Managing change as it happens to you

Any structural reduction in senior posts is going to cause anger and anxiety. Those affected must face up to their own uncertain futures while leading their organisations and teams through the reconfiguration process – a very tall order indeed. Here Jacky Eyres tells how leadership workshops can help.

With a national reorganisation of primary care and major changes in prospect, Management Futures was awarded a contract in a large region of the NHS to provide noncompulsory two-day career workshops for Primary Care Trust (PCT) Executive Directors. The reorganisation, effective from October, would substantially reduce the number of PCTs, meaning fewer Directors were going to be needed.

Each workshop took up to ten participants, giving enough time and space for discussion and reflection. The aim was to arm people with a set of principles suited to any application process in any employment sector, yet to respect individuality.

Day 1

Transition: based on William Bridges’ work which shows the psychological adjustments necessary to weather change, participants needed to make sense of their own emotions – like Mary, a Director of Nursing who, after realising how strongly she felt about losing her team, was able to find a strategy to deal with the ending. Then, using co-coaching in pairs, we worked on their key strengths and skills – drawing out what each person did really well – so important to present loud and clear in any future selection process.

Day 2

Presentation: after a session on crafting the CV, with emphasis on highlighting achievements within a brief yet punchy document, came a peer critique of each participant’s existing CV. Interview skills: people were invited to reframe the interview as a social event where the role of the interviewee is to establish and maintain rapport with the panel – a central tenet of Management Futures’ interview coaching – and which caused all the workshop participants to rethink their interview perceptions radically.

Interview practice: then followed intensive interview practice with honest and detailed feedback from facilitators and participants alike. One Director of Finance, after adopting a new voice technique, was described for the first time in any feedback session he’d experienced as ‘enthusiastic’. He has since secured a very good post.

The gain from the pain

Participants’ response to the workshops was overwhelmingly positive. They valued the constructive time
out for reflection and the sharing of concerns with peers. They repeatedly said the days had left them more confident in their ability to deal with the reorganisation. As word about the workshops spread demand increased and more were put on – they became a real success story. A one-day version was later developed for managers reporting to Directors, another for executive PAs.

The message seems clear. Even the most senior people can gain real benefit from revisiting – or even
looking for the first time – at what makes for success in the recruitment selection process – especially important in a contracting and highly competitive labour market. Organisationally, the goodwill engendered amongst employees has been enormous; and the OD team who commissioned the workshop project has gained kudos and recognition.