Make Change Stick-Permanently.

Essentials Ensuring Success In Change
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Cox] Andrew Cox

There are eight essentials ensuring success in change. They are about changing behavior, attitudes and personal skills - the most challenging and difficult kinds of change to make, but also the most effective and rewarding. We're not dealing with the act of acquiring something – billions of dollars worth of software,exercise equipment, books, tools, and processes are gathering dust because the people that bought them confused hope with results. They did not follow through with the eight essentials for change – the goals, actions, persistence and determination to make real differences in individual and organizational behavior.

Essential 1. Realize there are four stages in all change processes. These four stages occur in every successful change initiative - from losing ten pounds, to the adoption of new ways of doing business, to working with a new boss or new owners. Remember them and use them to ensure your success.

Stage One – Enthusiasm – This stage is characterized by high energy, commitment, high expectations and aggressive goals. This is the stage driven by opportunity and the commitment to meeting aggressive goals.

Stage Two – Frustration – This stage is characterized by a reduction in enthusiasm, frustration with dates and goals missed or delayed, the beginning of friction and blaming, the stage where energy declines and initial commitment is questioned.

Stage Three – Renewal – This is the stage where the lessons of the first two stages help create an experience - based set of goals and expectations that lead to success. This is where individual leadership and determination and persistence take center stage and create a renewed energy and commitment.

Stage Four– Success –In this stage success becomes the norm rather than the exception. Goals are being met; the lessons learned from the first three stages are being applied; and things are looking good. Celebration of big successes arising from small successes begins. Evaluation of the process for use in future projects occurs.

The remaining 7 Essentials are the personal behaviors, attitudes and skills that will ensure success in any change process or project or initiative. They're not easy – but working to adopt these behaviors, attitudes and personal skills will create success.

Essential 2– Persistence and determination – nothing will support personal and professional change more than the determination to see the process to its successful end – and the persistence to “Press On” through all four stages.

Essential 3 – Choice - while many changes are beyond individual control, we always, and I mean always, have the freedom to choose how to deal with and respond to change. This is the most important belief we can have. To the extent that change is embraced and accepted and seen as being helpful we will prosper – in many ways.

Essential 4 – Set yourself up to succeed. Big successes start with a series of small successes. The big picture may be fuzzy, but you can establish goals and expectations for yourself that will lead toward success. In setting up realistic, time measured, specific, results driven goals you can celebrate small successes on the way to big success. It is essential for your own energy and motivation to do that

Essential 5 – Replace judging behavior with evaluation of results. Judging is one of the worst behaviors anyone can practice. Why? Any individual shares the same behavior profile with no more than 10% to 20% of the population. When we judge others based on behavior, we are judging based on how we would do something, not how others may do it, and we stand the chance of being wrong 80% to 90% of the time! Create a results - driven climate to help ensure evaluation is based on performance to goals and expectations.

Essential 6 – Replace assumptions with expectations. Just like judging based on behavior, we will be wrong about 80% to 90% of the time if we assume that others hear things the same way we do, or see them the same way, or interpret them the same way. Create expectations – communicate them – or communicate a clear understanding of them – and clear away a lot of the “fog” that gets in the way of creating the results necessary for success.

Essential 7 – Communicate – communicate – communicate. When you think you have communicated enough, communicate some more. Identify the “universe” of people that you work with; that you work for; that work for you; that support your work; and whose work you support. Create channels of communication with all of them. The more trust created through communication with that “universe”, the more time becomes available to meet individual and organizational goals..

Essential 8– ACT!!! All the plans and communications and intentions mean nothing without specific, energetic action to meet requirements. Act today – today is all there is – accomplish goals today, and success will follow.

Remember this: The only security anyone has – individually, professionally or collectively, is in accomplishments. The more change is embraced and made to work for us, the more opportunities for accomplishment will be offered, and those accomplishments are the number one source of success, security and competitive advantage.

Andy Cox and the Cox Consulting Group have been helping clients define, implement and succeed in change , on an individual, team and organizational level since 1995. Click on [http://www.coxconsultgroup.com] http://www.coxconsultgroup.com for more information.

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