What should you be looking for when hiring a change manager?
Given the high stakes involved with big transformations, it is crucial to find the right person for the job. Someone who:
- Has experience in a similar organization and/or project scope;
- Is a personal fit for the team and organization;
- Is equipped with the necessary change management tools (e.g. Kotter, Lewin, ADKAR/Prosci);
- Can leverage these tools to successfully structure and carry out the change initiative;
- Has the interpersonal skills to navigate a complex environment with different sets of stakeholders.
But if we’re being honest, the crux of the matter is not in selecting the right person. It is in getting the right person to the table.
Yes – there are probably thousands of change experts out there. However, there is a very select group of people that has actual hands-on experience managing transformations in big and complex environments, such as Top 100 organizations.
There is no amount of books you can read to match this type of experience.
And these are not the type of people who scour the internet for vacancies. Because their next job is already lined up.
So how do you catch one of these change unicorns?
You can search on LinkedIn or ask your network if they have experience with good Change Managers. You can also ask your HR department to support you in this endeavor.
Additionally, the role is often challenging to comprehend for individuals who have not previously experienced transformation processes themselves.
And so it’s perfectly understandable if recruiters or resource managers struggle to identify the right profiles. Even if you know what to look for, it remains difficult to distinguish truly exceptional change experts.
To do so, you need to thoroughly read their CVs and have a strong sense of the field and the scale and impact of the transformations they have been involved in.
Yes – this requires actually diving into past projects they have been involved with.
Yes – it’s even better if you can talk to people who can give you inside information on these projects.
And yes – this is a lot of work.
Luckily, there is an easier way to get the top change experts on your shortlist: through an intermediary.
At SPRING TODAY, we are in close contact with the leading change and transformation managers in the field.
We know who they are, what assignment they’re currently on, and who will likely become available in the next couple of months. So we can give them a call before they re-enter the job market.
SPRINGTODAY
The interim, search & consultancy organization with the best experts in the field of Change & Transformation.