If you think it’s time for change and know how to handle the different elements that come with change you are ready to be a change maker. Depending on your required change this can be a challenging ride as you will have to overcome not just your personal barriers, but also those of others. But you are not alone. So, let’s team up and make some impact together!
1. Big goals, small steps
It all starts with a plan. What is the change you want to realize, and which steps you need to take in order to achieve this? Create a road map for yourself and/or the company. Think about your big goal and the small steps that need to be involved. What is the impact you want to make and how can this be achieved?
2. Collaborate
“Alone you might go faster, but together you will go further”. To realize sustainable change you simply need to collaborate. Team up with those that can be your allies, but also who have a different point of view. You have to make a stakeholder analysis to see how your field of change is. Know their points of view, their business and how and why your potential partners want to collaborate. If you truly want to make impact, it’s not something you can do just by yourself.
3. Embrace setbacks
Because of all the elements that are involved with change, you have to realize change is never linear. There are always setbacks. Embrace those setbacks as part of the process and keep on moving. Just make sure that you are open enough to encounter them, be resourceful and continue moving forward. Setbacks are part of the process and very valuable for long term change.
4. Keep that helicopter view
If you go out and about with the change you want to achieve you will find people that will agree with your ideas and obviously also who don’t. You will find people to collaborate with you or those who oppose. It’s important to keep a helicopter view. You want to change something and need to collaborate to achieve results. But don’t get distracted by all kind of sideways.
5. Commit for the long run
It takes time to realize change. It takes time to make a plan, get all the parties together, move forward, embrace a setback, regroup and deliver results. Sustainable change is never a quick fix. So, you need to be committed for the long run. Research shows that to become a successful changemaker you must be very much personally committed to the change you want to make.
6. Show results
As a changemaker you need to show results. If you want to realize change in the end, actions matter. Just a set of intentions isn’t going to really make a difference. So, show the results for you personally, for the business and the ecosystem you are changing. Show the small steps you’re taking, the process, the collaborations you’re realizing. Communicate about your change!
Do you have something to add to this list, let me know!
