In all of my experience implementing Strategy Execution frameworks, the most perplexing and frustrating challenge is when someone that I'll call an ‘Emperor’ within an organization doesn’t want to listen.
Though I call them Emperors, these individuals are often not the very top leaders; in fact, they are usually one or two levels down, but they hold tremendous power over critical operations. They tend to be highly intelligent and generally 'know a bit’ about every management methodology ever devised.
Often, others in the organization fear these people, which creates a vicious cycle where direct information flow slows down or ceases, which leads to more misunderstandings, distance, and fear.
These problems reveal themselves to me when such individuals refuse to support a Strategy Execution change process that I'm trying to help drive. Their refusal is almost never due to not being able to appreciate the methodology or a failure to understand its benefits. What I typically see is that because of the fear and poor communication, these Emperors have become insulated from the Strategy Execution effort's ‘guiding coalition.’ They haven't take part in the educational process, and those around them have a hard time telling the Emperor, "You need to take the time to understand this process." This reinforces the insulation. The longer this goes on, the more the Emperor fights or disrupts the change effort, the more distorted the perception becomes of what the methodology is doing, and the more challenging the overall implementation becomes.
So, what to do? It's simple...and yet challenging.
Have courage.
You have to walk in and tell the Emperor that someone forgot to "dress him," metaphorically speaking. Focus on the educational aspects of what you are trying to achieve. Insist that he take the time.
When I’ve summoned my courage and taken these plunges, something positive has almost always happened. The disruptive Emperor has become my biggest ally. What I find interesting is that people like this tend to appreciate the display of courage and respond well to straight talk.
When this doesn’t work, that’s when I talk to the top leader. Sometimes, a change in the team is required. But it’s always better to try to get everyone on the train than to start off by throwing people under it. It's only through a change coalition and united leadership that Strategy Execution can be realized.
Comments