Four ways to become a successful change agent by Robert Knowling

If change is driven by a need to improve performance, then leaders must take a hard look at the process of the work they are responsible for.  Robert Knowling knows that the greatest way to improve performance in an organization is to remove steps from the process. “Doing things more quickly and eliminating steps gives you more capacity. The more capacity you have, the more work you can handle. This is really important as a matter of scale; as you get everyone to adhere to the improved process, you get the leverage of the multiplier effect. You can do that without adding a single dollar to costs, just through the efficient use of process management.” The critical take-away is getting everyone on board, and that is where the people piece comes into play.

The ability to build strong relationships is the ying to the yang of the process. Whatever you do, your people have to be part of the process. You have to have their buy-in. When your people know you and what you stand for, they will follow your lead, buy into the change, and become as integral to the transformation as the leader himself. It is well documented that a leader must lead by example, and as Robert Knowling will share, a leader’s values are their touchstone; the unwritten rules they never break. The four qualities integral to success as a change agent are:

• High integrity. Great leaders are open, honest, and transparent about who they are and what they are doing. You want the people who work for you to understand your values, your work ethic, your sense of fairness, and your knowledge about their work.
• Being a member of the team. To be a leader who inspires transformation, you have to bring out the best in others. Including people in the process, the discussion, and the implementation demonstrates that you value and respect them.
• Displaying passion. Passion is what excites an organization and allows you to bring others with you. Passion is infectious.
• The ability to subsume yourself to the greater good. Akin to humility, this leadership trait keeps you grounded. It makes it clear that you are not in it for yourself, but for others.

Organizational transformation is possible when you examine the process and enlist the people. A true change agent, Robert Knowling has been described as “one global leader who never looks down on anybody unless it’s to give them a hand to lift them up.”

For more information on leading successful organizational transformations, join us on May 15, 2012 for Robert Knowlings’ live broadcast presentation.