Three steps to managing a ‘Flip Your Focus’ transformation
At Pecan Partnership, we’ve talked before about one of our most successful concepts in people and change management , namely ‘Flip Your Focus’.
The benefits of ‘Flip Your Focus’ are both immediate and longer-term, helping an organisation and its people to increase productivity, profitability and purpose. It’s all about engaging your people to create culture change.
As a leading Change Agency we are often asked how do you ‘Flip your Focus’? In the past we’ve said it isn’t rocket science, it’s just tough to deliver – and so here are our three steps to help you to start the transformation:
- Set the agenda
You are turning the focus of your organisation on its head and going against the natural current and flow of the organisation. Change of this magnitude doesn’t happen without creating a very good reason for doing it. So step 1 – create that reason – the compelling vision for change. What will lining up your organisation behind your customers give you? Amazon and John Lewis Partnership are ‘Flip your Focus’ role models: – how does their phenomenal growth and sustained success translate for your organisation? Taking time to fully describe it and make it real up -front will pay dividends, as the vision will be called on time and time again as the organisation turns itself around.
- Find the key triggers
There may be many reasons why the people in your organisation are more focussed on their manager than on customers. Most organisations know what their issues are and some know what is causing them. Few know what the key triggers for change are. The key triggers are the ones that when addressed create a ripple effect, resolving multiple issues and accelerating change. The challenge is in identifying the key triggers, as they are often hidden in the organisation’s unwritten rules: – the way things are really done around here. Identifying unwritten rules and finding the key triggers is a specialist job, and you may need help.
- Involve your people
Unless leaders and managers in your organisation regularly spend time with customers, the best insight they’re getting is from surveys – collated data showing trends. Some surveys include customer feedback, but all lack the direct, visceral experience of speaking to someone who is deeply frustrated by your organisation. ‘Flip your Focus’ programmes fail when they are designed and driven solely by people from head office who, in some cases, have never directly interfaced with your customers. The people closest to your customers know best what your customers want, and what changes will make the biggest difference. Involve these people – use the knowledge and insight that exists in abundance in your organisation and use the key triggers to make people-engaged change happen quickly and deeply. Not only will your customers be delighted by the change, your people will be more engaged and energised, too.
In essence, our ‘Flip Your Focus’ programme energetically lifts the lid off your organisation, and enables long-lasting, powerful, focused change.
If you’d like to find out more about what we do at Pecan Partnership as a leading UK Change Agency, please feel free to contact us.
Photo by Peggy Anke