Developing the Leader within Ch: 4

Lou Holtz and Coaching Change

• Lou Holtz is an American icon and a renowned college football coach.
• He coached the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team to an undefeated season and a national championship in 1988.
• Holtz is known for his dry wit and his ability to turn losing teams into winning ones.
• He coached at six different universities, and by his second year, every team had a winning record and was invited to play in a college bowl game.

Leading Change

• Lou Holtz is a leader who understands how to create positive change.
• He can take an organization that is heading downward, stop the negative momentum, and turn it upward, creating positive momentum.
• Anyone can get out in front of people who are already going in the right direction and encourage them to keep going, but few can make the changes necessary to turn around a group of people who are headed the wrong direction.

Why People Resist Change

• People do not naturally resist change; they resist being changed.
• There are several reasons why people resist change:
  • People feel awkward and self-conscious doing something new.
  • People initially focus on what they will have to give up.
  • People are afraid of being ridiculed.
  • People personalize change and may feel alone in the process.

Overcoming Resistance to Change

• As leaders, we need to help people overcome their resistance to change.
• We need to acknowledge their humanness and work with them to process the change.
• We need to show patience and understanding, rather than expecting people to ignore their feelings during times of change.

The PLAN AHEAD Process

• The PLAN AHEAD process is a step-by-step guide to creating positive change.
• The process involves:
  • Predetermining the change that is needed.
  • Laying out your steps.
  • Adjusting your priorities.
  • Notifying key people.
  • Allowing time for acceptance.
  • Heading into action.
  • Expecting problems.
  • Always pointing to the successes.
  • Daily reviewing your progress.

Personal Notes

• The greatest enemy of tomorrow's success is yesterday's success.
• As leaders, we need to be willing to welcome and champion change to avoid becoming complacent and satisfied with our current success.### Leading Change Successfully
• The biggest obstacle to change is often the people who don't want to change, not the change itself
• To successfully implement change, a leader must:
  • Earn buy-in from key people
  • Communicate effectively
  • Allow time for acceptance
  • Head into action with the support of key players
  • Expect problems to arise
  • Always point to successes
  • Daily review progress

Adjusting Priorities

• Revise priorities to be successful in implementing change
• Cosmetic changes are easier to make but don't address the root issues, while critical changes are more difficult to facilitate but make a greater impact
• Critical changes cost time, energy, resources, creativity, goodwill, or influence, and if it doesn't cost, question if real change is occurring

Notifying Key People

• Identify key people who need to get behind the change to make it successful
• Meet with them individually to share information and earn their buy-in
• Communicate strategically, not just to make the information "fair"
• Give valuable information to make key people feel special and included

Allowing Time for Acceptance

• People usually take a long time to accept change, which often goes through three phases:
  1. It will not work.
  2. It will cost too much.
  3. I thought it was a good idea all along.
• Leaders may see more and before their people do, causing chaos
• Good leaders allow time for acceptance and:
  1. Slow down to give people time to process the change
  2. Communicate clearly and simply
  3. Build in time for people to process ideas

Heading into Action

• Once key players are on board, the change can finally move forward
• Not everyone will be on board, but with enough influence and support, many will get on board in time
• Vision divides people, separating those who will from those who won't
• Leaders must enlist the committed people to help implement the change

Expecting Problems

• Anytime change is initiated, problems arise
• Problems come from unforeseen difficulties and people's objections
• Anticipate the worst-case scenarios and:
  1. Think the worst first
  2. Speak to the worst first
  3. Answer the worst first
  4. Encourage people through the worst first

Always Pointing to Successes

• Celebrate successes, both large and small, to reinforce the change
• Positive reinforcement validates the changes people make
• Point to the people who made the changes happen

Daily Review of Progress

• Daily review of progress is vital to ensure the change is on track and moving forward
• Continually communicate the message of change to people
• Talk about the change clearly, creatively, and continually### Planning for Change
• Predetermine the change needed and why it is necessary, outlining the steps to achieve it
• Describe the current state and the desired outcome, breaking down the process into logical steps

Prioritizing and Notifying

• Identify and adjust priorities to align the organization and people with the coming change
• Notify key influencers and implementers, creating two lists to categorize stakeholders

Managing the Change Process

• Allow time for people to process and accept the change, using observation and intuition to gauge progress
• Head into action, describing the initial steps and their impact on the team or organization

Anticipating and Overcoming Obstacles

• Identify potential problems that may arise during implementation and plan for them
• Celebrate successes and milestones along the way, recognizing achievements and morale-boosting efforts

Monitoring Progress

• Develop a review process to track progress, using metrics and regular check-ins with stakeholders
• Identify key indicators that signal the successful completion of the change

Lou Holtz and Coaching Change

• Lou Holtz is an American icon and a renowned college football coach.
• He coached the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team to an undefeated season and a national championship in 1988.
• Holtz is known for his dry wit and his ability to turn losing teams into winning ones.
• He coached at six different universities, and by his second year, every team had a winning record and was invited to play in a college bowl game.

