How to Drive & Communicate Change
while enjoying the journey as a torchbearer
Almost like the proverbial “chicken and the egg” dilemma, it’s hard for me to decide which comes first: “driving change” or “communicating change.” The two concepts are so closely intertwined they almost appear as one. Fortunately, the model I’m sharing today similarly sees the two as crucial “co-parents” to successful change initiatives.
With several different groups over the past few months, I’ve taught the Illuminate model of transformation, developed by Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez. The heart of the model is this anatomy of a venture scape where they show that movements in an organization follow a story structure.
A few key elements about their model: I treasure that they call leaders “torchbearers,” because to lead change, you must shine light on the problem to be solved. Not only must the leader shine light, they must also invite the company to “leap” in an effort to initiate work. As you can see, the change moves through stages of fight and climb before ultimately arriving.
To thrive, organizations must continually reinvent themselves by imagining and implementing new initiatives. Organizations must transform to thrive.
-Nancy Duarte & Patti Sanchez
One client was willing to be particularly playful as we looked at how to find and attack problems that needed solving. Cross-functional teams of leaders from throughout the firm were given time to first consider on their own, then as a small group, what problem was most vexing to them and could yield the greatest return if solved. Once the team had settled on a problem, they illustrated it with crafty elements they had on their table, including pipe cleaners, scrabble boards, play dough, and more. You can see a few examples below from groups who viewed onboarding as crucial to improve.
By having both written observations and tangible illustrations of the problem, the group had a starting point from which to create a strategic solution containing both how to drive as well as communicate change.
Somehow organizational change feels a bit less daunting when we can view it within the story structure Duarte and Sanchez provide and the natural laughter and play that comes from adults with their hands in playdough.
So, I ask you to consider … what problems in your world have defied solutions? How might this approach bring you new insights into solving and communicating these changes?
JD’s Recommendations: what I’m reading, hearing, and seeing:
Reading: it’s pride month, so let me shine light on this gem of a book: Thriving in Business: Strategies for the LGBTQ+ Entrepreneur.
Hearing: love this view of how storytelling evolved as a business from Decoder Ring: “The Storytelling Craze.”
Seeing: my hats off to the amazing creators at Disney and Pixar for their latest release Elemental. My friend Molly and I took my two littlest kids on opening weekend and were both amazed by its wit and wisdom (for adults and kids alike).
Thanks for enjoying my newsletter. I always welcome your feedback and view it as a gift.
As always, jds
P.S. You can get a quick snapshot of the Illuminate model by viewing this free executive summary, or get a more animated view in this two-minute video from the authors. Finally, if you’d like a deeper dive into the Illuminate model, you can watch this case study I taught for the Association of Consultants for Liturgical Space a few months ago.