Insights from the podcast with Doug Shapiro
In January 2021, I had the chance to interview Hilary Green, Director of Change Management at Scotiabank. Scotiabank has over 90,000 employees, so when change happens, the stakes are high. Green shared some of her best tips when it comes to planning for change or leading through it. Here they are:
1. Role model the change you wish to see
It’s critical to exemplify the behaviors you want as a leader. For instance, demonstrating work-life balance. If you are asking your staff to maintain proper work-life balance, it’s important that it shows up in your own actions.
2. Show your process
Hilary Green: “I’ve learned to show my work and process as a leader. This can be scary for some. It’s a vulnerable act to say, ‘I'm working in this way, and here's my end goal’. You also have to be sensitive to the fact that it might end in something that they're not going to be thrilled with. But, sharing your thinking process will help build your teams.”
3. Hear what they're NOT saying
Planning for change means gaining a strong understanding of how that change will impact people’s work and morale. In my interview with Green she stresses the importance of deep listening. This means going beyond the emails and the focus groups and searching for the things that often go unsaid.
Here is a previous post from me on getting to the truth: https://bit.ly/3xwB0ol
4. Develop your grassroots network
Hilary Green: “When we are doing any kind of major workplace transformation, there really isn't a way for one single Change Manager to be that present force everywhere. But what we build as part of our plans to help with change management, are groups of change agents, or change champions that really live within the business and have a connection point and feedback into our change management team.”
