In an ever-changing professional world, the ability of companies and organizations to adapt and transform is more crucial than ever. This short, practical guide is designed to support leaders, managers and teams through the various phases of change, offering targeted questions to stimulate reflection, evaluation and action. Each point in this guide addresses a fundamental aspect of the transformation process, from creating an environment of psychological safety to managing resistance and building individual and collective courage and resilience. By addressing these issues, you’ll be better equipped to navigate the complex landscape of organizational change, ensuring a smooth and successful transition for yourself and your teams.
The various themes and points are presented in my previous articles. This guide includes only the essential key questions.
Psychological safety (the basics):
- What promotes psychological safety within the company and the team?
- What undermines or destroys psychological safety, and what can be done about it?
- What is my role and what do I have to do to create and maintain psychological safety?
Resistance, fears, fears (listening):
- What are my fears and those of my colleagues? Why do these fears exist?
- What can I do to take them seriously?
Rooms of change (understanding):
- What change “room” am I in now? Where are my individual employees?
- How can I identify which “room” of change a person is in?
- What can the company, the manager or the individual do to progress and avoid getting stuck in this room?
Reality (awareness):
- What remains, what doesn’t change, what is stable?
- What disappears or changes? Are these elements positive or rather negative?
- What’s new? Are these elements positive or rather negative?
Courage (reinforcement):
- What resources can the person mobilize?
- How can psychological resources (self-esteem, self-confidence) and personal resources (skills) be reinforced?
- How can we create and stimulate positive experiences?
- How can the company, supervisor and colleagues support/help people?
- What about the right to make mistakes and, above all, our approach as a learning company (learning culture)?
Comfort and learning zones (evolution):
- What zone have I been in for the last 4 to 6 months?
- How many times have I left my comfort zone in the last 4-6 months? What about my colleagues or employees?
- What did I learn? What did I apply (return to comfort zone)?
- Have I gone into the panic zone?
If so, what put me in this zone or who put me in this zone?
- How did I get back into the learning and/or comfort zone? Who helped me get there?
- What do I need to do to avoid the death zone?
- What’s “eating up” my energy at work and at home?
- How can I avoid these negative elements? Or how can I “domesticate” them, manage them?
- What strengthens my resources (fills up my batteries) both professionally and privately? How can I consciously stimulate these reinforcements?
Buddy (follow-up with a sparring partner):
- Which people in the company and privately can play the role of “Buddy” for me, and for whom can I play this role?
- How can I be sure that both people (me and the other) will carry out the three Buddy tasks on a regular basis?
- Stimulate to act (challenge)
- Positive reinforcement
- Help manage energies
Happy transformation, happy evolution, happy success!
