Evoking emotion and influencing action through clear, clever content

Tag: Innovation

Leading Change through Communication in the 4th Industrial Revolution

Yvonne Ruke Akpoveta on stage at The Change Leadership conference

This past decade, business communicators have had to rethink their strategies to deliver multidimensional messages about organizational overhauls to anxious workforces. With emerging and trending technologies making once-arduous tasks past frustrations for corporations, countless employees are in the presence of uncertain futures – panic triggered by coronavirus repercussions only exacerbating worries.

Now more than ever, shaping the narrative to elevate the employee experience is the priority for companies in the midst of major operational transformations. And, as luck would have it, Yvonne Ruke Akpoveta, founder and CEO of The Change Leadership conferences and events—including Leading Change in the 4th Industrial Revolution—has made ‘supporting professionals and organizations to lead and transition through change’ her life’s mission and advocacy avenue.

“One of the core skills related to change leadership is demonstrating empathy to build trust,” she explains. “Communicators must take a human-centred design approach to change management messaging to make corporate transformations more manageable for everyone impacted.”

Business Communicators as Change Leaders

The conduits through which change is conveyed, business communicators must keep eyes peeled in all directions, says Yvonne. Through her polished Change Leadership lens, she shares her top three tips for supporting organizational change through effective communications in the fourth industrial revolution.

  1. Stay aware of emerging technology trends. For communications professionals to deliver messaging about digital transformation more effectively, they need to understand what is happening in the market. “Waiting for the change management or technology lead to say, ‘this is the change, and this is what you need to communicate’, isn’t conducive to a successful company transition, if the communicator doesn’t have a well-informed view of the implications for employees,” says Yvonne. “As opposed to just receiving and sending information, they need to be the architects of a strategy with a big-picture perspective.”
  2. Empower employees through education. Even before an organization has its specific digital transformation plan established, communicators can start to create employee awareness of evolutions in technology and market changes. “What better way to get employees participating and sharing ideas to contribute to the development of the company and start thinking more innovatively about their jobs?” Yvonne points out. “Everybody needs to be leading and driving change within an organization.”
  3. Encourage two-way communication engagement. “This is where culture comes into the game,” explains Yvonne, “because it’s not just about creating that open channel; it’s about having the type of culture in which leaders are open to receiving feedback.” Communicators can provide counsel to executive leaders and reshape the message in a way that makes employees feel comfortable providing feedback. Of course, adds Yvonne, “it is up to organizational leadership to walk the talk.”

The key to fourth industrial revolution change communications really is to balance what organizations want to say, with what employees need to hear and understand, says Yvonne. “In this way, communicators can truly make all the difference.”

For additional insights, strategies and solutions to help lead and respond to change is today’s dynamic and disruptive business environment, register for The Change Leadership’s FREE Masterclass.

Thinking Creatively to Cultivate Career Accomplishments

Creative thinking helps us uncover new and innovative ways to look at situations.

“Our careers are no exception,” explains Michelle Warren, a creator and facilitator of interactive communication, leadership and innovation workshops. “By looking at things through a different lens, which creative thinking fosters, we are able to find new avenues to pursue, which benefits us and our employers.”

Although folks with careers outside of creative industries may feel like their jobs don’t allow for much creative expression, Michelle insists that there are some simple ways to tap into our imaginations to facilitate innovative solutions to all types workplace challenges.

Here are just a few:

  • Set aside some time, perhaps even 15 minutes a day to consider alternatives. “Once you start the habit, keep at it,” she says. “Be patient with yourself, especially if this is a foreign concept, and see what happens.”
  • Try free writing. “It’s an excellent way to tap into different mental reserves,” she shares. “Take a pen and paper and write what is on your mind, or try brainstorming alone or with others, in a non-judgmental, free-form manner.”
  • Be curious about everything. “Curiosity will help expand thought patterns and foster creative thinking,” she says.
  • Avoid feelings of judgment and frustration. “Keep your emotions in check,” she warns.
  • Don’t evaluate your output immediately. “Give yourself space and time to explore options,” she advises.

Brain Training

“Think of creativity as being a muscle – the more you practice using it, the stronger your creative mindset will become,” Michelle encourages. “Just as we become physically fit with practice, dedication, and hard work, so we will become more creative with regular brain training.”

Michelle reminds us that not every creative idea will be worth investigating, but with time, we should find one for consideration, and leaves us with this final thought: “Encourage creative thinking in others – in your team, with your colleagues,” she advises. “Creativity breeds innovation, and that is what we all need to foster in today’s workplace.”

The Change Leadership Conference: Responding to Change Better & Faster

A diverse group industry leaders recently flocked to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre to hear two of this planet’s most in-demand speakers on leadership and innovation—John C. Maxwell and Jeremy Gutsche—as well as some of Canada’s foremost change agents, discuss leading change successfully in today’s business environment.

“Without change, we remain stagnant, expose our organizations to financial losses, and lose our relevance in the marketplace,” explained the event’s host Yvonne Ruke Akpoveta, CEO at OliveBlue Incorporated, which presented The Change Leadership series.

“Change is dynamic and unending, and now it’s happening at such a fast pace.”

Key learnings

Seven speakers and panellists took to the stage to share their experiences and insights on change leadership. Here is a roundup of some of the most impactful thoughts that were presented.

“Your company culture has to demonstrate that you earn leadership because you’re the best, not because you’ve been there the longest; if your culture protects that kind of environment, nothing is going to change.”

~John C. Maxwell, global leadership expert, speaker, author

“Forty-four per cent of Canadian companies said they had courage, but only 11 per cent of companies in Canada actually had courage (statistics cited from Deloitte’s 2016 report The Future Belongs to the Bold)… They need for us to step up as leaders.”

~Paul Alofs, president and CEO, The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation

“I think diversity is one of the most important issues in terms of innovation and creative thinking. There’s an old saying that, if you and I think alike, then one of us is redundant.”

~Jeremy Gutsche, disruptive innovation expert, speaker, author

“There are things like agile fatigue. Some people thrive on being agile, and others hit the wall. As leaders, we have to be aware of that, and figure out what we have to do to get those employees ready.”

~Gail A. Serverini, divisional vice president, Change Management, Holt Renfrew

“Relevance is not just about having a customer focus but also an employee and community focus…  At RBC, we have a very healthy paranoia about being and staying relevant.”

~Laura Fisher, vice president, Human Resources Shared Services, RBC

Intrapreneurship applies the same tenets of entrepreneurship: ask why, and mobilize people around a vision.”

~Dr. Steven Murphy, dean, Ted Rogers School of Management

“We rally employees behind the vision of us being a tech company that offers banking services.”

~Helen Wang, vice president, IT Lean Program, Scotiabank

Go forth and lead change

Despite the fancy titles of some of the presenters, the most important message conveyed at the event was probably that a person needn’t be a vice president, CEO, or business owner to lead.

“Anyone can learn to lead,” Maxwell told the audience.  My favourite quote is ‘one man with courage is a majority.’”

This post originally appeared in the August 1 Avanti Women blog and e-newsletter. Avanti Women empowers women to develop themselves professionally and personally so they can move forward in their careers. As a volunteer on the communications committee, I contribute content of relevance to the membership monthly.

trisharichards[@]hotmail.com

416-721-4101