What are the common pitfalls to implementing change?

From The Desk of Adrian Simoes

What are the common pitfalls to implementing change?

People. The mindset of people is the first biggest challenge. Humans at their basic level love the comfort zone. Not too many would want to venture into the new. Very few are willing to explore. So yes, people would be critical to new ideas.

Top Management / Owners. If the change initiative is driven from someone anywhere lower, it would be an uphill task. Change has to be driven from the top. Most business leaders “talk” the want for change, but are not really interested in engaging in the process. Remember, when cleaning the house, one cleans the fan first, then the floor. Change begins at the top.

Stakeholders. Not involving all the stakeholders would cause unnecessary delays and objections. When pushing for change, one must identify & engage all the stakeholders in the game. And solicit the active agreement of all. Together Everybody Achieves More (TEAM)

Clarity of thought. Eliyahu Goldratt used to say, “What to change, what to change to, how to make the change". If one dosent know, or lacks clarity about change, then people are not going to be focused on the implementation of change. So clarity is a key here, about what exactly change will look like, how are we gonna get there, what all would need to be done, who is gonna do it, by when.