Who Killed Change?: Solving the Mystery of Leading People Through Change. Ken Blanchard

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       Suspect #4: Change Leadership Team

      AGENT McNally pulled out his little black notebook and looked at the list. So far he had interviewed Carolina Culture, Chase Commitment and Spence Sponsorship. Next on the list was Chester of the Change Leadership Team.

      McNally knew from previous cases that a Change Leadership Team was a key ingredient to integrating Change into the organization. The members of this group were chosen because of their influence in the organization. Quite often, the members of the Change Leadership Team had positional power—that is, their title or position in the organization caused people to pay attention to them, but this was not always the case. A wise leader forming a Change Leadership Team would also include informal leaders from all levels of the organization, people with strong technical or people skills in the area in which Change was going to be introduced. For Change to succeed, lots of voices needed to make the case for Change.

      As McNally entered the room, he had no doubt as to who was sitting at the opposite end of the table—in the same place where Change had died. Chester of the Change Leadership Team was massive. His biceps had to be three times the size of a normal man’s. Where his shoulders intersected with his head, there was very little evidence of a neck.

      Agent McNally introduced himself by first and last name and Mr. Change Leadership Team responded in kind. “Look,” he added, “most folks just call me Pecs.’” He tightened his pectoral muscles, straining the confines of his pullover shirt. “Feel free to call me ‘Pecs’ if you like.”

      McNally was reminded that he really should start making it to the gym as he had resolved to do last New Year’s Day.

      “Okay, Pecs, how well did you know Change?” McNally inquired.

      “Fairly well, I would say,” replied Pecs. “Change had been here only five or six months and he needed to be elevated in the organization. He needed to be seen by others as important. So that was my job, you know, to hold Change up.”

      “Did that get old for you, holding him up like that all the time? That must have been tiring,” said McNally.

      “That’s one way to look at it, I guess. But I really considered it to be a free workout. See these biceps?” said Pecs, flexing them. “I put about two inches on them after Change got here.”

      McNally noted Pecs’s unabashed self-confidence.

      “Hey, you mind if I get a bottled water?” Pecs asked as he eyed the small refrigerator in the corner.

      “Not at all,” said McNally. “We’ll send the bill to Budget.” They both laughed.

      When Pecs got up and walked over to get his water, Agent McNally just about fell out of his chair. From the waist up Pecs could double for a world-class bodybuilder, but below the waist he had—well, what came to McNally’s mind were pencil legs. McNally had in his head the image of poodle legs walking around with a pit bull’s torso. Pecs got his water and returned to his seat.

      This new view of Pecs led McNally to change his original line of questioning. “So your main job was to hold Change up?” he prompted.

      “That’s right,” replied Pecs with what seemed to be a note of pride.

      “And who carried him out into the organization?” asked McNally.

      “I don’t know what you mean.”

      “It’s a simple question. Who carried him out into the organization?”

      Pecs looked perplexed and was silent.

      McNally knew from experience that it takes a leadership team to carry Change out into the organization if you expect Change to be effective. He recalled an organization he had worked with recently that understood this. They were introducing a Change and had put together a leadership team composed of members who had successfully led Changes in the past. These people had the time needed to lead Change, were highly skilled, communicated well and were diverse enough to avoid groupthink and introduce and integrate Change throughout the organization. In short, they had the talent to carry Change forward.

      McNally went on. “It’s one thing to hold Change up all day and it is another to carry him out into the organization, to interact with the people who may be affected by him.”

      “Look,” said Pecs with a reddening face, “I pulled my weight when it came to Change.”

      “From an outsider looking in,” McNally retorted, “it looks more like you used Change to benefit your own agenda—to build and flex your own muscles. But you really didn’t think about what Change or the organization needed.”

      McNally continued, “Perhaps my last statement was a bit strong, but if you don’t mind me saying so, it’s obvious you’ve worked very hard to build your upper-body strength, and I’m sure to some degree you had Change’s and the organization’s welfare in mind. But I just can’t see how you could consistently carry Change out into the organization without stopping frequently for breaks.”

      Pecs reluctantly admitted, “You’re right. I’ve been out of balance. But when I look in the mirror, I just see myself from the waist up. If I don’t see my flaws, then I don’t have to deal with them. I’m not one to blame others. That’s truly not my style. Spence Sponsorship talks about putting a team together every time a new Change comes, but somehow the responsibility always seems to come back to me.”

      This was just what Agent McNally had suspected.

      Taking pity on Pecs, McNally said, “It’s too late for this Change. He is dead and gone. But another Change will come along and you can start working out your lower body. You can get ready to carry Change throughout the organization rather than just pumping him up a few times and then disappearing. The key is balance—doing some of the heavy lifting at the front end and then continuing to support Change throughout the change process.”

      Pecs nodded and said, “Thanks.” With a note of concern he asked, “Are you charging me?”