leading change starts with learning to ask questions

By Veronica Thomashttps://www.linkedin.com/in/veronica-thomas-50b26a31

By Veronica ThomasDirector, Digital LearningExecutive EducationColumbia Business School

LEADING CHANGE

STARTS WITH

LEARNING TO ASK

QUESTIONS

1

https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronica-thomas-50b26a31


Change Hurts• This is the elephant in the room

and a simple truth that is often

lost on sponsors and advocates

of change.

• The disconnect between

ideation and execution comes

from a failure to ask questions.

2



Questions to ask beforeimplementing change

•We are doing this

because....?

•We will know we're

successful when...?

• The worse thing that

could happen is...?

3By Veronica Thomashttps://www.linkedin.com/in/veronica-thomas-50b26a31




The need or justification

for change should be

driven by a need to serve your

audience better, but your

ability to serve your audience

better depends on how well

you really know them.

• Our audience is...?

• Our audience

needs...?





Where’s our proof?

5

• How do we actually know what we thinkwe know about our audience?

• Have we challenged or allowed our assumptions to be challenged?By Veronica Thomashttps://www.linkedin.com/in/veronica-thomas-50b26a31




When it comes to meeting our audience’s needs…

The current capabilities and

resources we have are...?

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

The capabilities and resources

we will need are…?

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________6

Have we assessed our capabilities?





•Our current obstacles in

meeting our audience’s

needs are...

•Our potential obstacles in

meeting our audience’s

needs may be...

7

What’s blocking us?





Potential barriers to online learning from the learner perspective

• Content irrelevant to interests or needs

• Teaching approach and learning style mismatch

• Blurring of work life development boundaries

• No accountability, reward or recognition

• Underestimating learning workload

• Poor time management skills

• Travel for work

• Family or Personal crisis

• Internet unreliability

• Language

• Intellectual insecurity, shyness or reservations

• Lack of technical efficacy



Pulse check• I'm feeling __________

about this venture.

• My team is feeling __________

about this venture..

• My organization’s senior

leadership is feeling __________

about this venture.





Why ask why?

10

Because change hurts, and you owe it to yourself and the teams or organizations you lead to be a thoughtful and disciplined agent of change rather than a steamroller of change-for-change’s-sake—which inevitably leads to employee burnout, decreased morale and increased turnover rates.
