When the history of 2022 is written, it will be remembered as one of the most unpredictable there has ever been. For anyone within an organisation charged with the responsibility of keeping a project on time, on track and on budget, every day has been a roller coaster of the unexpected. No matter how much preparation was done or how detailed the plans were, every day has brought something out of left field with the potential of derailing even the most well-prepared professionals. As the year finishes with an unprecedented flurry of strikes in multiple sectors, the question is, what on earth will 2023 have in store?
Consultant project manager Paul Taylor, the author of “The Human’s Guide to Managing Change”, doesn’t profess to have the answers, but he does have some strategies up his sleeve.
“The fact is that most businesses are so engrossed with managing unexpected day-to-day challenges that they simply don’t have time to look up at the big picture and try to anticipate what is around the corner. As a result, they get caught out. Any organisation that does not have on its payroll, a Change Management Professional is in a very vulnerable position. You need somebody to be constantly asking the question “What if?” and then have a plan ready to cope with those eventualities. You can never have too much “Whatifery”.
In reality, many companies have come out of 2022 surprisingly in a stronger position than when they went in by anticipating the unthinkable. With every problem, an opportunity also comes if you are alert to that possibility.
Equally, there were many companies that were in a comfort zone, and asleep at the wheel when the unexpected caught them unawares. This turbulent year could well be used as a case study for directors to demonstrate the need to have Professional Change Managers in place to support board decisions and to be ready with alternative strategies when the unexpected happens.
The new role is in its infancy but is fast being recognised. Can you afford to be without one?
For more information visit Paul Taylor’s website https://www.paultaylor.associates/
Email; info@paultaylor.associates
Paul’s book “The Human’s Guide to Change Management ISBN 978-1-913623-99-9. Available from Paul’s website, Amazon and all good bookshops
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