I just finished reading The Catalyst by Jonah Berger. I highly recommend it for all you change agents out there.
The book surfaces all sorts of research and thinking on how great catalysts shift mindsets, influence behavior, drive action, and more. But there was one item in the book that got me thinking — the power of interventions. For today, let’s not replay the A&E television show that deals with addiction. Let’s focus on the process of an intervention — a group of passionate, caring people gather to help influence a hard change. Years of small pleas for change culminate in a “chorus of multiple people saying the same thing at the same time…which is harder to ignore…the necessary weight to a breakthrough.”
Chorus of Change
What if coming back from COVID-19 is the chorus of change that companies won’t be able to escape? What if it’s the breakthrough for building the culture that they want?
Maybe the thought isn’t that crazy. I know so many great leaders (both inside and outside of HR) that have tried relentlessly to get their organizations to…
…truly, deeply care for their employees, or
…try a new way of working, or
…fight for reinvention of people programs, or
…allow them to course correct when a traditional strategy no longer works, or
…understand that radical thinking is needed to drive real results in their organization.
Imagining the Business Intervention
So, what if your leadership team walked into the living room and faced the compassionate letters from your workforce?
We need you to listen to our ideas.
We need you to realize that our work life balance is critical for resiliency.
We need you to help our managers learn to coach teams.
We need you to spend time on the front line before you develop the next productivity initiative.
We need you to give us better tools and resources to get work done better.
We need you to see us.
We need you to hear us.
We need you to believe that we’re the ones that will drive the recovery.
We need to stop and reset, because doing more of the same won’t drive better results.
It sounds pie-in-the-sky and idealistic. Right? Well, I bet the family of an addict feels that way, too. How can a few letters change years of us all trying to help him/her?
The power comes in the chorus. The big moment. The big event. The intervention. So…is your COVID-19 recovery plan the greatest company intervention ever? I guess the answer lies in how you will use this unexpected, unplanned moment to reshape your business.
Thumbnail Image Credit: PeopleImages
