One of the toughest parts of a change effort is to influence other people in the organization, especially managers, to speak and behave in ways that move the initiative forward. Frequently, we communicate the vision and hope that managers take up the flag and continue to march faithfully toward the destination. For a few that methodology may work; however for most there is a disconnect between their daily activities, behaviors and attitudes and the change that is desired. We need to train them on three key things they should be doing. For each key role, identify the expectation and the reason for each of the following:
- EXPRESS:Â What are the key messages that they need to consistently communicate?
- MODEL: What behaviors should they make sure to perform themselves? What attitudes do they need to portray?
- REINFORCE:Â What behaviors and attitudes do they need to reward or hold others accountable?
Download a worksheet template, which includes an example. Feel free to copy the template for your own use; the only stipulation is that you provide feedback on how it worked, and what you added or removed to suit your own change initiative.