Heroes & Champions

Heroes & Champions

Change Article 7

Early in my career as a management trainer, I was asked to run a program for our clients called "the Joy of working". We understood our client's needs as stemming essentially from low staff motivation. We therefore concentrated our training efforts to stimulate staff interest in their work. Our client, it turned out, had different objectives; he wanted to see beaming, smiling, "happy" people back at work the following Monday. Our training program failed to deliver these results our client expected and our client refused to pay for the full program.

 

This experience taught us several things. The most obvious being the need to draw up sensible training titles, but more subtly we came to appreciate that change is not management but people driven. Despite the efforts of our clients management teams initiative to bring change, the people refused.  It seemed that the change management prescribed was not acceptable.

 

On further investigation, we found that there was really never going to be any "Joy of working" infused into the organization because the staff had to forfeit an uncompensated Saturday and Sunday to  implement managements objective  of attending a training program. If the staff were made to feel that their weekend was managements property, no amount of intellectual "joy" could be stuffed down their throats to make them feel part of managements joyous initiative.

 

If managers are to inspire change then they must take up the role of agents of change and create an environment in which a staff themselves can drive the change process. At one leading hotel on the coast, I found a hotel in which working was a joy. The general manager of this popular resort knew every one of his 400 members of staff by name, middle name, role, contribution and would easily remember to ask after their families in daily interaction. He went out of his way to create heroes and champions by building peoples sense of worth.

 

By setting up non-vindictive competition amongst work groups and recognizing contribution made by individuals and project teams at all levels, the GM spurred participation and was able to sustain change by guiding staff initiatives. As an agent, he inspired change by public, recognition and measured private rebuke. In the change process, he created opportunity for heroes to make contributions and put in place programs to produce champions the company could celebrate. Staff at the hotel worked hard many on their own time. The hotel was the best hotel in the coast not just because it was popular, but because its service was exceptional. Service was inspired not hired.

 

In contrast our "joy" oriented management made it abundantly clear that work was an obligation, rules were absolute and managers were gods. Creating an environment in which heroes and champions flourish is a deliberate task requiring sincerity and openness and providing people a chance to make a voluntary change. The cumulative change made by champions and heroes is what build into a sustainable wave of change that is celebrated as corporate success.

 

Think about whom you count as responsible for your personal growth and success. They are probably those managers, teachers and parents who encouraged and developed you, they applauded your every effort. They worked with you and you knew that you could always count on them. To those precious people you were always a champion.  They wanted you to change because then they were sure that you would succeed in life.

 

As managers, we need to be aware that our directives may be better achieved as objectives. Management cannot sustain change, we need the people to drive it. Give them goals and objectives and watch them produce champions. Celebrate those champs. Everyone loves a champion and identifies with them. The argument for heroes and champions is not necessarily that they do something outstanding or brilliant, but that they show the rest how to be involved in a successful change.

 

Allan Bukusi, 2003