Build, Excite, Equip; Easy Change Management For Your Projects
How are your project uptakes going? Do you find it challenging to engage the business people to your projects? Change Management can seem complex, but its easier once you know how. Join Nicola as she guides you through experiences of her own, as a business change management expert, with top tricks and tips on how you can truly embrace the change leadership activities within your project team, for faster results and improved uptake. Using her Build, Excite, Equip change model, developed by change managers for project managers, follow the easy 3 step process to truly engage and onboard business colleagues to support your projects today. Whilst we’re here, Nic is an amazon best selling author and an female entrepreneur, eager to share experiences of her own journey along the way. If you would like to find out more about training courses, or purchase my book: www.beechange.co.uk Meanwhile ... Happy Listening, and don’t forget to download, like and share with friends :-)
Episodes
Thursday Mar 17, 2022
Women and Diversity in Project Management ft. Elizabeth Harrin
Thursday Mar 17, 2022
Thursday Mar 17, 2022
In this episode of Tales from the Trenches of Change Management, we are joined by Elizabeth Harrin, who is often named as one of the most influential people in Project Management, and her award-winning website, ‘Rebels Guide to Project Management’ turned sixteen years old this year. We are thrilled to have Elizabeth on the show to share her experiences, expertise, and wisdom with us.
During this podcast, Nicola and Elizabeth discuss many topics and issues presenting themselves today, as well as words of encouragement, change, and insight, such as if the landscape for women within the Project Management industry has shifted, how we are more multi-diverse, more inclusive, and more aware of language, the changes that brings, and the space needed for those debates.
Elizabeth also gives us insights into how she converted her skills as a project manager into home-schooling her children during the pandemic and discusses her latest book ‘Managing Multiple Projects’, a straightforward and informative guide to managing multiple concurrent projects and programs. Elizabeth gives the reader insight into successful productivity tools, step-by-step approaches when juggling workloads and includes case studies from real project managers.
Read more about our prolific guest at https://elizabeth-harrin.com/
Here is Elizabeth’s hugely successful and informative website https://rebelsguidetopm.com/ - packed full of insightful articles, resources, and the Project Management Rebels community, for people who may want to improve their skills beyond.
Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabeth.harrin/
And check out Elizabeth’s latest book ‘Managing Multiple Projects’ will be available to purchase from the 3rd of May from: https://elizabeth-harrin.com/managing-multiple-projects-online-resources/
Wednesday Feb 16, 2022
Metaverse, Let’s talk about it
Wednesday Feb 16, 2022
Wednesday Feb 16, 2022
Let's face it. The world is changing...
In this episode, Nicola is joined by Zayn Blore, the COO of Simplify Change, going into detail about Metaverse; what is it? The development of it in the real world and the business opportunities.
You can also watch the video and read the blog here: https://www.simplifychange.co.uk/our-blog/metaverse-the-future-of-the-digital-world .
The Metaverse will offer many benefits to industries and socialisation, aiding both the medical profession to parenting - however Nicola and Zayn both discuss the drawbacks, such as safeguarding and the detachment from real life and who governs this new virtual reality, in this insightful podcast into the Metaverse.
Wednesday May 05, 2021
Champions and Influencers
Wednesday May 05, 2021
Wednesday May 05, 2021
What are Champions and Influencers in the business change context.
In this episode Nicola discusses this, going into detail about who they are, and how both are vital for the successful delivery of change projects.
You can also watch a video or read a blog about this here https://www.simplifychange.co.uk/our-blog/champions-what-are-they .
By understanding and identifying who your Champions and Influencers are, you add to your team significantly. Allowing you to expand and interact with many people without needing to spend more money or hire more people. Allowing people to contribute to projects in the way that suits them best to help you delivery projects.
Thursday Apr 15, 2021
Change Players – What are they?
Thursday Apr 15, 2021
Thursday Apr 15, 2021
We are all Change Players, but what type of Change Player are we?
In this episode Nicola discusses Change Players, going into detail about who they are, different types of change players, and how to adapt your delivery to move people into the positive camp.
You can also watch a video or read a blog about this here https://www.simplifychange.co.uk/our-blog/business-change-manager-video-series-change-players-what-are-they .
By leveraging knowledge of change players and exciting the right people in the right way you can focus your energies on key individuals and decrease resistance to a change, and so convince large groups of people to get behind a change, learn about it, and massively improve your chance of bringing your people along on the change journey.
Wednesday Mar 31, 2021
The Fear Curve
Wednesday Mar 31, 2021
Wednesday Mar 31, 2021
Picture this scenario: You have invested vast amounts of time and money in the latest systems and processes; you have trained everyone and you have made their lives so much easier (or so you think). Yet months later, people still persist in their old ways. Where are the business improvements you expected? And when will the disruption you're experiencing subside?
When we speak of change taking place in an organization, we are likely to think about physical changes of an organizational structure, the changes to a system or process, as well as in the external forces that the company deals with on a regular basis. What many tend to overlook, though, is how the people of an organisation deal with such changes. How do they go about the transition? Do they accept the changes willingly, or do they resist the change ?
