When it comes to building the health of communities or organizations, one sure thing is that change will always be with us.
Could people imagine 100 years ago how we live today? How about 70 years ago or 50 years ago? I’m sure people couldn’t imagine all we’re experiencing today. So, change is real and will continue to be real.
If that is so, what are some key principles that are important to embrace?
Plan for
change/Lead changeIn too many cases, organizations and communities react to change, which, frankly, can be too late. A basic principle to embrace is to be planful. Value and place a priority on forward thinking. Think about the future and where you are today and what needs to happen to guide you into your future. Embrace the change that’s going to occur and recognize that people process change differently.
Educate your organization
Spend the time to understand the impact of change, what it means and how to best implement change. This often is overlooked— the need to spend time with people to both lead and adapt to change.
People are different and they will deal with change differently, so recognize that reality as you educate and discuss with your organization or community. This investment of time and resources will be a benefit as you get into the detail of driving change.
Define the change and the need to change. Do this with care and thoughtfulness. Do your best to explain the need for change.
Honor your pastCelebrate and honor your past, from where you’re coming from. It once was your future, so respect it and honor its impact on your organization or community. If you want people to follow the new normal, then you can’t simply toss away how you’ve done things. That will only make the challenge of change more difficult.
CommunicateCommunicate the new normal and the reasons why again and again. Measure progress and communicate that detail regularly to everyone in your organization or community Share the big picture of the change down into and through the organization.
Recognize progress and accomplishmentAs you experience change, make sure to recognize key areas of progress and achievement. Make sure to recognize people or areas of the organization/community that are adapting and embracing change and achieving successes. Allow the opportunity to learn from successes.
Example: In the 1980s, Chaska recognized that growth was going to be changing the city. The downtown was going to change. The business base was going to increase and big boxes were locating here. The town was projecting a growing level of diversity. Traffic would be increasing and demand for services would increase also. Change was coming. What needed to occur?
Number 1: It required a vision for Chaska’s future. The tagline became to be the Best Small Town in Minnesota.
Number 2: It required a solid plan to be put in place that represented the priorities that supported the vision.
One of these planning goals was to retain and grow the small town sense of community that was Chaska’s history and heritage. Other goals included the delivery of quality city services and increasing the tax base through increased industrial development. This would allow future projects to be implemented.
Number 3: Eight core community values were also established, which guided and supported the community development and change to be experienced.
The above three areas of focus were to be the foundation for the development of the community going forward, in support of the vision to be the Best Small Town in Minnesota. This planful approach addressed the change that was coming.
Final message of changeValue the need to change. It’s always coming, and we need to understand what it means and how you can be successful in addressing change. Plan and communicate and communicate some more the need to change and the progress of the change, and always be respectful, that we are all different and change impacts us all differently.
In another column, we’ll discuss the details of visioning and planning effectiveness. Following that, we’ll address the impacts of financial management and investment thinking on the organization or community.
Merlyn Kinkel. Merlyn passed away recently and will always be remembered as a wonderful teacher of many at Chaska High School. Caring and supportive. A good guy that cared always about his students. He was a fun guy and a Christian guy, and he was my basketball coach,
When I was a junior in high school we had a nice team and should have been 17-2 rather than 14-5. We lost some heartbreakers, which more than 50+ years later I’m still referencing. What most importantly needs to get talked about 50+ years later is our coach. He was the best teacher, as evidenced by the number of times he was the teacher of the year or classes invited him to speak at their graduations.
He cared about each one of us and called to see how we were doing when he knew we weren’t doing well. I learned a lot from our coach, though I didn’t really realize it at the moment, about the importance of caring about people. He certainly left a lasting impression on me and I believe on many others, as good teachers do! I’ll always remember Merlyn as a coach but also as a really good man whom I was blessed to know, learn from and play for.