Steve Reiner is the author of the new book Business Changes Fast, People Change Slow: A Leadership Guide to Accelerating Organizational Change and Building Competitive Advantage. He also has written the book Leaders Created. He has worked in the corporate world for more than 20 years.
Q: What inspired you to write Business Changes Fast, People Change Slow?
A: After I wrote my first book, Leaders Created, I always had this thought about how critical leading change is. Over the years in business, reading, listening, and talking to people, I found that leaders talk about how important change is, but few have a process for leading it.
The suffering is twofold. The people being asked to change and the business. In most cases they are left to figure it out on their own which slows down adoption. That’s where the business suffers. The longer it takes for the change to be realized, the risk increases for failure.
Business is about survival. You don’t win in business. We all know many companies that were #1 at one time that don’t exist today. You lose in business when you shut down.
Implementing change has some benefits to the company. If there is no benefit someone should ask why this change is happening. It’s a competitive advantage to lead change faster.
You will never eliminate the gap between the rate business is changing and people change. Business has no feelings or opinions, and a new threat is always around the corner. This is all while people stand still and wonder what’s happening.
The goal with leading change is to shrink the gap. That’s where the Stamina Change Framework comes in. The four-part framework in the book gives leaders who don’t have a process to follow.
Q: What are some of the most common perceptions and misconceptions about change
in the business world?
A: One of the biggest misconceptions is that people don’t like change. I call this the Leaders Excuse. Leaders blame failed change initiative on people instead of looking at their own process for leading the change.
People change all the time. We just do it on our own terms. Change in business is asking people to change on a different timeline and that’s the rub. Leading change is a verb requiring action. That’s where leaders need to better understand what action is needed.
I heard for years how important change is. At some point I said okay, I get how important it is, now what? That’s where I was looking for more from leadership, then realized it just wasn’t there. That’s why I created the Stamina Change Framework.
Q: How did your own business experience influence your writing of this book?
A: From my own experience, talking with others, reading and listening to a lot on leadership, it was clear the world needed a framework. I realized leaders didn’t understand the change as well as the people they were asking to change. It’s hard to lead something you don’t understand; that’s why step 1 is Leaders Learn First.
People need a lot more communication than they usually receive. Many companies send an email on Friday that something is changing Monday.
It’s not that people don’t like change, they don’t like surprises that disrupt the way they get their job done. We need advance notice to prepare ourselves and understand why the change is happening. That’s why step 2 is Leaders Communicate.
Leaders should understand the change so well they can teach the class. Not just kickoff the training and leave the room but staying up front leading the training. That’s why step 3 is Leaders Host the Training.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A: One of the biggest things I want readers to take away is that people need a lot more support, care, and attention to change. People do change; it just takes a lot longer than we hope.
That’s why step 4 is Leaders Reinforce for a Very Long Time. Leaders need to stay engaged in the change long after the initial training. Most move on way too soon and that’s why it’s called the Stamina Change Framework.
Leaders need to have the stamina to stick with it well after they think. People need the time and leaders need to support them along the way. This can be in terms of months or years. There is change from seven years ago we are still reinforcing.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Right now, I’m sharing the message and love connecting with others who are on a similar path learning about leading people and change.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Connect on LinkedIn Steve Reiner | LinkedIn to follow for more. I love getting offline and talking to people.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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