From a people perspective, implementing change can be very challenging. Why? Because people are used to their routines. They may be proud of their expertise and fear that their previous work is being undermined or devalued, or worse, they may fear that they will lose their job.
As a change leader, how can you help your team members to accept more quickly, and even embrace, change?
People tend to go through series of reactions to change that is similar to the stages of dealing with grief. You can’t stop them going through the stage entirely, but, you can always make their journey to stages feel easier and therefore establish change more quickly.
The Fear Curve model describes the four stages that most people go through as they adjust to change which is based on the work of psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in the 1960s.
At Stage 1 is when a change is first introduced, team members may feel shocked and may think that there won’t really be any change, they may need your help to understand what is happening, so effective communication is this stage will be very important. Be clear on where people can go for information and help, answer their questions as they crop up so they would feel secure.
Once the reality of the change starts to hit, people tend to react negatively and move to stage 2 of the Fear Curve. Where they may fear the impact, feel angry and may lead some people to actively resist the change. Some will wrongly fear the negative consequences of change. Others will correctly identify real threats to their position. Make sure you are prepared for this stage so you can make it as painless and quick-lived as possible. But beware, you can’t anticipate how exactly each person will react, so watch, listen and support them as you can.
Stage 3 is the turning point for the individuals and the organization, this stage is where pessimism make way for some optimism. They start to let go, and accept the changes. They begin testing and exploring what the changes mean, They can do that more easily they are helped and supported to do so, even if this is a simple matter of allowing enough time to explore their options. Be aware that this stage is vital for learning and acceptance, and that it takes time. Do not expect them to be 100% productive during this time, and build in some contingency time for them so that they can learn and explore without too much pressure.
Stage 4 is when finally, team members makes a decision to fully embrace the change, reorganise their ways of working, and integrating with the new change. They can now see the benefits to the team and to the organization. Now is the time to celebrate with them. This is important. Your people will find it much easier to cope with change next time if they can remember the feeling of satisfaction and reward.
Knowledge of the fear curve can significantly boost the chances of successful change management process, because it addresses the key thing that makes change happen: people. It can help improve how managers interact with those undergoing change, ultimately making the change achieve success more quickly and decreasing the pressure on their team. If you can’t bring your people along with you, then your efforts for managing change will fail.
Tuesday Mar 09, 2021
What is business change management?
Tuesday Mar 09, 2021
Tuesday Mar 09, 2021
Nicola Graham dives into the detail of what is change management, and what is business change management.
Giving examples of the two and going into detail on how business change management is instrumental in delivering a project's ROI.
Listen to this podcast to learn all about it, and how business change management can benefit your projects!
Wednesday Oct 14, 2020
IR35 private sector changes are coming. Are you ready?
Wednesday Oct 14, 2020
Wednesday Oct 14, 2020
Do you agree with IR35? How did you feel about them enforcing the policy into the public sector? Did you know it it will impact the private sector in less than 6 months?
How are companies and contractors dealing with this change on top of Covid-19 and other challenges they’re facing?
Is there any possibility this change be postponed again?
In this podcast, Nicola is joined by a panel of three experts to discuss IR35 and the implication it has on both contractors and companies. Together they create a web of conversations exploring the pros and cons of IR35 from different perspectives, answering key questions in the process.
Nicole Slowey is the Operation Director at Qdos Contractor who are a specialist IR35 consultancy and insurance firm, they and are at the forefront line of IR35 based services and advisory since the introduction of the original legislation back in the year 2000. Nicole has years of experience working with organisations and public sector, providing us with expert knowledge on IR35.
Andrew Buxton is the Director and Founder of PDCS Program and Project Management Consultancy Practice. They engage with client’s organisations to undertake assessments of their portfolio, program, and project management processes organisation culture tool set. Andrew takes the position of companies and how IR35 impacts them.
Zayn Blore is COO & Co-founder at Simplify Change a Change Management dedicated consultancy. For several decades Zayn has been a contractor in the UK, where he has been heavily impacted by IR35. As a previous contractor, he brings tangible points about the negative impact it has had on himself and various contractors and companies he has worked with.
To learn more about our remarkable panel today, follow them on LinkedIn here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-buxton-ba23497/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-slowey-a8620a24/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zaynblore/
Tuesday Sep 08, 2020
Tuesday Sep 08, 2020
Cathy is an expert in intercultural communication and helps people to get better outcomes from their international relationships and to develop a skillset to communicate with people from different cultural backgrounds She helps people to adapt their skills and style to enable them to take advantage of the opportunities of working internationally.
Nicola and Cathy discuss different cultures and different approaches professionals can take in working with people from other cultures. They discuss stereotypes, ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ countries and the challenges people experience moving between countries. For example, one of the most challenging move is from the USA to the UK perhaps because the assumption is that the two cultures are similar and so people aren’t prepared for the differences.
Nicola and Cathy also discuss the new world, and how that has had an impact on intercultural training. When training is online, how can you build community, create rapport over a webinar with someone, interpret body language and ensure that learning takes place. Naturally, the impact of Covid-19 comes up: how different countries are impacted and how to deal with these differences during online meetings.
If you’re interested in more insights from Cathy, please follow her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathy-wellings/ or read her blog on her website at https://www.cathywellings.co.uk/