Patricia Wheatley Burt (FCIPD)
6th January, 2009


‘Do you like change?’ Bill asked Peter, a delegate at a conference in North Wales. ‘We don’t have any choice in today’s environment,’ he said – and its true, we don’t. However, it is certainly true that each person responds to the need to change differently. Did you know it takes approximately 8 miles (*see fact note below), to turn a tanker 180 degrees – and it feels as though the Captain of HMS Great Britain has just received the instructions to start taking avoiding action. Unlike a tanker, some of us are instinctively faster movers than others, we can transmogrify into speedboats – darting out to attach the enemy. But we do actually need the back-up of the whole tanker: to win this War.

Managing change-averse staff through alternative ways of working requires enormous patience and usually time, but you don’t have that luxury today. Working together, or bringing in external help, perhaps starting at the top, can help to challenge and shift thinking, and so steer your ship in a stronger direction (though maybe not a complete 180 degree turn)!

Firms need to recognise the 4 stages people go through, at different speeds, to enable them to take on board any change, which are:

• Denial, - it isn’t happening and we don’t need to do anything
• Resistance – why should I change, it is ‘their’ fault, and they should sort it, yes....but!
• Exploration – what could we do, what are the choices? What could we do instead?
• Commitment – we can solve this, let’s take some action, let’s work together

Have you ever taught a baby to walk?? Whilst taking the first, tentative steps the baby places lots of trust in his or her parents. Managing anyone through change requires faith and trust – in you and your vision and beliefs as the leader. Strong, visionary and decisive leadership is required today, as in any crisis, but we also need leaders who understand that not everyone can change at the same pace, although they all need to change in the end – or go. Most businesses are slowly realising that they now have to change their methods of operation – or they will go bust; well at least some realise this!

Do you only consider fair weather client relationships?

This theory was recently bourn out following a meeting I had the other day with two people from a top 20 UK firm of Accountants. We were discussing the need to build and keep relationships with, for example, Private Equity practices who will need all the advice they can get to ensure the survival of their portfolio companies in 2009.10 through a joint seminar / or event. Our view is that each business should maintain its client relationships – good times or bad – and not be just a fair weather service provider. However, this short-sighted and reactionary firm are retrenching the Business Development Strategy, pedalling backwards, fast. A solid case of overly cautious, defensive action! We’ll watch that space and see what happens.

If you allow your relationships to wither with your range of clients from private individuals, referrers, through to the Venture Capitalist, and Private Equity communities, you can’t expect those clients or investors to come to you when they are in need of advice.

On Friday I met a wonderfully positive New Business Partner in a PR and Communications firm, which has worked through an ambitious strategy over the last 18 months of purchasing a range of complimentary, niche practices to fit in with their original core Financial PR service. This is now going to stand them in good stead, as they too will be able to pick up work from other firms who have either not built a wide skills base, or who might have over priced themselves, so are now vulnerable to bargain / value-hunting clients.

Another example is of an opportunistic major provincial Law Firm which has been prudent in its financial management over the last few years, and is now in a position to look at new ways to find businesses and service throughput. (This is not about doing turn-around re-mortgages at £35 a piece!) They can see that there is scope to partner with a large, say, Top 100 Law Firm, to become their sub-contract house for a range of work particularly in Insolvency, Family and Employment work. The client relationship remains with the larger firm, but this approach allows that firm to offer their existing clients more affordable services – and not because it is being done by junior, less experienced lawyers.

Innovative firms are finding ways to shift the way they are operating, reducing cost, increasing value for clients, continuing to invest in their staff by developing their skills and increasing their flexibility. Maybe your firm isn’t a tanker, it is smaller, more fleet of foot, and maybe you don’t need to do a volte face, so now is the time to go full speed ahead and get ahead of other firms!

The early bird and all that!


Patricia Wheatley Burt (FCIPD)
Principal Consultant
Trafalgar – The People Business
www.trafalgarpeople.com

For more ideas and details of how to get started in Managing Change, please contact Patricia and her team on: +44 (0)20 7565 7547, or email her on: patricia@trafalgarpeople.com

*fact note: According to several ship owners and brokers, the calculation is based on a 70,000 dwt (deadweight) Bulk carrier ballasting at 14 knots from A to B. The ship decides for some inexplicable reason to turn around, which is an unlikely occurrence, requiring it to slow to about 8 – 10 knots to complete the turn which would take between 1 – 2 hours, depending on currents and weather conditions. For interest, a ship rarely performs a 180 degree turn, if ever, as in port there is no room and a ship has its course plotted and planned to avoid such an eventuality. (Thanks James!)