as I thought about this group choosing the next person to lead the organization. I knew equity needed to be a factor in this critical selection, and I wanted the board to have the right tools to support a new leader who would hopefully be different from my predecessor or me.
Now this is not a quick or easy change. It takes time, commitment, buy-in, and momentum, to name a few things. Also, as with most changes, it was not something I could make happen myself. I needed partners. We needed to answer a lot of questions, and we needed a plan.
If I’m honest about it, I felt overwhelmed before I even began. I was tempted to just talk to the Board President and get going. We had begun to shift the composition of the board to be more racially diverse, including the person who eventually became President. So, my hasty plan might have worked at first, but I’m certain it would have fizzled without more buy-in, thoughtful planning, and sustained execution.
What I learned through leading that change – and so many others – will help any nonprofit leader with any change they are leading too. There are three critical areas to consider before you begin to implement this change.
THREE CRITICAL CHANGE AREAS TO CONSIDER BEFORE YOU START
PEOPLE FIRST
The first area is people. Ask yourself who will be impacted, should be consulted, and should provide input? Who will lead this change and who will sustain it? In other words, identify and map your stakeholders, and explicitly identify where you need to get buy-in to make the change work.
WHAT ABOUT RESOURCES?
Second, consider if this change requires additional money, time, and/or effort to implement. What is required in each of these areas? From whom and how do you get buy-in or alignment to invest the additional resources or to make the proposed trade-off in resources?
COMMUNICATION IS KEY!
Finally, you may have already realized that communication is the glue that holds this all together, and it, along with people and resources, can make or break your change effort at any point. The key question to answer, which should probably be included in all of your communications, is your WHY. Why is this change needed? Why does it matter? Why now? Take that stakeholder mapping you did and figure out the order of comms, the method of delivery, the messenger, and what will be communicated.
Now, if change leadership were as easy as 1-2-3, I wouldn’t need to write this blog, and you would need to read it and consider taking a workshop on it to really learn how to do it well.
This blog can’t possibly answer all the questions you need to answer when planning a proactive change, but making sure you prioritize and think through these three areas is the best way to start.
And for more? Join the workshop, info here.
