Do you remember the most jaw-dropping and bone-chilling moment in Game of Thrones towards the series finale? Yes, I am talking about the moment Arya Stark jumps over the heaps of dead bodies and plunges a dagger in the heart of the most feared villain on TV, the Night King.
A few seconds before that epic moment, it felt like all was lost and the dead had won. All of a sudden, Arya Stark did the impossible. Obviously, she was a very skilled and fierce fighter; but what was the driving force that gave her the edge to be the one to slash it through the Night King’s heart?
There was one force that turned Arya the hero we needed, her conversation with the Red Lady moments before her heroic feat. Wait, you must be thinking if I am right when I say that the Red Lady inspired Arya. Yes, I am. Well, if you go back a little, it is quite visible on Arya’s face that she was losing confidence in winning this war. So, what did the Red Lady do that brought Arya back from feeling defeated to winning the war?
Arya, who was injured, hurt, and tired, got the energy and confidence to bounce back and kill the Night King and end the war with the dead. Now, let’s see how the Red Lady made this happen.
Remember the words of the Red Lady; she reminded Arya of her own strengths, her potential and things she had already done. Sometimes, it is enough to motivate someone to have the right mindset to change. Now, imagine the Red Lady saying something like this:
· “Look at what Jon Snow is doing”
· “You need to be like Jon Snow to beat the Night King”
· “Your competition is blah blah; you need to change how you attack them”
Do you think Arya would have been able to do what she did if she received such motivation? The answer is no. Arya would have failed miserably and perished in the war against the dead. She wouldn’t be able to rise to the occasion to do the unthinkable. Now let’s change this situation from reel to real.
Let’s assume Arya Stark to be the representation of employees of your corporate company planning to undergo a change. Your company is trying to stay current by adapting to a new style of working for enhancing productivity, achieving efficiency, and making a difference. How should you as the management of this company present this news to the employees and motivate them to change. For this, let’s consider some of the most common change situations in a company:
What employers say: This new way will be better than the last one; we will do better.
What employees think: One more change! Was the last change so bad? What is the guarantee that this will work?
What employers say: Our competition/the XYZ company has adapted this new style of working and achieved path-breaking efficiency. We must follow this path.
What employees think: XYZ is a different company and the way of work is different as well. Is it wise to ape someone else’s way of working in our organisation?
What employers say: We will, of course, tailor the new way of working to our styles and convenience.
What employees think: After spending a lot of time and money implementing the change, we will be back to the old way of working in 6 months.
During the past year, I have come across various successful leaders and gotten the opportunity to interview many of them. I asked them about their biggest struggles with change and one common answer among most of them was the mindset of the employees. Employees are either reluctant, fearful, or do not take the change seriously.
So, how can you break the biggest barrier in bringing a change, the mindset of employees? How can you as a leader or a change manager stimulate that drive? What can you do to make the employees embrace this change? You do what the Red Lady did for Arya; remind them of their own capabilities and strengths.
One tool often overlooked is internal success. Most companies often fail to mention or even reflect on this. It is important to show why change is important for growth. It is vital that you reflect on the degree of efficiency, target, and success achieved with the implementation of the previous change. This will show them how serious the management is with the changes they propose instead of using them for window dressing. However, if the last change was a failed effort, it is important to be open and honest about it by showing ways how you can prevent it from happening again.
When announcing an upcoming change, be prepared to clearly communicate to your employees the steps (small/big) and the measures they can take to welcome this change. Express this change in as tangible and measurable terms as possible. Support it with numbers if you have to. The message received should be loud and clear; they should understand how important this change is and adapt to this change from TODAY.
Change is the only thing constant, and it is necessary for both the organisation and its employees. But, if you can motivate your team like The Red Lady, your employees will feel empowered like Arya Stark. Thus, you will not only be able to bring about a change easily to your organisation but also see this change resulting in a fruitful outcome and set an example of how a change is perceived in the future.
The moral of the story
- Remind the team of their own strengths on what make them special and valued
- The comparison should be only with self and not with what others are doing.
- A truly motivated team member can go above and beyond to bring success for the team
