Commandments for Leading Change: 7, 8, 9

7. Deep change takes time and we must manage expectations about how realistically long it is going to take to achieve the vision.

That's why short-term wins are so important. They keep the bosses on board, they undermine the cynics, they pressure the self-serving resisters. 

And they prove that the pain is worth it because we’re making progress toward our vision.


8. Change is often painful, but we must be diligent to make sure it is not harmful. Any decision that impacts another human being is by definition an ethical decision. And when difficult decisions have to be made-and they will- we must take care to make sure that we are treating every individual that is affected with dignity and respect. This includes full disclosure and advanced warnings of the changes as we become aware of them, as well as generous compensation if severance is required.

9. Leaders are always disappointing somebody. The key is to disappoint people at a rate which they can stand.

The change that we are implementing is no doubt directly aimed at what was somebody's good idea 10 years ago. They will be disappointed that their idea's time has passed. But, we cannot let the past, or "the way we've always done it around here" to hold us back from making the changes that need to be made now in order to secure our future.