Leading Change

• Lou Holtz is a leader who understands how to create positive change.
• He can take an organization that is heading downward, stop the negative momentum, and turn it upward, creating positive momentum.
• Anyone can get out in front of people who are already going in the right direction and encourage them to keep going, but few can make the changes necessary to turn around a group of people who are headed the wrong direction.

Why People Resist Change

• People do not naturally resist change; they resist being changed.
• There are several reasons why people resist change:
  • People feel awkward and self-conscious doing something new.
  • People initially focus on what they will have to give up.
  • People are afraid of being ridiculed.
  • People personalize change and may feel alone in the process.

Overcoming Resistance to Change

• As leaders, we need to help people overcome their resistance to change.
• We need to acknowledge their humanness and work with them to process the change.
• We need to show patience and understanding, rather than expecting people to ignore their feelings during times of change.

The PLAN AHEAD Process

• The PLAN AHEAD process is a step-by-step guide to creating positive change.
• The process involves:
  • Predetermining the change that is needed.
  • Laying out your steps.
  • Adjusting your priorities.
  • Notifying key people.
  • Allowing time for acceptance.
  • Heading into action.
  • Expecting problems.
  • Always pointing to the successes.
  • Daily reviewing your progress.

Personal Notes

• The greatest enemy of tomorrow's success is yesterday's success.
• As leaders, we need to be willing to welcome and champion change to avoid becoming complacent and satisfied with our current success.### Leading Change Successfully
• The biggest obstacle to change is often the people who don't want to change, not the change itself
• To successfully implement change, a leader must:
  • Earn buy-in from key people
  • Communicate effectively
  • Allow time for acceptance
  • Head into action with the support of key players
  • Expect problems to arise
  • Always point to successes
  • Daily review progress

Adjusting Priorities

• Revise priorities to be successful in implementing change
• Cosmetic changes are easier to make but don't address the root issues, while critical changes are more difficult to facilitate but make a greater impact
• Critical changes cost time, energy, resources, creativity, goodwill, or influence, and if it doesn't cost, question if real change is occurring

Notifying Key People

• Identify key people who need to get behind the change to make it successful
• Meet with them individually to share information and earn their buy-in
• Communicate strategically, not just to make the information "fair"
• Give valuable information to make key people feel special and included

Allowing Time for Acceptance

• People usually take a long time to accept change, which often goes through three phases:
  1. It will not work.
  2. It will cost too much.
  3. I thought it was a good idea all along.
• Leaders may see more and before their people do, causing chaos
• Good leaders allow time for acceptance and:
  1. Slow down to give people time to process the change
  2. Communicate clearly and simply
  3. Build in time for people to process ideas

Heading into Action

• Once key players are on board, the change can finally move forward
• Not everyone will be on board, but with enough influence and support, many will get on board in time
• Vision divides people, separating those who will from those who won't
• Leaders must enlist the committed people to help implement the change

Expecting Problems

• Anytime change is initiated, problems arise
• Problems come from unforeseen difficulties and people's objections
• Anticipate the worst-case scenarios and:
  1. Think the worst first
  2. Speak to the worst first
  3. Answer the worst first
  4. Encourage people through the worst first

Always Pointing to Successes

• Celebrate successes, both large and small, to reinforce the change
• Positive reinforcement validates the changes people make
• Point to the people who made the changes happen

Daily Review of Progress

• Daily review of progress is vital to ensure the change is on track and moving forward
• Continually communicate the message of change to people
• Talk about the change clearly, creatively, and continually### Planning for Change
• Predetermine the change needed and why it is necessary, outlining the steps to achieve it
• Describe the current state and the desired outcome, breaking down the process into logical steps

Prioritizing and Notifying

• Identify and adjust priorities to align the organization and people with the coming change
• Notify key influencers and implementers, creating two lists to categorize stakeholders

Managing the Change Process

• Allow time for people to process and accept the change, using observation and intuition to gauge progress
• Head into action, describing the initial steps and their impact on the team or organization

Anticipating and Overcoming Obstacles

• Identify potential problems that may arise during implementation and plan for them
• Celebrate successes and milestones along the way, recognizing achievements and morale-boosting efforts

Monitoring Progress

• Develop a review process to track progress, using metrics and regular check-ins with stakeholders
• Identify key indicators that signal the successful completion of the change

Lou Holtz: A Leader of Change

• Lou Holtz is an American icon and a legendary college football coach who led six different universities to success, turning their losing teams into winners.
• Holtz's success was not limited to just one or two teams; he consistently achieved positive change in every team he coached.
• According to George Kelly, a career coach who worked with Holtz at Notre Dame, Lou had three qualities all great coaches possess: he didn't take anything for granted, he was an excellent teacher, and he was superbly organized.

