How to Lead Breakthrough Change Against the OddsBy David Pottruck

9 Steps

For Leading Breakthrough Change from

Award-Winning CEO and Professor David Pottruck

Establish the need to change and a sense of

urgency.

STEP 1:

Change has always been part of the DNA of business, but the accelerated pace of technological innovation means that leaders have less time than ever to show a success, recover from a downturn, or make a change stick.- DAVID POTTRUCK

“

STEP 2:

Assemble and unify your leadership team.

The team that got us to the moon didn’t get a billion dollar bonus, even if they might have deserved it. They didn’t undertake the project because they expected a big bonus. They devoted themselves to it because it sparked their imaginations and made them feel a part of something much larger and greater than themselves.

- DAVID POTTRUCK

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Develop and communicate a clear and compelling vision of the

future.

STEP 3:

Once you have your leadership team in place, you and your team need to be ready to envision and communicate the future in such a vivid and irresistible way that everyone around you understands your vision and shares your passion for it.

- DAVID POTTRUCK

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Plan ahead for known and unknown barriers.

STEP 4:

A good plan is all about anticipation. You have to look not just at current issues but at ones that may crop up only after the change goes into effect.- DAVID POTTRUCK

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Create a workable plan.

STEP 5:

Breakthrough change is not linear. It’s not an incremental momentum plan. Instead it demands a leap to a fundamentally new and different position.- DAVID POTTRUCK

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Partition the project and build momentum with

early wins.

STEP 6:

In the long run, it pays to constantly be on the lookout for small wins and low-hanging fruit, those small interim deliverables that can demonstrate progress, deliver concrete benefits, and prop up both team morale and management support.- DAVID POTTRUCK

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Define metrics, develop analytics, and

communicate results.

STEP 7:

Be aware that making a change happen is deeply rooted in social and emotional issues. We are managing emotions. We are managing passion. We are managing people’s energy and commitment to this breakthrough change—and it’s a massive undertaking.

- DAVID POTTRUCK

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Assemble, recruit, and empower the broader

team.

STEP 8:

It may seem odd to think that skepticism can be helpful. But constructive skepticism can keep you from very enthusiastically driving over a cliff. And that same skepticism is invaluable as you keep the team fresh and thriving.- DAVID POTTRUCK

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Test with pilots to increase success.

STEP 8:

One of the greatest benefits of pilots—and the multiple pilot systems—is that they enable us to discover problems and develop solutions while the scale is still limited and more manageable.

- DAVID POTTRUCK

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What’s Next?

Learn more about how to lead breakthrough change with David Pottruck’s new book, Stacking the Deck.

DAVIDPOTTRUCK.COM

@DAVIDPOTTRUCK