As a rule, Métier Consultants don’t talk about the Client work we are doing. What happens inside, stays inside. But what if we can’t talk about our work within a Client – when our work is strictly confidential? This is at odds with building awareness and the desire to provide robust communication.
This situation often occurs during organizational reorganization. For one Client, this org transition was vital for survival requiring both reporting structure and team sizes to change. In short, layoffs were bound to happen – along with promotions, internal deployment and lateral movement. The effort involved a large group of people, so the decision was made to keep the project confidential and not release any details. As Consultants, the task was to manage the change process and limit business disruption. To be successful, focus was needed on what could be controlled and influenced.
Here are four (4) levers we use:
Building the change capability of People Managers – we believe you need Managers who can operate like all-terrain vehicles. No matter the (change) terrain, they can adapt to their surroundings and lead their teams effectively.
Increasing Executive Visibility – you need to be seen. We believe your people need to hear from you and be in situations to observe your involvement. People need to feel your presence and level of care. And all this isn’t something you spring on people during organizational restructuring.
Creating Mechanisms for Listening – most Consultants focus solely on communication. We believe listening deserves top billing. For staying connected to the organization, real-time fosters trust, provides clarity and insight.
If-then Scenarios – in addition to rock-solid execution planning, we believe you must invest time developing plans to address “if this” with “then” plans that are both actionable and specific. We find proactive contingencies always pay off.
Confidential projects bring unique challenges! We can help.
Are you facing a confidential change and need to minimize business disruption. Learn about our consulting expertise.
Need resources to manage change? Learn more about Métier’s staffing services.
Interested in building change capability in your organization? Let’s talk!
kris plummer