You’re a Change Manager facing a complex project. What skills do you need to ensure success?

Stakeholder engagement is paramount for success in any change, be it simple or complex. Taking your stakeholders on the journey with you always leads to a successful outcome. With a great stakeholder engagement plan you can cultivate strong relationships, actively listen and deliver effective communications - all while aligning project goals and getting buy-in to the necessary changes. Proactive stakeholder engagement allows me to navigate diverse perspectives, anticipate challenges and foster collaboration - driving successful project outcomes in dynamic, complex environments.

A change management expert is usually best set to succeed in any complex projects! Here are the skills that I use the most: 1. Communication: Clear, consistent messaging. Keep everyone informed and on the same page, from execs to the front line. 2. Active listening: Pay close attention to concerns and address them head-on. Foster an open dialogue to build trust and buy-in. 3. Adaptability: Things will change. Stay flexible, embrace new information, and adjust your approach as needed.

In my opinion, - Proficient in strategy, design change, and attention to detail. Always prioritize understanding the "why" before figuring out the "how." - Skilled in immersive listening and highly collaborative. - Able to handle ambiguity and be flexible in approach. - Excellent at articulating ideas and possessing strong analytical abilities. - Empathetic, appreciative, democratic, and transformational in behaviour. - Open to feedback and embraces a "feedforward" approach. - Possesses a go-getter personality and is mindful and resilient when dealing with people and situations. - A focused approach to feedback is necessary for project success.

In my opinion, to ensure success in a complex project, it is important to possess leadership abilities to continuously inspire and motivate teams throughout the change process. Since right direction and support are needed by the team members when they navigate through uncertainty and resistance. Another important skill is excellent communication as it is essential to convey the vision, objectives and benefits of a change initiative at all levels of the organisation.

Inspiring a shared vision - effective listening, team building ( form, storm, norm, perform) and feedback loop. Too many times assumptions are made that the change is a known factor. However, change is different for everyone and impacts people differently, so plan accordingly!

Creating a comprehensive communication plan is critical. It creates a roadmap of the required communications to keep your stakeholders engaged and informed appropriately. Adapting your messages to different audiences by utilizing a stakeholder analysis, identifying key messages, and applying strategic thought to the timing of the communications will help you get the right message to the right people at the right time. Communicate early, openly, often, and be sure to always allow for feedback.

One very critical aspect in leading/managing a complex project is clarity. As a blend of skills is required to navigate the intricacies of the change, communication across the strata of stakeholders becomes one of the most important aspect in ensuring success of the change

In my book, SHOW ME THE LID ON THE BOX - How to Manage Change with Least Resistance… Imagine giving a jigsaw to a team, but not let them see the lid on the box, they may well attempt it. But not without frustration, and lost time. Too often, leaders ask their teams to just get on with it. But lack of context can lead a person to make lots of unnecessary mistakes. Worse, it can lead to resistance. When new hires join, they receive a job description. That’s the lid on the box at that time. As the years roll on, the business (picture) changes. But if this change is not communicated, then they will continue to assemble the pieces that they were originally given. This then leads to frustration, and bad blood between leaders and followers.

Before we start on the path of communication. Let’s change or retire the phrase “Change Management”. We have heard cliches “Change is Constant, it is Continuous or relentless” . If change is constant, why are you managing? Change Management is transactional and in complex business environment we cannot manage but adapt and evolve. We need to move away from transactional to transformative mindset so that we can shift “managing” to building resilience.

The ability to lead through change and taking people on the journey with you is key! Leaders who manage change well are able to clearly articulate the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ this incorporates being a good communicator, and most certainly helps land change effectively. Engagement levels are far better when people feel included and able to contribute to the change as opposed to be change being ‘done to them’

Many times individuals believe that leading a good process will lead to expected results. And - likely, most of us have seen that model fall short. Leadership skills focused on people is critical. Developing skills to understand how others respond to and engage with change and how to address individual needs can accelerate results. It's also critical to understand the culture and system issues that may be accelerating or decelerating efforts so that appropriate action may be taken.

Certainly leadership, ability to carry everyone along, getting everyone to give their best and to drive towards the goal.

Complexity has its foundation in the disparate world views of everyone involved. The critical skills for anyone bridging this gap are the ability to: * ask good questions * listen for the brilliance * reframe and synthesise in service of creating a collective truth than draws the group forward.

As a leader you have the responsibility to create membrane for the project team, like a cel membrane, transparant enough to let information in and deliver impact outside and strong enough to create a holding space for the people within.

Foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement within the team. Encourage experimentation, innovation, and knowledge sharing. Recognize and reward individuals and teams for their learning and growth. Provide a space for them to share their experiences with others.

We spend long time learning but never unlearning old habits. You have to become half empty, create the space before we start filling in. As Change Practitioners, it is imperative to call out remains the same, what needs to be removed - Unlearned and what needs to be Learned new.

Learning skills are important in Change Management because it also means a leader comes with humility and not a " I know it all attitude." Having a growth mindset helps one to achieve more and involve the necessary stakeholders to achieve success.

Im Bereich Lernkompetenzen gehört zu Wahrheit dazu, dass man als Team Leader sich genau anpassen muss und auch ständiges lernen dazugehört. Ohne ständiges lernen und ständiges Streben nach Verbesserungen scheitert jedes Projekt.

Learning is essential in project management as it drives growth, improves performance, and enhances project outcomes. Projects are dynamic and complex, requiring continuous learning to adapt to changing circumstances. Learning enables project managers to acquire new knowledge, skills, and best practices, staying updated with industry trends and advancements. It fosters innovation, enabling the exploration of creative solutions and approaches. Learning from past projects and experiences helps avoid repeating mistakes and promotes continuous improvement. It enhances decision-making, as project managers can draw on a broader knowledge base. Learning also promotes effective communication, collaboration, and stakeholder engagement.

I sarcastically say, "Change practitioners are the most resistant to change"! (no offence to us, though!), However, there is a truth in it, and there is now research on the topic. Change practitioners should be empathetic and resilient. You should already have gone through enough personal and professional changes to empathize with people from your core! Also, change management practice is a political job! You are dealing with so much politics, power plays and decision-making barriers.

Emotional Intelligence is a key component to building resilience in change management, both as a skill and a competency. As a skill; the building blocks for emotional intelligence would be built on empathy, self - awareness, social awareness and relationship management with stakeholders, peers, and change recipients. As a competency; emotional intelligence encompasses conflict resolution, consistency of communication, guidance through leadership, and interpersonal effectiveness.

La réussite passe passe par la mobilisation d'une équipe d'acteurs complémentaires (membres du projet et contributeurs). Ce collectif permettra de porter la dynamique de gestion du changement et de réagir aux aléas (réactions des populations, retour arrière, manque de disponibilité des parties prenantes).

Resiliency skills at their core involve being agile, not confused, and bringing others along. Think of it as the foundation for leadership and communication skills – if there is weakness in one, there is weakness in all.

Change stresses people out, and many of us in OCM are drawn to our work because we want to help people be resilient in that uncertainty and stress. Our compassion can contribute to change success stories, but it can also take its toll on us because we are constantly involved in change. Sometimes we have to make our mental wellness seriously —vacations, taking a lunch break, music, however we unwind—that needs to be a priority. I also find gratitude is good for me and the people I’m working with. Bringing a box filled with fidget toys for people in a user acceptance training, giving a peer applause award to someone who’s working hard—that celebration changes the vibe for everyone.

Humility! The most crucial skill needed is knowing that you might not have all the right answers. What worked well somewhere doesn’t mean that it will work somewhere else. You need to know that you don’t hold all the secrets and the magic stick. You need different views and wisdom from others.

Based on my past experience as a change manager for a large scale general ledger migration project, I would highlight the below key elements which should help manage the change better. Understand your stakeholders and their expectations, power and influence well - Often with a complex project, complex human emotions and biases are involved and therefore its important to highlight the benefits of your project to the stakeholders impacted, stay transparent with regards to the challenges and communicate milestones and impacts regularly. Credibility is key for a change manager and its this key trait that helps you drive the change journey with your stakeholders by your side.

You need to bring together a team of knowledgeable people to work on this project The skill needed here is how to manage this team and make them work together to bring the project to success

Apart from what has already been mentioned, mastering the skill of tactical empathy is absolutely essential. By attentively listening and comprehending the perspectives of others, you can utilize this knowledge to effectively navigate and communicate during times of change with great confidence and finesse.

Effective project-level change management necessitates understanding various elements like size, complexity, stakeholder count, project management methodology, culture, and client preferences. For hard skills, proficiency begins with grasping the tailoring concept. Meanwhile, the essence of soft skills lies in the project manager's capacity to enter the qualitative world of stakeholders, focusing on building trust rooted in the cognition of their value models. This skill is cultivated through deepening interdisciplinary knowledge, including philosophy, sociology, psychology, and history. It may be necessary to consider a new competency category of "Human Cognition" in classic competence models, especially pertinent for change managers.