The uptake of any change effort largely follows Roger’s law of product diffusion. This suggests that the large majority of your change population will look to take its cues from the highly influential early adopters. Focusing on positively engaging this group of early adopters significantly increases the probability of success and hastens the pace of change.
But how do you identify the individuals who are likely to be early adopters? How do you then proactively recruit them to champion the change? What characteristics should you look for – what behaviors should you encourage?
Willing to try, knowing you might fail
Counter-intuitive as it may sound, your most successful employees – the ones with a steady string of successes – may not be the ideal candidates for change agents. Change, by definition, is uncertain. Asking people to abandon the safety of what they know and jump into what is unknown requires an intrinsic willingness to take risks. Often your go-to superstars are highly talented performers who have not taken many risks, and thus are not accustomed to failure. Their success in stable, predictable times may not translate to the highly volatile times of change. Individuals who have consistently stepped out of their comfort zone and challenged themselves will have experienced setbacks, learning how to operate in environments that have a probability of failure.
Relentlessly optimistic
As the old saying goes – no plan survives contact with the enemy. This is particularly true in complex change that requires constant adaptation to overcome hurdles and work around challenges. It’s particularly acute in the early days of change before the broader organization is fully supportive and pulling in the same direction. Success in this environment requires a relentless optimism to believe that while you may not have all the answers, you will be able to overcome the challenges as they arise. The role of early adopters is to engage and excite people about the possibilities that lie ahead, even in the face of challenges.
Appetite to act in ambiguous situations
Change is often stymied not by the lack of “passive” support for the idea, but by the lack of action to contribute to its success. Early adopters don’t wait for perfect clarity, understanding it slows progress and leads to missed opportunities. Embracing ambiguity and recognizing that, in many situations, acting (and course correcting as needed) on a path forward is better than waiting to determine the best path forward. Analysis too often becomes a crutch to not commit or take action. This defensive analysis exhibits a lack of leadership and, in times of change, can be the difference between success and failure. Change agents have the confidence to act with urgency in ambiguous situations – and they inspire others to do so.
Can play offense, not only defense
The most successful managers are very effective at risk-mitigation. Through careful planning, budgeting and robust execution to plans they are able to perform consistently in reasonably predictable environments. But this effectiveness at defense does not necessarily transfer to playing good offense. By focusing on maintaining reliable performance, the best managers may in fact ignore upside opportunities that are outside their comfort zone. Leaders of change are able to prioritize upside opportunities alongside risk mitigation by appropriately accounting for the cost of missing out on those opportunities. These individuals consistently set aggressive targets and may have a history of big wins and some losses, as opposed to steady but unspectacular performance.
Curiosity
Probably the best predictors of the effectiveness of a change agent are curiosity and a desire to learn. Individuals who have demonstrated these by engaging in a variety of projects and taking on stretch roles are likely to have the inquisitiveness to explore and adopt change early. These individuals are also more likely to be successful at, and open to adapting to, new ways of doing business. While curiosity is a good indicator of success in many roles, it is particularly relevant in change environments.
Openness to diverse opinions
With a high number of input variables and the uncertainty in these variables, it is impossible to have all the answers when embarking on a transformative change. Recognizing this limitation and being open to diverse opinions and perspectives is critical to playing the role of change agent. Individuals whose natural style is more consultative than directive, and whose nature is to want to seek and incorporate many diverse viewpoints will be more effective at developing solutions and in generating buy-in for those solutions.
One of the consistent surprises of our work is seeing who steps up to lead in times of change. Often it’s people other than the usual suspects who yield the most impact, revealing pockets of leadership previously undiscovered in an organization. Having the right people shaping the transformation, inspiring others and taking urgent action is critical to success. Finding the most effective change agents isn’t a straightforward task. As you compose your initial team, look beyond the usual suspects for individuals who have the right characteristics but may not be on your radar. Better yet, describe what you need and provide opportunities for these people to step forward to volunteer for the role. We guarantee you will be both surprised and delighted.