The Challenges of Change

• People often resist change because they are afraid of the unknown, not because they are resistant to change itself.
• There are several reasons why people resist change:
  • They feel awkward and self-conscious doing something new.
  • They are initially focused on what they will have to give up.
  • They are afraid of being ridiculed or judged by others.
  • They personalize change and feel alone in the process.

The Process of Change

• Change is a process, not an event.
• Leaders need to take people through a process of change, allowing them to process the changes mentally and emotionally.
• Leaders need to create a process that helps people overcome their fears and doubts.
• The PLAN AHEAD process is a helpful framework for leaders to use when introducing change:
  1. Predetermine the change that is needed.
  2. Lay out your steps.
  3. Adjust your priorities.
  4. Notify key people.
  5. Allow time for acceptance.
  6. Head into action.
  7. Expect problems.
  8. Always point to the successes.
  9. Daily review your progress.

Lessons from Lou Holtz and Others

• Lou Holtz was able to turn teams around by being a positive change agent and creating a culture of success.
• As leaders, we need to help people overcome their initial resistance to change and focus on the benefits of positive change.
• We need to be patient and understanding, acknowledging people's humanness and emotions during times of change.
• We need to take people through a process of change, not just announce it and expect them to follow.
• We need to focus on the process, not just the event, and be willing to make adjustments along the way.### Leading Change
• The biggest challenge in leading change is not convincing others, but rather getting them to buy into the change and work together to achieve it.

Adjusting Priorities

• Leaders must be willing to revise their priorities to be successful in making changes.
• Cosmetic changes are not effective, as they don't address the root problems. Critical changes are made from the inside out and require effort and sacrifice.

Notifying Key People

• Good leaders don't share information about changes with everyone at once. They strategically share information with key people who need to know and can influence the change.
• Key people include those who need to get behind the change to make it happen and those who will carry out the implementation of the plan.

Allowing Time for Acceptance

• People usually take a long time to accept change, and acceptance often goes through three phases: it won't work, it will cost too much, and it was a good idea all along.
• Leaders should slow down and give people time to process and adapt to change.
• Clear and simple communication is essential in helping people understand and accept change.

Heading into Action

• Once key players are on board, the change can begin to move forward.
• Not everyone will be on board, but a leader can't wait for everyone to agree.
• Vision divides people, but it's a good thing, as it separates those who will from those who won't.

Expecting Problems

• Anytime change is initiated, problems arise.
• It's natural for people to resist change and express fears, doubts, and complaints.
• Leaders should be proactive and anticipate problems, thinking the worst, speaking to the worst, answering the worst, and encouraging people through the worst.

Always Pointing to Successes

• Leaders should continually reinforce and celebrate the successes people experience as they champion change.
• Positive reinforcement validates the changes people make and keeps them motivated.

Daily Review of Progress

• Leaders should regularly review their progress to ensure they are on track and moving forward.
• They should also continue to communicate the message of change to their people to keep them engaged and motivated.

The Final Word is Credibility

• A leader's ability to create positive change depends on whether their people buy into them as a leader.
• Credibility is built through integrity, and people buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.
• A leader's ability to make changes depends on their level of leadership credibility and the amount of "change" they have in their pocket.### Planning for Change
• To prepare for desired change, follow a structured plan that outlines each stage of the process.

Predetermining the Change

• Clearly define the needed change and its necessity.
• Outline the steps required to complete the change, starting from the current state and logically progressing to the desired endpoint.

Adjusting Priorities

• Identify and adjust priorities to align the organization and people with the coming change.

Notifying Key People

• Identify key people to notify first, including influencers and implementers.
• Create two lists: influencers and implementers.

Allowing Time for Acceptance

• Plan for people to process the change and use observation and intuition to gauge when they have accepted it.

Taking Action

• Describe the initial steps of the change and their impact on the team or organization.

Expecting Problems

• Identify potential problems that may arise during implementation and plan for them.

Celebrating Successes

• Plan ways to recognize and celebrate milestones as the change occurs.
• Focus on the successes to motivate the team or organization.

Reviewing Progress

• Establish a method for reviewing the progress of the change, including metrics, regular check-ins with team members, and monitoring morale.
• Identify specific indicators that signal the successful completion of the change.

Get to know Lou Holtz, a legendary American football coach, known for his witty remarks and impressive coaching career, including leading Notre Dame to a national championship.